Synopses & Reviews
After covering the American sports scene for fifteen years, Chuck Culpepper had self-diagnosed his creeping ills: a dogged strain of Common Sportswriter Malaise. Simply put, his brain had overflowed with inane utterances from managers and athletes spouting fibs and cliches on autopilot. He was fed up with self-righteous proclamations, steroid scandals, and the deluge of in-your-face PR. Then in 2006, he moved to London for the oldest reason in the book — love — and pledged his loyalty to Portsmouth, a small-market team at the bottom of the world-famous Premiership, a league he barely knew. As he puts it, "It was like childhood, with beer."
Bloody Confused is the story of Culpepper's revisit to fandom among the world's most devoted fans. He stands shoulder-to-shoulder with them in their noisy, dilapidated stadium... not to mention a wide range of local pubs. Culpepper explores what feeds their fervor, and follows Portsmouth throughout England for the 2006-2007 season as they play such storied franchises as Manchester United and Chelsea.
In the vein of perennial bestsellers such as Fever Pitch and The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, Chuck Culpepper explores the vibrant landscape of English soccer with piercing wit and penetrating insight. Bloody Confused will bring a smile to the face of any sports fan who has ever eyed the fanatical English soccer scene with curiosity, or who has ever questioned the rationale of fandom itself.
Review
“A bracing (and funny) antidote to the cynicism infecting modern sports, Chuck Culpepper's Bloody Confused is a love letter to fandom. You don't even have to like soccer to enjoy it (but it helps).” Jeffrey Toobin
Review
“The American sporting landscape is littered with bad trades; consider this the latest: We get Beckham, but they get Culpepper. Thankfully, with Bloody Confused! we get our man back on loan, if only for a couple hundred of the most splendid pages you’ll have the pleasure of reading all year.” Mike Vaccaro, author of 1941: The Greatest Year in Sports
Review
“Chuck Culpepper is the best, most perceptive sportswriter on two continents.” Sally Jenkins
Synopsis
Chuck Culpepper was a veteran sports journalist edging toward burnout . . . then he went to London and discovered the high-octane, fanatical (and bloody confusing ) world of English soccer.
After covering the American sports scene for fifteen years, Chuck Culpepper suffered from a profound case of Common Sportswriter Malaise. He was fed up with self-righteous proclamations, steroid scandals, and the deluge of in-your-face PR that saturated the NFL, the NBA, and MLB. Then in 2006, he moved to London and discovered a new and baffling world--the renowned Premiership soccer league. Culpepper pledged his loyalty to Portsmouth, a gutsy, small-market team at the bottom of the standings. As he puts it, "It was like childhood, with beer."
Writing in the vein of perennial bestsellers such as Fever Pitch and Among the Thugs, Chuck Culpepper brings penetrating insight to the vibrant landscape of English soccer--visiting such storied franchises as Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool . . . and an equally celebrated assortment of pubs. Bloody Confused will put a smile on the face of any sports fan who has ever questioned what makes us love sports in the first place.
Synopsis
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's most devoted sports fans, a two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee explores the vibrant landscape of English soccer with piercing wit and penetrating insight.
About the Author
Chuck Culpepper writes for the Los Angeles Times and has written for Newsday and ESPN Books, among other publications.