Customer Reviews

True Believers: The Tragic Inner Life of Sports Fans

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Joe Queenan has written the ultimate sports fan book. True Believers is dedicated to the real sports fan. Not fans of the Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Yankees, but the fans of downtrodden teams like the Phillies, the Blackhawks, and the Eagles. Fans who know what it's like to suffer through years of torment, wondering if your team was ever going to be good enough to win it all. Queenan grew up in Philadelphia, and he has a life-long commitment to all of his hometown teams. He says that fan support must be based either on where you grew up, or who your father rooted for. No other form of fandom is acceptable to him. Thus, he has had to live through the Phillies blowing a 6.5 game lead with 12 games to go in 1964, the Flyers blowing a 3-1 lead in the playoffs to the New Jersey Devils (with two of the last three games at home), and other heartbreaks. Loving Philadelphia teams is the epitome of heartbreak, the ultimate love-hate relationship.

Why should this matter to the rest of us? I will tell you right now that, if you have never followed any sports and think that to do so is the ultimate waste of time, then this book is not for you. First, you will not understand it. Secondly, what little you do understand will only reinforce your already formed beliefs. Unless you have experienced the common bond of watching your team blow the big game, or the big series, or just stink up the league in general, you will not get a lot out of this book. (Ok, maybe if you're a Yankee fan, you'll be able to laugh at these idiots he's talking about).

What does this book consist of? Queenan discusses the psychology behind rooting for a team of also-rans. He explores what makes the true sports fan tick. He does this among chapters discussing fair weather fans (those fans who only follow a team when they are good), sports movies (and how most of them are horrible and don't even come close to reflecting reality), sports announcers (both the good and the bad), and misbehaving fans (those idiots in the stands who do the stupidest things and generally annoy the people around them). Some of these chapters are universal, even to Yankees fans, and thus may be enjoyed by everybody. Some (like an entire chapter on the sorry-looking New York Jets) will only mean something to the fan who has been through something similar. All of these chapters, however, share Queenan's sarcastic wit and his extreme commentary. I love the language that Queenan uses and the way he writes, even if sometimes it seems he's using words just to see whether people understand them or not. At times he sounds pompous, but even then he's entertaining.

The fair-weather fan chapter is probably the best, as he itemizes all the different types of front-runners there are, from celebrities who must be seen at courtside of Lakers games, to the mainstream folk who just can't bear to suffer along with the true fan, and thus change their favourite team on the drop of a quarter. As he says, suffering is what makes success taste so sweet. If you haven't been through the dark times, then when they finally do win a championship, you can't truly appreciate it. He loathes front-runners with a passion, and he's not afraid to say it. He certainly takes no prisoners in this chapter, heaping scorn on every type of front-runner there is.

If there is any fault in the book, it is the fact that some of the references are very obscure (though as Queenan would say, if you don't know it, you're probably not a true fan). I love sports and follow a lot of them, but some of the references are so old that even I didn't get them. You could figure them out from the context, but I think some of the humour value is lost there. Sometimes he explains them, or at least gives a year that it happened, but other times he goes on like we should be able to keep up with him. I had no trouble skipping the reference, assuming that it was supposed to illustrate some point, and moving on. However, it is a strike against the book. One other thing I would like to know is what he thinks of fans like me. I grew up in Iowa, where there are no professional sports teams, and my father was not a huge fan of anything either. I have my allegiances that have never died since childhood, but they certainly don't seem to fit his criteria. What does that make me? Unfortunately, Queenan doesn't address that, so it feels like something's missing.

Even so, this book is definitely a winner. At times it's hilarious, at times it's touching (like when he talks about when his father's last days and how they affected Queenan's spectatorship). You may see yourself reflected in it. You may just find other fans to ridicule. Maybe you're not a sports fan but you're trying to understand a husband (or wife???) who is. If so, get this book. You will either laugh at or along with Queenan as he continues his odyssey. And you might even learn something along the way. Yes, even you Yankees fans.

David Roy

Humorist Joe Queenan is a true sports fan. No writer could boil down what it means to be a true fan to its very essence, as he does in "True Believers," without having the years of hopes and disappointments of being a loyal follower burned into his very soul. In the book, Queenan puts his lifetime of sports fan agony to very good use, using it as the basis for what is essentially one long rant about fans, both good and bad. His pen is as sharp as ever, and it is delightful to see him use it on such deserving people as front-running fans and slobs who make spectacles of themselves at the stadium.

