Customer Reviews

The Girlfriend's Guide to Football

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First, a disclaimer: I may have liked this book more if I had read it before "Get your own damn beer, I'm watching the game" by Holly Robinson Peete. The latter is the far superior of the two books.

However, Girlfriend's Guide isn't all bad. I give props to any book attempting to teach women non-fans about the great game of football. Some of the unique features are nice, (like the Superbowl recipes) and there are a few topics that aren't covered in "Get your own damn..." like the chapter on college football. Ms. Spencer does keep her explanations simple and easy to understand (however, in my opinion, sometimes too simple -several important elements are dismissed without mention, because they're "just too boring.")

If you are absolutely, completely clueless about football, and are looking to learn just enough to vaguely understand what the game is all about, without wanting to really learn about too many details, you will probably like this book. Although Ms. Spencer claims that she's a converted fan, it's hard to see evidence that she really likes the game, and not just the "tight ends." As a life-long fan (who was married to a NFL Quarterback), Robinson-Peete does a much better job of capturing the essence of the game, which is really what got me intrigued enough to become a real fan. It's more than just learning who stands where and how many points a touchdown is worth.

As a side note, I strongly preferred the tone and language used in "Get your own.." It's by no means too serious, but Girlfriends Guide goes overboard with the "sister, girlfriend, etc." and the constant sexual innuendos. The giant cartoonish words written in the margins of the book are slightly annoying - I wonder what my bus-mates thought I was reading that had "Viking Butts" in giant letters at the top of the page.

If you want to become a true fan - get "Get your own..." If you just want to learn enough to tolerate a game, and don't mind the overly-girly tone, then "Girlfriend's Guide" should fulfill your needs.

I can't recommend this book enough. Much like the Girlfriend's guide to pregnancy, this book is written with a good deal of humor but is packed full of useful information. Spencer explains what each position is and what they do in an easy to understand manner. She explains scoring quickly and efficiently. Spencer answers all those questions that we've always wanted to ask "Like why is that guy touching the other guys [...]?" and gives great tidbits of trivia such as did you know that Teddy Roosevelt tried to outlaw the game in the early 1900's when no less than 18 players died in one year? A great book to have if you want to know the basics and a little more to impress the guys.