In 2008 over six million people attended an SEC football game. They spent thousands on season tickets, donated millions to athletic departments, and for three months a year ordered their entire lives around the schedule of their favorite team. As a Christian, Gibbs knows he cannot serve two masters, but at times his faith is overwhelmed by his fanaticism. He is not alone. Gibbs and his six million friends do not live in a spiritually void land where such borderline idol worship would normally be accepted. They live in the American South, where according to the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey, 84 percent identify themselves as Christians. This apparent contradiction that Gibbs sees in his own life, and in millions of others', has led him to journey to each of the twelve schools to spend time with rabid Christian fans of various ages and denominations. Through his journey, he learns how others are able to balance their passion for their team with their devotion to God.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
'God and Football has something for everyone. For hard-core fans trying to balance their Saturday and Sunday worship, it offers hope. For travelogue fans, it sheds light on the unique characters and traditions of the SEC. And for readers who need a good laugh, it's a touchdown on every page. This is a hilarious and enjoyable book whether you follow the game or not.' ---Jason Boyett, author of O Me of Little Faith and the Pocket Guide book series -- Jason Boyett <br><br>
About the Author
Chad Gibbs found football at the age of eight, found God one year later, and has spent the rest of his life worshiping one of the two. He and his wife currently live in Auburn, Alabama, with their dogs Bob Vance and Harper.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Chad Gibbs found football at the age of 8, found God one year later, and has spent the rest of his life worshiping one of the two. His first book, "God and Football", is a laugh-out-loud look at the Southeastern Conference: the place where faith, football, and fanaticism meet. Chad and his wife currently reside in Birmingham, Alabama, with their dogs, Bob Vance and Harper.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
5 Reasons To Read God and Football
1) Your name is in the acknowledgments. These are the most epic acknowledgments I've ever seen in a book. If it takes a village to raise a child than it took the entire South Eastern portion of the Untied States to write Chad Gibbs' book.
2) It's about fans: There are lots of books written about the athleticism and commitment of football players. But I'm sure lacrosse and cricket also has dedicated athletes. The difference is football is made by the passion of fans--especially in the S.E.C. Gibbs knows this, he's a fan himself. The book is written from a fan's point of view, and that helped me discover insightful things about faith and football along with the author in every chapter.
3) It's about faith: Gibbs finds all sorts of insightful parallels between God and Football. He notes how churches would be a lot better if they were like one large tailgate party. What if churches welcomed and celebrated everyone that came in with freshly barbecued food? Or what if we could talk about our faith with the same enthusiasm and passion that we use to talk about our team? This is not browbeating. This is from an author who wonders at times if he's more passionate about Auburn football team than his own faith.
4) It's about football being the center of our lives: Lots of books have been written on people's addiction to food, drugs, etc... but few have been written about how important football has become in our lives. So many of us are addicted. I think I fall into the addicted category. Last year I tivoed an NFL replay of game that I watched two days before. But how does this affect our faith? Can we love God and Football? Again Chad Gibbs provides some insightful answers.
5) It's funny. If you don't know Chad Gibbs is very funny. I'm not going to write down any of the great one-liners that are in this book, because you should just read them for yourself. So go get your copy of God and Football and post your own five reasons for others to read it.
1) Your name is in the acknowledgments. These are the most epic acknowledgments I've ever seen in a book. If it takes a village to raise a child than it took the entire South Eastern portion of the Untied States to write Chad Gibbs' book.
2) It's about fans: There are lots of books written about the athleticism and commitment of football players. But I'm sure lacrosse and cricket also has dedicated athletes. The difference is football is made by the passion of fans--especially in the S.E.C. Gibbs knows this, he's a fan himself. The book is written from a fan's point of view, and that helped me discover insightful things about faith and football along with the author in every chapter.
3) It's about faith: Gibbs finds all sorts of insightful parallels between God and Football. He notes how churches would be a lot better if they were like one large tailgate party. What if churches welcomed and celebrated everyone that came in with freshly barbecued food? Or what if we could talk about our faith with the same enthusiasm and passion that we use to talk about our team? This is not browbeating. This is from an author who wonders at times if he's more passionate about Auburn football team than his own faith.
4) It's about football being the center of our lives: Lots of books have been written on people's addiction to food, drugs, etc... but few have been written about how important football has become in our lives. So many of us are addicted. I think I fall into the addicted category. Last year I tivoed an NFL replay of game that I watched two days before. But how does this affect our faith? Can we love God and Football? Again Chad Gibbs provides some insightful answers.
5) It's funny. If you don't know Chad Gibbs is very funny. I'm not going to write down any of the great one-liners that are in this book, because you should just read them for yourself. So go get your copy of God and Football and post your own five reasons for others to read it.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Jimmy
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an excellent book. Incredibly funny. Like the other reviewers said, I found myself actually laughing out loud several times, which is pretty rare for me. Even if you aren't the most religious person in the world, you will still love this book. It isn't really a "preachy" book at all. It just chronicles one (very funny) man's evaluation of his own faith and the balance he struggles to strike between his worldly passion (college football fandom) and his devotion to God. And he doesn't claim to have found that perfect balance at all. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Reading the title, I thought it might be like a devotional book where he evaluates bible verses in connection with games he's attended or something like that, but it's really just a narrative of his travels to all 12 SEC campuses in one year, coupled with his own humorous observations about fans, himself, and life. I'd really recommend this book to anyone just looking to have a break from the everyday grind. It's a really easy read; it's fairly cheap; and I guarantee you that you'll be smiling while you read it. Just a fun book.
