A Few Seconds of Panic: A Sportswriter Plays in the NFL

by Stefan Fatsis

Book Overview

"An insightful and . . . amusing look at the inner workings of pro football" (The New York Times) from the bestselling author of Word Freak

In Word Freak, Stefan Fatsis invaded the insular world of competitive Scrabble players, ultimately achieving an expert-level ranking. Now, in his new book, he infiltrates a strikingly different subculture-pro football. After more than a year of preparation, Fatsis molded his...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0143115472
• ISBN13: 9780143115472
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Much more than a sports book (but a great sports book!)

A Few Seconds of Panic is a fast-paced mix of all-American male fantasy, fear, guilty pleasure and gentle stab of "might have been" - while offering more laughs per page than any sports book in years. While the plot involves Fatsis improving his kicking to the point of non-embarrassment as part of the Denver Broncos, the deeper stories revolve around issues of belonging and achieving, of men proving themselves to themselves, and of the sacrifices we are willing to make to have done something extraordinary. While Fatsis endures initiation and a brutal training regimen, humiliating public failures and private doubts, the book isn't really about him. Rather, we see through his sharp and empathetic eyes the arc of young lives enriched and betrayed by a business that masquerades as a game. I'm reading the book AS Fatsis - imagining myself in his (size 6 1/2) shoes, taking a ribbing from my teammates, being ordered to sing my college fight song in the locker room, facing intense performance anxiety, and worst of all - getting into a jacuzzi filled with 47 degree water for 15 minutes. That's only fitting, since the central theme of the book is how we men measure ourselves, against other men, against great tasks, against pain, and against fate itself. What are my Few Seconds of Panic? My takeaway, several weeks after finishing the book, is a series of questions: What glorious, outrageous claim to greatness have I not dared to dream? What self-imposed rules have kept me on the sidelines? What fears of ridicule by the "in-crowd," in whatever setting, have limned my ambition? So thank you, Stefan, for bolding going into the breach and paving the way for this reader, at least, to look for my own Few Seconds of Panic.

Great insight into the game

Stefan Fatsis takes us inside the game of football and also takes us into his struggle to be accepted by these Sunday warriors, who battle pain, fear of failure and fear of what success may do to them. Fatsis reminds us that most football players aren't stars who are set financially for life. Instead, they play a game that is run like a business.

I really got a "kick" out of this book (pun intended)

Even the most dedicated fan of the National Football League (NFL) can't possibly know what goes on "behind the curtain." Most of us know only what we see on Sundays or what we read in Monday's newspaper. Sure, we think we know our favorite players and all their foibles. You can lay all that aside after reading this book. Stefan Fatsis suceeds in infiltrating the most sacred of grounds: the NFL locker room and the strange world that surrounds it. We get a glimpse of what it is like to know that your very job hinges on the next play in training camp. Players come and go like the tides. Coaches rule like tyrrants and the pecking order among them becomes painfully evident. So does the stress created in this bubbling cauldron they call professional football. Reading about the personalities of the players--from the lowly undrafted rookie free agent to the highest paid super-star--reminds us that these people are only human. In fact, Fastis' colorful writing creates a word picture that surely is the way these players really are. Some are real characters, some are sad reminders of how cruel life can be. I found myself identifying with one partiular play and this gave me great insight into my own place in life. It must be terribly frustrating to be a professional football player, where the glamor of game day gives way to utter despair when the "turk" comes to visit. The only downside I see with this book is that it is so captivating that I let my usual workload pile up while I sat glue to the book. Oh, well. Stefan Fatsis provides a ticket to a game seldom of us see--the game withing the game. Though he stands only 5 feet 8 inches, this work is gigantic. May all of his kicks in life sail thorugh the uprights.

Fascinating Book

This concept is reminiscent of George Plimpton's "Paper Lion," but Fatsis takes the idea to a whole different level. He's not just an observer but a real participant, going through the stress and strain of trying to make an NFL team. He gives you a greater appreciation for how hard these guys work, and how despite all that effort, the difference between success and failure is so slim. It's a great story told by a talented writer.

What a ball!

If you like sports or competing, you'll love this book. It's an Every Man story of a regular guy trying to find out how it feels to be a professional athlete. And for those of us who'll never get a chance to find out, it's a ton of fun. Fatsis takes us inside the practices, the plays, the coaches offices, the locker room and the training room for a first-hand look at the conflicted and pain-filled lives of professional football players. Between the gnarled fingers and torn ligaments, we see how these athletes balance a violent and insecure job and real life and why the pay that looks so good on the outside isn't so great on the inside. As he did with Word Freak, Fatsis makes a reader feel part of it all, especially as he works to become something that he's clearly not. As he kicks and kicks (and often misses and misses), we feel his determination and ambition, underscoring the challenges that all athletes (and even those of us in cubicles) face every day. A great read to get ready for training camp, to go along with the season, or make the off-season go faster!