Football

Abstract

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. This book probes and pokes the world’s most popular sport. When is the “beautiful game” at its most beautiful? How does football function as a lens for many to view their daily lives? What’s right in front of fans that they just can’t see? Not only is football played across the world, but changes to the game often reflect or anticipate social and economic trends. As an American who has played football his entire life, from the 1970s onwards, Mark Yakich is both an insider and an outsider to the sport. Beyond his own experience as a player and coach, in Football he studies the game as a cultural critic, examining its narratives, its patterns and variations, and its manifestations in communities and individuals. Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.