Reading the title, I thought it might be like a devotional book where he evaluates bible verses in connection with games he's attended or something like that, but it's really just a narrative of his travels to all 12 SEC campuses in one year, coupled with his own humorous observations about fans, himself, and life. I'd really recommend this book to anyone just looking to have a break from the everyday grind. It's a really easy read; it's fairly cheap; and I guarantee you that you'll be smiling while you read it. Just a fun book.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Chad Gibbs came up with an excellent idea in his book "God and Football: Faith and Fanatacism in the SEC." To wit, college football fans are some of the most rabid in the world -- and they rely on faith as much as anything else to get them through the ups and downs of their chosen team's season. And more people spend time watching college football than they do in church, no matter how upright and Christian they may appear -- so aren't there lessons that can be learned from that?
This is an enjoyable romp through the SouthEast Conference (or SEC for short) with much witty commentary and byplay from long-time college football fan (and Auburn graduate) Chad Gibbs; the moral of the tale, that we tend to spend far too much time worrying about football, is sent up wittily, yet without irony, due to the fact of Gibbs' own football fanaticism, which he ruefully admits in his prologue.
I enjoyed this book, and have already re-read it for the language, for the descriptions of the various venues in and about the SEC, and for Gibbs' twin loves of faith and football. God doesn't have to "just" be in church, though the way God is often referenced at football games probably isn't the preferred way (as Gibbs points out); truly, if you live your faith, you should be able to find ways to enjoy your life and know God (or whatever form of the Deity you worship) and appreciate your relationship with the Higher Power no matter what you're doing.
Four stars, recommended for football fans, lovers of humor, and those seeking higher meaning but not wishing to come off as boring old sticks.
Barb Caffrey
This is an enjoyable romp through the SouthEast Conference (or SEC for short) with much witty commentary and byplay from long-time college football fan (and Auburn graduate) Chad Gibbs; the moral of the tale, that we tend to spend far too much time worrying about football, is sent up wittily, yet without irony, due to the fact of Gibbs' own football fanaticism, which he ruefully admits in his prologue.
I enjoyed this book, and have already re-read it for the language, for the descriptions of the various venues in and about the SEC, and for Gibbs' twin loves of faith and football. God doesn't have to "just" be in church, though the way God is often referenced at football games probably isn't the preferred way (as Gibbs points out); truly, if you live your faith, you should be able to find ways to enjoy your life and know God (or whatever form of the Deity you worship) and appreciate your relationship with the Higher Power no matter what you're doing.
Four stars, recommended for football fans, lovers of humor, and those seeking higher meaning but not wishing to come off as boring old sticks.
Barb Caffrey
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
Very funny, accurate and poignant, especially near the end.
Chad did a great job of capturing the passion for football and God in the Southeast and the SEC.
Chad did a great job of capturing the passion for football and God in the Southeast and the SEC.
Published 1 month ago by John Blazic
1.0 out of 5 stars
Would have made and excellent magazine article
Having never lived in a state without an SEC team, having lived in the shadow of two SEC schools, having a son named William Bryant, having been the sports editor of my high school... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Preacher C
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very entertaining book!
Chad nails Southerners feel about God & their football in a humorous way that hits home with many truths that people will recognize in themselves & others. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ann
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and entertaining read for the college football fan
A fun read - especially enjoyable for the college football fan - moreso still for the SEC football fan who "gets" the fanaticism inherent in following an SEC team. Read more
Published 17 months ago by bsullyok
4.0 out of 5 stars
Uniquely excellent
It is very rare to find a book with a Christian message that you feel you could hand to a non-Christian friend and say, "You'll enjoy this. Read more
Published 21 months ago by E. Prioleau Alexander
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Funny Look Into Being A Christian And Football Fan
I live in the South. My team is the South Carolina Gamecocks. I love to watch the Gamecocks play any sport from baseball to basketball but nothing is like SEC football. Read more
Published on April 20, 2011 by Roy Ingle
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun
If you are a fan of SEC football this book is a fun way to experience the differences in teams, their success or lack thereof, and the expectations fans have. Read more
Published on April 20, 2011 by Thomas Grover
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hilarious
Chad Gibbs's book is a hilarious account of what football is like in the South. I don't want to give anything away, but the book begs for a sequel (we can't wait). Read more
Published on April 13, 2011 by A. Humphreys
4.0 out of 5 stars
Funny, entertaining read on one man's inner religious turmoil
A few years ago, I reviewed for amazon.com Warren St. John's RAMMER JAMMER YELLOWHAMMER: A ROAD TRIP INTO THE HEART OF FAN MANIA, one man's journey in search of the essence of... Read more
Published on April 4, 2011 by Edison McIntyre
5.0 out of 5 stars
Roll Tide!
Well, in the first chapter, the author admits that he comes from a Crimson Tide family background, only to lose his mind and switch to Auburn after high school. Read more
Published on March 18, 2011 by A. Tegtmeier
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
