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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.332630973
EAN num: 9780252065231
ISBN number: 0252065239
Label: University of Illinois Press
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 232
Printing Date: September 01, 1996
Publishing house: University of Illinois Press
Sale Popularity Level: 607540
Studio: University of Illinois Press
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Product Description:
The lead college football writer for Sports Illustrated examines the myths that surround college football and obscure the reality of the game.
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Rated by buyers 
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Rick Telander's The Hundred Yard Lie is an interesting read for anyone who cares about the moral implications of big-time college football. But it's also a depressing read.
Telander does an admirable job of discrediting the notion that amateur sport is somehow ennobling. The Hundred Yard Lie is very pointed in its criticisms of the NCAA for phony amateurism (as well as a host of other sins). You won't have much respect for the NCAA after reading this book.
One of the intriguing aspects of The Hundred Yard Lie is that Telander does a good job with "human interest" stories. He details his own playing days at Northwestern & his relationship with his head coach, Alex Agase. Telander meets with players from an inner-city high school in Houston and with Michigan State's highly-touted Tony Mandarich, among others. Telander keeps the pages turning & the human interest is a big part of The Hundred Yard Lie's appeal.
A drawback that many readers will notice is that little of the criticism in The Hundred Yard Lie seems original. The ensuing 20 years have brought a host of books (such as Murray Sperber's Beer and Circus) attacking the hypocrisy of college sports. There are some other weak spots in the book. Some of the digressions on amateurism (in Chapter 2) are slow reading. Chapter 6 - on college football's alleged values - did not consistently hold my interest. The Stretching sections, which apparently detail Telander's own experiences with football, aren't well integrated with the rest of the book.
It is difficult to read The Hundred Yard Lie without a sense of despair. All of Telander's criticisms are still valid today. In fact, some things have gotten far worse; for instance, some head coaches' annual salaries now top $4 million. In that sense, The Hundred Yard Lie is a difficult read.
In short, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the seamy side of college football. But The Hundred Yard Lie is a bit dated; college football has only gotten worse in the past twenty years.
Rated by buyers 
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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.
Rated by buyers -
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.
Rated by buyers 
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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 very first published in 1989. Still, it's an eye opener for those who dare question football's relationship to education.
Rated by buyers -
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.
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