• Football 101

  • By: Gilbert Klein
  • Narrated by: Jack Hicks
  • Length: 2 hrs and 24 mins
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars (220 ratings)

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Football 101  By  cover art

Football 101

By: Gilbert Klein
Narrated by: Jack Hicks
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Publisher's summary

This is an entertaining, informative beginner's guide to understanding football. Also, I guarantee* that this is the most enjoyable introductory audiobook ever about football, and that after listening to this audiobook you will know and love the game.

*Any guarantees mentioned in this audiobook are imaginary and not enforceable by law.

©2011 Gilbert Klein (P)2014 Gilbert Klein

What listeners say about Football 101

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Decent intro to football for the near-novice

Overall, I thought highly of the book. I bought it for my teen and tween sons who've recently gotten interested in watching football with me. They have very little overall knowledge of the game and I think they got a lot out of it, though they said they did have trouble paying attention at times (and they are die hard audiobook listeners). I got it on the Daily Deal and at that price it is hard to go wrong.

I did have two negatives about it. For me, a long time (but not serious) fan, it didn't do much to help me with all the questions I have when watching the game, so I'm not sure someone like me is the target audience. More importantly, I don't think this is the best medium to learn how to follow a football game. Watching a game with commentary -- or watching the pregame show for the Superbowl right now -- does more to explain what is going on, since it comes with visuals.

In sum, I think this book works best for a near novice, who wants to listen something to understand the basics when not watching a game. For a person who doesn't want to interrupt the fans in their life with dumb questions, this might be perfect.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A great introduction to football

I'm a nerd, and don't care much for sports. But Klein's book shows me and other geeks that football isn't just for meatheads. It's intensely physical, yes, but first and foremost it's a tactical game. Will I start watching football regularly? Probably not. But it gives me a little more understanding and compassion for how the other half live. Okay, let's be honest, the other nine tenths.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Yellow Flags

"Football 101" is kind of disappointing. I wanted to know more about the penalties in the game. Don't really care about the different positions because throw the ball, catch the ball, and run the ball. Football is actually a simple sport, but when the ref throws the yellow flag, the game gets confusing.

Too much field talk and not enough about the rules. Unless you never watch football, you don't really need this guide book. The game is easy to follow if you have a favorite team. Just watch the game.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Poor, even for $.99 on sale

Poor, disjointed thoughts. Author harping on the same points again and again... Ugh don't waste your time. At least it was less than a buck.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

I don't think so

I did not find this book to be a good beginners guide. It started off OK with the idea of "balance", then went to quickly into too many details, jargon and examples. This seems a good approach for someone who already understand the game, but poor "pedagogy" for newbies. Stay with the "idea" of football, the goals, etc. before getting into details which should come towards the end of the book. Not user friendly.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Completely useless as a beginner's guide

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This might appeal to someone who already has some understanding of the game. I knew learning something visual from an audio book was going to be challenging, but amazingly that wasn't the problem. The problem was the author and I disagree on what the term "beginner" means and what exactly a beginner needs to know in order to follow along.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Whatever it is, I'll be weary of audio books like this one. I think I'll pick up a physical copy of "Football for Dummies." I haven't been disappointed with those guides yet. Their books on hockey and golf were excellent and very detailed.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment and frustration definitely describe my feelings with this book.

You might something titled "Football 101" would be geared towards people with little or no knowledge of Football. Well, not according to this author. Instead of defining terms, explaining the field and equipment, and discussing what each player's role is (and how many players are on each team), the book goes straight into discussing plays. Don't know what all the terms mean? Too bad, you should have picked those up somewhere else!

Ironically, the author mentions in the intro that he learned Football by reading books. "Football 101" would have been more useful if he'd just named those books for the listener and said "the end."

Any additional comments?

If you have the paper edition of "Football 101," then congratulations, you've got yourself a handy doorstop.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Short, but did learn a few things

He mentions a number of advanced concepts without elaborating, telling you to watch more football to learn what they mean. Also, very fast-paced intro where terms are used without an explanation of what they mean. But, I did learn a few things. I think I'm at the point of football understand where I wasn't affected by the fast paced intro and not at such an advanced understanding that I learned nothing. Maybe not a great book for absolute beginners and those who have been watching football for many years.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

brief and bumpy, but kinda gets the job done

the basics are not so basics... it is more of a book for the North American who doesn't understand the sport, not an international reader that has never lived in a society where people play football.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

OK book

Presentation is good but for non USA citizens hard to understand. I get the book since I want to understand the game better but it does not deliver completely. Sometimes too much detail, sometimes too little.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

INTERESTING INSIGHTS

As the description said, this book is very basic and would provide little for the long term fan. The topical organization is interesting, just don't expect much depth.

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1 person found this helpful