The Hundred Yard Lie: The Corruption of College Football

by Rick Telander

Book Overview

The lead college football writer for Sports Illustrated examines the myths that surround college football and obscure the reality of the game. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671680951
• ISBN13: 9780671680954
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 223 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.

Customer Reviews

blisful corruption

Rick Talender creates a new view of collage football for the eyes of all involved. Talender stumbles over an unusual premonition. "Child abuse" constantly realed across his mind. He related it to the treatment of the collage players by the collages and spectators treat the players. Student dealing with collage life as well as playing tirlessly with no pay and no moral support except for the little relatotionship they have with their coach. Rick Telander casts some light on the much ignored situation.

Passionate appeal for reform

Telander exposes rampant cheating, exploitation, and NCAA hypocrisy in this searing look at the sordid underside of college football. The author attacks amateurism as fraudulent and unworkable, and shows that scandals have recurred almost since the game's founding (by rebellious students) in the late 1800's. We also learn that athletic programs rarely turn profits or boost fund-raising for their host schools. Despite these criticisms, this author (and ex-player at Northwestern) remains as attached to the game as us fans. Telander concludes his concise and highly readable book with a sensible proposal for reform. "The Hundred Yard Lie" fell on predictably deaf ears when first published in 1989. Still, it's an eye opener for those who dare question football's relationship to education.

Great tips on how to right a ship going wrong

A good book with some slow parts in the middle where the author goes to subjects that could be shortened. Telander is a former player in college and is watching the game he played be ruined. But he honestly discloses more than once that what is being said now has been said since the 1930s.Maybe Telander should stop tilting at windmills and just give up to fight another fight and that may be my feelings also. But then you read his well-thought suggestions for changing the game and you see they could solve the problem. Let big colleges run professional sports team for entertainment and segment other colleges. The players would be paid and would not be required to attend college. The suggestions are fascinating and seem to address most of the points of weakness in the problem. All it will take is backbone from the college presidents and a few other powerful players. Oh, well. There goes this problem as no one associated has backbone. Witness the Oklahoma president presiding in the late 80s who years later tries to downplay the problems he faced. Witness Walter Byers who presided over the NCAA and now has his own book stating that there is a problem and it should be solved. Where were you years ago Mr. Byers? If you love college football, you should read this book. Maybe it won't change your mind but it should at least let you see there is a problem. And Mr. Telander still doesn't cover football. Nice boycott.

Great read for those that seek, and can accept, the truth

Read this 10 years ago, and have never viewed bigtime college athletics the same way since. In a just world, this book would be very well known. In reality, this is the type of thing that the NCAA, big 3 networks, sports magazines, and sports announcers don't want you to know about. Too many cushy, do-nothing jobs ride on the exploitation of superstar college athletes that really have no business being in college at all. Telander's writing is clear, simple, passionate, and grabbing. His arguments are lucid and well constructed. Unfortunately, they fell on deaf ears.

Rick rocks sleaze jocks - and coaches that abet

Money, money money. What ever happened to sport? In this well-researched and soundly reasoned exploration, Telander looks at what is wrong in big time college football from the Golden Dome to FSU. And he has some interesting suggestions for making it better which include honesty about $ - and the ability for players to participate. In between each chapter he writes an emotional "Streaching" which expresses the real love of the game and why saving it is important