Say the name "Klosterman" to some avid readers, and the first name of "Chuck" no doubt will come up a few times. Chuck Klosterman has become something of a cultural commentator, a good gig if you can arrange it. He's written several books, starting with music-related subjects and broadening his range as he's gotten older. Klosterman even has some novels to his credit, and has written for several top media outlets.
Say the name "Klosterman" to football fans, at least the older ones (guilty), and the reaction is a different one. Don Klosterman was a player in the 1950s, mostly remembered as a backup quarterback, who eventually moved into the front office. Don was the general manager of a few NFL teams, including one that won the Super Bowl in 1971 (Baltimore).
Now, by coincidence, Chuck Klosterman is moving into Don's territory with a book called "Football." Talk about worlds colliding. I have no idea if the two Klostermans are even faintly related, but it's a bit fun to see their lives intersect this way.
This is a roundabout way of asking the central question about whether traditional football people like Don would pick up and enjoy this book from Chuck. And the answer is, yes - if they are willing to be a bit open-minded on the subject. For this hits some unique territory.
"Football" reads more like a collection of essays that have something to do with football. We're not headed on a straight line here. Some of the chapters have titles like "The Semantics of GOAT Herding," "This Is Still Your Father's Oldsmobile," "Nuclear Football" and "A Rose by Any Other Name Would Not Impact the Rose Bowl." Meanwhile, the first sentence of the book is "This is a book about football, written for people who don't exist."
And away we go. After explaining that initial concept - no easy task - we soon get into issues that you probably haven't considered very often. For example, football is about the only sport that is extremely difficult to duplicate at lower levels of competition. For a legitimate football game, you need 22 players minimum, referees, equipment, etc. That's not going to happen very easily. A touch football game can break out on Thanksgiving morning in a neighborhood, but without the physical side of the game it's not a close approximation of the experience. I suppose hockey is close to that level of specialization. But a pickup basketball game is still basketball - just not played as skillfully. A 12-foot putt for birdie translates well to the hacker and the pro. And so on.
Soon we jump from the concept of "America's Team" (Dallas Cowboys) to football as close to a religion in Texas. From there it's on to determining the greatest football player at a given point in the sport's history (spoiler alert: quarterbacks eventually take over). Or perhaps you're more likely to be wrapped up in a discussion about race in football, translated into the question, "How many quarterbacks in the NFL in an ideal setting should be black?" Should it mirror the ratio of the population as a whole, or should it reflect the ratio of other positions in the game? Hmm.
Ever ponder why football in America has four downs, while Canada uses three? Klosterman has. He points out that in the game's formative years, the number of downs was essentially up for grabs. The U.S. version gave a boost to a grind-it-out approach to offense, while Canada's version led to a more wide-open game. Interestingly, a three-down rule came first.
The price tag that comes with football also comes up here, which leads to a discussion of injuries - specifically concussions. Players now realize when they start playing an advanced level of football full-time that there is a risk of problems down the road with brain function. The rewards for success in the National Football League are enormous, as the pay is life-changing for generations. For many, that assumed risk is worth it for the chance at riches. Could that change? And will a majority of mothers eventually prevent their baby sons from trying to become football players?
Klosterman saves the best discussion for last. The National Football League essentially has used college football as its minor-league feeder system for its talent. But college football is changing almost by the hour these days. He points out that several changes have come to the sport in the past handful of years, including the transfer portal and the NIL financial deals. These have been great for the athletes, who have been making money for others for that century, Will we get to the point where college football will be reduced to the big schools that can make it work financially? We'd lose something if that happened. But some schools have to be wondering if the football business should be a part of their primary function, which is education. There are no guarantees that we're headed on the right road.
"Football" is on the messy side, as you may have guessed, and Klosterman hasn't seen a tangent that he's not willing to explore. But there's something nice about going for a ride with an active mind. The book isn't for all fans by any means, but the intellectually adventuresome members of the audience should find plenty to ponder here.
In other words, Don might have liked it.
Four stars
Learn more about this book from Amazon.com. (As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.)
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