Customer Reviews

You're OK, It's Just A Bruise: A Doctor's Sideline Secrets About Pro Football's Most Outrageous Team

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rob Huizenga's account of his time as medical intern for the Los Angeles Raiders provides a provocative behind-the-scenes look at the reality of NFL football that is by turns hysterically funny and deeply disturbing. He conveys both the perverse attraction of being part of a team "camped out at the edge of reality", and also the shocked disbelief at the suspect and highly dangerous extremes that football players will go to in order to play while injured and so preserve their job. As team intern from 1983 to 1990, Huizenga faced a unique dilemma: his concern as a responsible doctor for his patients, the players, continually conflicted with their own desire to play through potentially crippling injuries. His frequent confrontations as well with team owner Al Davis over the treatment of players clearly illustrates why Davis's obsessive "win at all costs" attitude has made he and his team NFL pariahs. More generally, Huizenga pointedly shows how the intense pressure upon players from team, fans and the league itself, to consistently perform at the highest possible level drives individuals to abuse themselves and their bodies with a myriad of chemical substances. For Raider and non-Raider fans alike, Huizenga's book makes for compulsive reading. His experiences highlight the extreme "otherness" of NFL football, in which lies its principle attraction - the oddball characters who play it, the unorthodox means they endure to keep playing, and the high mental and physical cost that they pay for success in such a ferocious game.

If you're a football fan, you'll love this book. But more importantly, if you're not a football fan, you'll still love this book! Dr. Robert Huizenga allows the reader a very voyeuristic look at numerous secretive aspects of professional football that run the gamut from frightening to hysterical. Unlike many other football books, which seem to get bogged down with boring statistical facts and non-relatable themes, "You're Okay, It's Just A Bruise" takes a brutally honest look at the lives of these players, both on and off the field. It also exposes the unethical medical practices and rampant drug use that Huizenga encountered and desperately tried to stop when he was the team doctor for the L.A. Raiders. He exposes all with a point of view that is not only first hand, but brutally honest, intelligent, humorous, and incredibly touching. The author's very visual writing style immediately draws you in - as if you're right there with him on the sidelines. Huizenga is a brilliant story teller with a strong flair for comedy. The locker room antics alone will have you laughing out loud. It's not often that a book causes me to laugh, cry, think, and learn. But when it does - it makes a strong impression.

I have read a lot of books but never something that has given me a new appreciation for a sport. I highly recommed everyone who likes football, and even if you don't, to read this book; and if your asperation is to play in the NFL then this is required reading. It gives new insight into the demands of the NFL, the pain that players will play with just to win. I am a die hard Raider fan, always have been always will be, but this book touches on new aspects of the game, even if you do not like the Raiders it is an excellent read and it should be read to understand what is expected of players today in the NFL. I just hope that someone new has taken up Dr. Huizenga's cause to clean up the NFL.

I have read this book and have given it to many of my male friends as well as their sons. It is a very good book to get someone who loves football and who hates to read, reading again. One young man I gave it to is a devoted Raider fan and he thanks me all the time for this gift. This is an enlighting book for a fan of any team. I read it myself and as a woman who grew up with and occasionally watch's football, I found it very informative. It is a book that NEEDED to be written. It is nice to know their are Doctors out their who can't be bought and have the integrity of Dr. Huizenga.

For anyone interested in pro football and medicine this is the book for you. Not only is this book chocked full of behind the scene stories but there are enough humorous stories about some of the outrageous things that go on to fill a second book. The author also describes the problems with starting a medical practice, the lenghts teams will go to be sure their players are on the field, steroid abuse, his disgust at some of the things he witnessed. Over all the book has the propensity to change the way an individual watches pro ball. This was an informative, sometimes shocking, sometimes funny, sometimes sad account of life as a professional football player.

Excellent book that takes you on a behind the scenes tour of the NFL during it's glory days. Shocking,informative, with a touch of humour. A very thought provoking reading experience. A must read for even a casual sports fan.

Not a bad read at all- I thought there would be more about the actual Raiders antics, but there was a lot of insightful information around the struggle between the Doctors and internal politics of an Al Davis team
Overall had some good parts and some funny parts as well. Very good inside information from the authors perspective around the use of Steroids and the ulimate death of Lyle Alzado....

If half of what the Doctor says in this book are true, then maybe we as fans should stop and think about who we revel as heroes and for what. Dr. Robs book is a great read, I finished it in two days, It should be said that this could apply to any team in the NFL. Al Davis loves to win and will go to any length to get there but that applys to every owner and head coach (With the exception of the Bidwill's (Arizona) of course) I find it fascinating that players go to such extremes but that is all part of the glory, The deaths of Mike Wise and Lyle Alzado remind us that the game is everything to these men and some cannot handle being without it or are a casulty of what happens when the cheering stops.

This book takes on more meaning in light of recent injuries and player's petitions for more health care after retirement. I bought it because it deals with the Raiders mostly, but the same medical issues could be from any team in the league.

"You're Okay, It's Only A Bruise" is a great book to read no matter if sports interest you or not. It gives the reader first-hand information about what really goes on behind the scenes of a football team. Through the exceptional times and the bad, Huizenga is able to have good relationships with the players and help them out with any medical need that spontaneously arises.

Even though sports medicine is a serious profession, there can be a few hysterical, but serious events and occur. The team reagularly has a huge pre-game breakfast that consists of many fatty foods, but the players don't seem to mind. These pre-game meals consisted of "high-fat, high-protein items such as sausage, bacon, and hamburger-based spaghetti sauce, not to mention the Haagen-Dazs ice cream," which all were really not too good for the players before the game. They just go about eating constantly untill about three hours before game time. During the meals everyone usually sits with the same people and tell each other many stories about funny events in the past or what had happened during the games. Everyone would enjoy telling jokes at the meals, one of them was pretty funny... "Do you know why Billy Sullivan put AstroTurf in New England's stadium?"... "To stop the cheerleaders from grazing!" Personally I thought that was pretty funny, and so did the other team mates.

There really haven't been too many books that I have read that were quite like this one. Sure many people have read books that they can't put down, like this one, but it just had a little different tone to it that set it apart form the others. It is all at a firts hand view, which makes it even more interesting to read. Personally I would recommend this book to anyone, no matter if they like sports or not. It is a book that can keep your attention the whole way through and you really don't want to put it down. This book would be great to read espicially if you are at all interested in the field of Sports Medicine or just football in general. Over all, "You're Okay, It's just A Bruise" is a great book and I wouldn't mind reading it again!