Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)As a companion book coming out right before the 2010 world cup I was hoping for something different. Over the past 10 years or so I have become a casual fan of soccer watching more and more of it. It is quite enjoyable but I am still 'un-educated' compared to sports I grew up playing and watching.
I was expecting at least a short summary of all the teams compeating in 2010, their style of play, who to watch for, etc. I was also hoping for a section on terminology and explantions of the most used offensive and defensive schemes. This book had none of that.
As for what it did have, it was an enjoyable, easy to digest summary of all of the past world cups. Each world cup also had 'shorts' inserted into it such as 'cult figures', greatest teams, greatest goals, etc. The print is large and easy to read. For what it is, it is ok. My gripe though is that the title is companion. My idea of companion was to make the watching of the 2010 World Cup a more informative experience. This book does not do it. If you are looking for a history of the World Cup though, I found the book informative, entertaining, and fast-paced, if not too detailed.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The ESPN World Cup Companion: Everything You Need to Know About the Planet's Biggest Sports Event
Nothing unites—and excites—the sporting planet like a World Cup. For one month every four years, billions of people rearrange their lives, play hooky, and ignore their loved ones in order to watch 22 men kick a ball in pursuit of a small gold statue and athletic immortality. On the eve of one of the most historically significant World Cup of all—the first to be held in Africa—you need a tour guide more than ever. Learned yet lively, elegantly designed, and bursting with historical photos, The ESPN World Cup Companion celebrates every World Cup since 1930, highlighting each era's Greatest Players, Games, Teams, Players, Rivalries, and Cult Figures. But coauthors David Hirshey and Roger Bennett relish the game for all its beauty and vulgarity, subtlety and brutality, examining every aspect of World Cup culture; here you'll find a rogue's gallery of the game's biggest divas and divers, the DNA of the world's powerhouses, the psychodrama of the penalty shoot out, the physics of the free kick, the five soccer fans you'll meet in hell, and even the art of scoring off the field. The ESPN World Cup Companion captures all the sweat, blood, tears, and bad hairdos of the last 80 years. Whether you're a casual fan or a long-time aficionado of the sport, this book bridges the gap between merely watching the planet's biggest sporting event and truly understanding it. So paint your face, hoist your vuvuzela, or just grab your trusty remote, but whatever you do make sure The ESPN World Cup Companion is by your side.
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