True Believers

The Tragic Inner Life of Sports Fans

By: Joe Queenan

Narrated by: Joe Queenan

Bestselling author Joe Queenan's True Believers explores the world of sports fans in an attempt to understand the inexplicable: What does anyone get out of it?

For Yankee, Cowboy, and Laker fans the answer is fairly clear: the return on investment is relatively high. But why do people root so passionately for formerly inept teams like the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago Cubs, and the Philadelphia Phillies? Why do people organize their emotional lives around lackluster franchises such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, the San Diego Padres, and the Phoenix Suns, of whom decades passed with only winning a single championship in their entire history? Is it pure tribalism? An attempt to maintain contact with one's vanished childhood?

In True Believers, humorist and lifelong Philly fan Joe Queenan answers these and many other questions, shedding light on—and reveling in—the culture and psychology of his countless fellow fans. Making pilgrimages to such cradles of competition as Notre Dame Stadium, Fenway, and Wrigley Field, Queenan delves into every aspect of fandom in such illuminating chapters as Fans Who Love Too Much (men, like the author, who actually resort to psychotherapy to deal with their unhealthy addiction), Fans Who Run in Front (which meticulously delineates the differences between Retroactive, Municipal, and Vicarious Frontrunners), and Fans Who Misbehave (those who spill beer on women, moon other fans, or throw half-eaten sandwiches at innocent bystanders simply because they look like the current coach of the New York Jets).

True Believers is a hilarious but also heartfelt look into the world of those fans who realize that it is, in fact, more than just a game.

©2003 Joe Queenan; (P)2003 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Hits the nail on the head

Joe Queenan has a unique perspective and he may not appeal to all, but I find him hysterical and dead on the point.

Queenan is a Philly native who has also lived in France, the UK and NYC. He loves his Philly sports teams. This book explores the relationship between the die hard fan and his team, and why men are defined by the teams they root for.

It will have special significance for anyone who roots for Philly or New York teams, in particular the Phillies, Eagles, Mets and Jets. His insight is perfect and humor substantial.

Just not funny...

I love David Sedaris and after reading on SWA's inflight mag that Joe Queenlan was their comedy writer of the year I jumped on this one. I'm crazy about baseball so I started listening expecting the best. I tried twice and simply could not finish it. Maybe all the laughs were packed in the second half, but for now this ranks as the only audible.com book I have not finished. Please jump in and tell me I'm wrong and I'll try a third time!

Abridged

this is an abridged version. Nothing else to add there's a fifteen word minimum: another required word.