Mostly, however, Queenan ruminates on what it is that can make an otherwise sane, rational person (such as himself) a hopeless maniac on game day. Though he's a Philadelphia fan (Phillies, Eagles, 76ers, Flyers) he speaks enough universal truth that his book can be enjoyed by anyone who is also hopelessly hooked on sports.

As a long suffering fan of both the Philadelphia Eagles AND the Boston Red Sox (how this came to pass is too excruciating to recount - suffice it to say that despite the geography, the author would approve) - as well as being an afficiando of Queenan's scathing writing - I found "True Believers" to be both hilarious and disturbingly parallel to my own infatuation with sports, from the amount of time spent watching/obsessing, the lengths to which one will go to attend a crucial game (Queenan writes of returning to Philly from France to watch the Phillies ill-fated attempt at winning the National League pennant in 1976), and the superstitions and routines a fan resorts to in the midst of good fortune (Queenan cites his combined reliance on a statue of a toad with regular visits to a less than helpful psychiatrist to extend an unprecedented run by Philadelphia sports teams). Queenan is also dead on target with his assement of front-running fans.

My only complaints about this book are minor:

1) I was not thrilled to learn about Queenan's infatuation with Notre Dame - he uses his father's Irish-Catholic influence as reason for his allegiance to the Fighting Irish while summarily trashing him elsewhere in the book. On the other hand, his description of South Bend as a never-ending strip of motels is dead-on.

2) After discussing the relative merits of various sports announcers, he concludes the chapter by stating, "And don't get me started on Brent Musberger." I really wish he had, as I would have loved to have heard Queenan tee off on The Man Who Would Be Brent.

3) If Queenan thinks the Red Sox are lovable losers, he hasn't sat in Fenway Park during a Sox-Yankees series.

Those qualms aside, Queenan manages to simultaneously infuriate, entertain, and stimulate his intended audience with his laugh-out-loud observations. If you've suffered through indignities like the 1978 American League playoff game or the 2003 NFC Conference Championship, this book is "must" reading.

As a Detroit Tigers fan(and living in Cleveland, no less)I can understand exactly what Joe Queenan is going through. Yes, I've been alive to see the Tigers win a World Series, but they are and have been for quite a while the laughing stock of baseball. Like Queenan says, why do we like teams if they continually lose and are an embarassment to the sport? I have no idea, but I wear the Old English 'D' on my hat with pride, nonetheless. I was born and raised in Michigan, and three of my senior relatives were Tigers fans, so again, to paraphrase Queenan, I have the geographical acceptance, plus I'm 'carrying the torch'.
No matter how much your team infuriates you, you can't give up on them. You just CAN'T.
The best part of this overall excellent book is the story on the last page. That made me smile more than anything else he wrote. A perfect story and the embodiment of the idea that hope springs eternal, tomorrow's another day, even the Cubs may win the Series one year. Maybe even the Tigers.

Another humorous read by Joe Queenan. If you are a somewhat intelligent sports fan and not one of those people who show up blind drunk at a Mets game with your girl, so that she can flash her derrier tatoo at the Phillies left-fielder, then you'll identify with Queenan's take on the life of a sports fan. This book isn't written for the fan who runs around at an NFL playoff game on a frigid day with his shirt-off, but for the fan who hopes that "shirtless" guy just leaves him alone so that he can watch the game.

Queenan uses his usual style of humor and self-deprecating wit to explain and analyze the behavior, and by his admission the sometimes unexplainable behavior, of fandom.

A quick easy read for any sports fan with a sense of humor and an ability to say "it's only a game" even when you know that this really isn't true.

Back in the nineties I read a fascinating, dead-on article in GQ about Jets fans (of whom I am one). That article was entitled "The Worst Sports Fans in History". Joe had Jets fans pegged, and his current work, much more introspective and comprehensive, gives priviledged access into the mind of a certified sports maniac -- and in so doing -- of ALL us sports maniacs.

Being a fan of the Mets, Knicks and Jets, I am in regular need a hug. Joe, in this book, gave me a kick in the face instead. In spite of his disgust for things I love so dearly, he's put together one of the most entertaining and disturbingly honest books on sports fandom. His anecdotes are hilarious, his pain is palpable, and his honesty is refreshing. A breezy read -- I picked it up to read on a business trip, but after flipping a few pages, was done only hours later -- in short, it's going to be a gift to everyone I know.

