Dixieland Delight: A Football Season on the Road in the Southeastern Conference [Paperback]

Clay Travis (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 31, 2007

There is no college ball more passionate and competitive than football in the Southeastern Conference, where seven of the twelve schools boast stadiums bigger than any in the NFL and 6.5 million fans hit the road every year to hoot and holler their teams to victory.

In September 2006, popular sports columnist and lifelong University of Tennessee fan Clay Travis set out on his "Dixieland Delight Tour." Without a single map, hotel reservation, or game ticket, he began an 8,000-mile journey through the beating heart of the Southland. As Travis toured the SEC, he immersed himself in the bizarre game-day rituals of the common fan, brazenly dancing with the chancellor's wife at a Vanderbilt frat party, hanging with University of Florida demigod quarterback Tim Tebow, and abandoning himself totally to the ribald intensity and religious fervor of SEC football. Dixieland Delight is Travis's hilarious, loving, irreverent, and endlessly entertaining chronicle of a season of ironic excess in a world that goes a little crazy on football Saturdays.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Sports columnist Travis grew up a University of Tennessee football fan, and it was clear early on he would remain one for his entire life. That's typical in the Southeastern Conference, where football on Saturdays is about as natural as butter on toast. Travis takes us with him as he chronicles the 2006 season on the SEC bandwagon. Armed with only a copy of the Volunteers' 12-game schedule, he follows the team's path, determined to wing it when it comes to finding game tickets and places to sleep along the way. Travis coins his journey the DDT (Dixieland Delight Tour) and records his impressions one week at time. Summing up his more than 8,000 miles of road traveled, Travis shares his "Lessons from the DDT," 18 nuggets of wisdom such as "No matter what fan base you're a part of, at least 15 percent of your fans suck. Really suck." There's plenty of football in these pages, but it's the irreverent attitude and willingness to make fun of one's own obsessions that give the account its zip. Wilkens, Mary Frances

Review

“As indispensible to college football fans as ibuprofen on Sunday morning.” (Warren St. John, bestselling author of Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer)

“[Dixieland Delight] promises to be so popular down South it might replace the Bible in select motel rooms. Pretty much anyone will love this thing, but if you have even a remote interest in the SEC, this essentially is your new handbook on life.” (Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! national sports columnist and co-author of Glory Road)

“A weaving, high-spirited road trip of a book....Reading it will make you happier than a dog with two peters!” (Will Blythe, New York Times bestselling author of To Hate Like This Is To Be Happy Forever)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: It Books; First Edition edition (July 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061431249
• ISBN-13: 978-0061431241
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #403,746 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Clay Travis is a writer for FanHouse.com. He's previously written the ClayNation column for CBSSports.com and been an associate editor at the sports blog Deadspin.com. A graduate of George Washington and Vanderbilt Law School, he lives in Nashville with his wife and son. He believes his beard makes all women weak in the knees.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth your time if you're an SEC football fan September 17, 2007

By L. L. Stallings

Format:Paperback

Even though I have degrees from two SEC schools and have attended games in five SEC stadiums, I wasn't sure I would like this book. I've enjoyed it thoroughly. I enjoyed his take on Southern culture. He hit the nail on the head without being offensive. I even learned some facts about SEC football that I didn't know previously.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars SEC fan must August 4, 2007

By Gustav A. Blomquist

Format:Paperback

This hilarious look at college football left me laughing out loud. Clay Travis manages to explore the hidden side of college football - from Bama bangs to his rating of SEC women - his experiences are highly entertaining and his book only makes me even more eager for football season to start. I can't imagine any SEC football fan (or any football fan) not loving this book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Supporting cast is classic August 27, 2007

By Neville Dastoor

Format:Paperback

Dixieland Delight is a wonderful read. All at once ironic, nostalgic, reverent, and hysterical, the book highlights the multidimensional author who is Clay Travis: sportsman, politico, lover, and friend.

However, the best part of Travis' work might be his lovable sidekicks, especially his intriguing companion during the Florida/South Carolina game who we only know as "Neville." Travis' portrait of Neville -- whom we now know was described in earlier, unedited drafts by Travis as "ruggedly handsome," "brilliant," "possessing piercing brown eyes," and "deeply complex" -- leaves the reader inevitably seeking to learn more about this obviously influential figure in Travis' life.

A definite recommendation.