About this title: With his characteristic insight and wit, the Harvard-educated Plimpton recounts his experiences in successfully talking his way into training camp - not as a reporter but as a "player" - with the Detroit Lions, practicing with the team, and actually taking snaps behind center in a preseason game.
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Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Edition: 1st
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: The Lyons Press
Date Published: 2003-10-01
ISBN-13:9781592280155ISBN:1592280153
Description: Like New. May be shiny, in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: The Lyons Press
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9781592280155ISBN:1592280153
Description: Very Good. Very Good Condition for being gently read. Better than average used book ** Shop the most eco-conscious seller and keep the earth clean! ** read more
"This was a very entertaining book, even if you don't like football, or care if any of the rookies make the team or anyone gets hurt. Plimpton has no illusions about his own ability, but he does have an eagerness to be a part of the team and to discover what one needs (or used to need)to make it as a football player. Most of the players--a faceless mass for us and Plimpton at the start--are drawn distinctly and creatively. And it's funny. Some of my favorite parts have nothing to do with football, such as the section where Plimpton annotates the schoolbooks he finds in an unused classroom (the Lions practice at a private school)."
"Paper Lion is a throwback to the days of the NFL before the NFL-AFL merger. Plimpton takes us on a ride through training camp for an NFL player. The gimmick, of course, is that Plimpton has next to no skill at all in the game of football. This becomes evident quite early on when Plimpton writes candidly about the last time he played, which was in some high school pickup games. He disliked it then, and there's nothing about the game that really seems to grab his fancy. What Plimpton, and thus the reader, takes away from his training camp experience is an examination of the routine and interpersonal relationships. Plimpton portrays the athletes as nervous, sometimes callous, but usually jovial and welcoming. In short, the athletes become real people. It's a good read for an examination of team chemistry.
However, Plimpton's experience is becoming dated. Not only does this occur pre-merger, but Plimpton also writes in a "gee-whiz golly" style that has just a bit too much reverence for what he's examining. He will occasionally analyze the sport with a journalist's eye, but too often he becomes just another fan, just happy to be hanging out with the athletes. When Plimpton talks of the hangers-on around the Lions' practice facilities, it is hard to tell where Plimpton sees himself. Although he's wearing the jersey, he clearly empathizes more with the children catching passes than his fellow quarterbacks.
For football fans desperate for an image of training camp, this can get you your fix until the next game is on. For people looking for a more candid examination of sports and the role of athlete, I would suggest instead Jim Bouton's excellent Ball Four."
"This book is about a journalist who chronicles his factual try-out with the Detroit Lions. His goal: to prove how difficult an average person would fare in professional sports. I recommend this book if you like sports; it is an easy read."
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