2024 the best football player in the world review

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“A lyrical memoir . . . about his teammates, his coaches, his parents and the magnetic power of football in Louisiana.”—NPR
 
“The best sports book of the year.”—Sports Illustrated

Inspired by a classic essay about a visit to a dying coach, It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium explores in gorgeous detail the inescapable pull of college football—the cocky smiles behind the face masks, the two-a-day drills, the emotionally charged bus rides to the stadium, the curfew checks, the film-study sessions, the locker room antics, and the yawning void left in one’s soul the moment the final whistle sounds.
 
To understand why it’s so painful to give up the game, you must first understand the intimacy of the huddle. “It ends for everybody,” writes John Ed Bradley, “and then it starts all over again, in ways you never anticipated. Marty Dufresne sits in his wheelchair listening to the Tiger fight song . . . Ramsey Darder endures prison by playing the games over in his head . . . Big Ed Stanton never took up the game of golf, and yet he rides the streets of Bayou Vista in a cart nearly identical to Coach Mac’s, recalling the one time the old man invited him for a ride.” Far more than a memoir, It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium is a brutally honest, profoundly moving look at what it means to surrender something you love.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Publishing Group (October 7, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1933060670
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1933060675
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.19 x 0.69 x 8 inches
Reviewer: wmd1002
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: LSU Football
Review: Excellent sports book , well written

Reviewer: olingerstories
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Beautifully Written, Painfully Felt
Review: John Ed Bradley has a gift. The man can write. But, he also can be so full of himself that when his longtime girlfriend tells him that he makes her sick with his lies and false promises, you're thankful that someone has said what you've been thinking for a hundred pages. The question, however, is whether its true as he is the narrator of the story. Is his self-absorption this great or is it art, the creating of narrative tension. The answer is probably a little of both.Still, reading this book was both enjoyable and painful with every page turned. Bradley captures the essence of what it means to play for love and honor and team. In his case, its a life long love affair with the LSU Tigers, a team that he had the privilege to captain in 1979. He thinks of his teammates daily although he avoids seeing them for years that turns into decades. But, a visit to his dying Coach Mac makes him reconsider seeing the men who meant so much to his life. The visits are all bittersweet, but yet cleaning for Bradley's guilt. A quiet resolution is seen in the face that when he has the opportunity later in life, he returns to his home town of Opelousas, itself a major character in the book. Very endearing, somewhat exasperating, this is a memorable book.

Reviewer: Chip Gallent
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: This book has needed to be written for a LONG time
Review: Anyone who has played organized sports and has been fortunate to experience success needs to read this book. Often we feel that there are events we experience early in our lives that we will never eclipse. Mr. Bradley accurately captures in this great book the essence and the burden of this thought.He explores the mystique of playing football in the great state of Louisiana - especially at LSU. He also very artfully explores life after playing football at LSU and what it's like to live up or live down an era in one's life. I'm absolutely sure this exists in ever part of the country regardless of the fact that this is set in Louisiana. There are hometown heroes everywhere that either run from the past or try and re-live it, trying to be great once again.Never before has a former player, who excelled, so eloquently encapsulated the internal struggles that come from being great at one time in their lives. Once you've had a taste, you're just not normal again. John Ed ran from that for a long time. And, I believe that this book is meant to set that right with both himself and his former teammates and coaches.Read this book, then relive some of it, or the old days, with an old buddy that you've put off calling for way too long. You'll be happy that you did both.

Reviewer: RM
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great book
Review: Went to Tulane 1970-1974 and remember well the LSU Tigers of the early to mid 70's. Very formidable teams to say the least, headed by almost mythic type players like Tommy Casanova, Brad Davis, Warren Capone, Bert Jones, 'Miracle' Mike Miley, etc.If you were ever an athlete who hit the "ceiling" of your ability at some point, you always wondreed what it would be like to have acheived success at an elite level. This book provides the best insight I've ever read of that situation, as well as the darker side when the author reached his personal "ceiling" as an athlete (albeit a very high ceiling) and how he dealt with it going forward.Just long enough to make the poitn without belaboring anything. Well done.

Reviewer: DScott
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: More Than Just A Story About Football
Review: Disclaimer: I was born and raised in southern Louisiana and attended LSU in the late 90's. That being said, it's safe to safe that I possess a certain hometown bias when reading and reviewing this book. For those looking for a story strictly about football, you should probably look elsewhere. It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium is a compelling story about a man and his struggles to move on after his college football career. The book follows him along his path from high school standout to struggling writer.My favorite parts were the bits where John Ed Bradley reminisces of his days as a LSU Tiger. He does a wonderful job of painting vivid pictures of the locker room, practice field, and the ultimate - a Saturday night in Baton Rouge. A must read for any college football fan and for those who enjoy a good story that is genuine and sincere.

Reviewer: Charles Moore
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great even if you’re not an LSU FAN
Review: I began this book with no expectations. I’m an LSU fan and Tiger Stadium is in the title. I absolutely loved it. The author’s experience at LSU and his reluctance to revisit his football days reminded me of the silence common from so many veterans after they return from war.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: If you played college or professional football this is your book!
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read! John Ed Bradley has an introspective view of life after football that some of us need to heal our "leaving wounds" as former players. I played in college and professionally as well, and can highly recommend this book...especially to former players.

Reviewer: Tim Dallinger
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Amazing, inspirational story
Review: John Ed Bradley describes his life based around his football career. Bradley has a unique way of capturing the emotion associated with being an athlete and the large vaccuum left when their competition days are over. The special relationships between teammates are beautifully illustrated. This book reminds the reader why athletics are truly important. This novel is a must read for both Tiger fans and dedicated athletes.

Reviewer: jksnake
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Well-written. Brought back many of my school football times as well. Enjoyable read. I may start watching some LSU footaball

Reviewer: W Kyle
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This is the best sports book I have ever read. It's about a star collegiate athlete who turns his back on the game he loves to become an author. It has to be the best book from an athlete's perspective, as few have the writing ability of Bradley.I am not a gridiron fan. It doesn't matter. Bradley's story can relate to anything, how we feel invicible when we are young and find doubts creeping in as we get older.Please buy it.

Reviewer: No Sleep Till Saltburn
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A wonderful, wonderful book. I'm a college football fan, but I don't believe you'd necessarily need to be so, to appreciate this absolutely beautiful piece of writing.