It's not just for sports fans -- though for honest fanatics (not you stinkin' front-runners), this is required reading to be sure. I think it's an especially good read that non-sports fans would get a real kick from. In fact, I think people who don't really understand what it means to be a sports fan will LOVE the humor and insight into what it means to be a fan. That's how accessible and fun his book is.

Joe Queenan has written the most accurate and insightful book about sports fans that I've encountered. The anecdotes, stories, and life experiences of the author will give even non-sports fans insight into the psyche of the true sports fanatics. Every true sports fan should read this book. It also would make a great gift for all of the front-running, bandwagon jumping fans that every true sports fan knows.

I am a die hard sports fan. This book was a great read because I was able to identify so much with what I was reading about. The chapter about "front runner fans," fans that cheer for whatever team is doing well at the time, was my favorite. I hate fans who do that, for example, someone that currently is a Angels, Devils, Bucs, and Spurs fan would be a good example. There was also a chapter on how a favorite team losing can put you into a bad mood, again something that I have experienced. As a Sacramento Kings fan I have experienced many years of underperforming and recently the agony of getting oh so close but not being quite able to finish it off. Queenan talks of his same experience of being a Philadelphia fan and not having any titles in the last 20 or so years from any of the professional sports teams in his city. This was a book that was fun to read and not easy to put down.

To me, Joe Queenan is the Thomas Poling of contemporary commentary.

Let me explain. Tom Poling is a booking agent in Nashville. I first met him through my work; the work relationship, as occasionally happens, developed into a friendship. This was due in large part to the fact that Thomas is a veritable Bartlett's of colorful expressions, many of which I have unabashedly and unashamedly appropriated as my own. Another related factor is that I am unable to complete a conversation with Tom without at some point finding myself on the floor, laughing and unable to catch my breath at some acerbic comment he has made.

The same is true of Joe Queenan. Queenan is the anti-Barney, a keen observer of all those things that prick and irritate the human spirit, of those things that drag us down as a species. It is impossible to read anything he writes without experiencing at least a twitch, if not a full-blown seizure, of painful self-recognition. You'll be laughing so hard, however, that you won't care.

Queenan's books are either collections of essays or treatises on a particular subject. TRUE BELIEVERS is a treatise dealing with sports fans. If you have absolutely no interest in sports, don't fear; I am not by any definition of the term a "sports fan" (this, only because mud wrestling is not yet considered a sport) but, like most people, I am well acquainted with a multitude of individuals who are. They are all in TRUE BELIEVERS, pinned to its pages like butterflies twitching on a fourth grader's science fair project display. The chapter titles tell it all. They include: "Fans Who Love Too Much", "Fans Who Just Enjoy It", "Fans Who Are Short" (a chapter for the kids) and my personal favorite, the one that I have read verbatim to several formerly close friends, "Fans Who Misbehave."

Queenan, in the latter chapter, describes in great detail and with laser-accurate viciousness the escapades of a couple of individuals at a baseball game. You can feel the heat, smell the mix of stale popcorn and rapidly warming beer, and experience the tedium broken by the antics of the people a few rows in front of you. And it is more than hilarious. It is breath-catching, heart-stopping, call-911-I'm-comin'-Elizabeth hilarious. Queenan provides a laugh like this every page or so. TRUE BELIEVERS should probably come with a warning label. You don't want to read it within a half hour or so of consuming a bag of White Castles, one of those new Enchilada Bowls from Taco Bell, or the Reuben Platter at the Tick Tock Diner on Route 3 in Clifton, New Jersey. Your laundress won't appreciate it.

TRUE BELIEVERS is for sports fans, the people who live with them, the people who love them, and the people who can't stand them. It is, in other words, the ultimate book for everyone. Very highly recommended.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

I love Joe Queenan's books, this the fourth of his that I have read. He is usually hilarious and always on the mark. This book lacks (and that is not a bad thing) has usual trademark razor wit that causes bleeding when touched. However, he goes after fair weather fans and Yankee fans quite well. With the exception the extended chapter on Notre Dame (I still hate Notre Dame and can't enjoy even Queenan's wise commentary), the book is terrific. Parts are moving. Queenan's life, as many of ours have, been shaped by sports. Friendships, family, etc. The book is funny; but it also honest and a bit moving. The end, taking place at Wrigley Field (of course) may move you to tears. Great stuff.