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Please Buy That New Will Leitch Joint
By Jamie Mottram | January 29, 2008
In September of ‘05, I got a call from a guy named Will Leitch who humbly (and mumbly) introduced himself and his oddly named site, Deadspin. He wanted to inform of his new endeavor and ask which blogs he should be reading, if he wasn’t already. Aside from being an impossibly fast talker, what struck me about Will was that he was a genuinely nice guy. Sure, he was funny and interesting for days, but he just seemed nice.
Since then, Deadspin has lifted off as America’s most well known sports blog, and Will has written everywhere from the NY Times to GQ and beyond. He’s made the cover of Penthouse (not in that way) and feuded with Mark Cuban. Plus, as you’ve probably heard, he has a new book, the brilliantly named “God Save the Fan.” So he’s become kind of a big deal, yet he’s still the same nice guy he ever was.
Now, I haven’t read the book (just ordered it), but I hear it’s good. I have no doubt about that, and that’s not really the point. The point is if you’re a sports blogger and/or reader of sports blogs, you should pick up this book.
Dan Shanoff explains why in far more words and Gilbert Arenas in far fewer, but the sentiment remains the same: buy “God Save the Fan,” have a laugh, consider its virtues and, by default, support the sports blogging movement. And it’s that last thing that’s the thing. It’s what Will does, and it’s what I’m thankful to him for, even if he’s not one to take credit for it.
Update: In Will’s NPR interview host Scott Simon says, “You got a problem” with regard to racism in the book. Hear it yourself around the three-minute mark for added context. Like I said, I haven’t read it, but would be interested in hearing from those who have.
Topics: Bookworm, Blog Stuffs |
3 Responses to “Please Buy That New Will Leitch Joint”
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January 29th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
The book is a masterpiece.
January 29th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Hi Jamie,
My name is Jarrett Carter, and I’ve got this blog with this weird name. You know, since Scott Van Pelt is from Maryland and everything, and it’s about sports in Baltimore and Washington….
January 29th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Will Leitch likes to masturbate. A lot.
It’s true, he mentions it every 5 pages. Other than that it’s a great book. Awesome illustration on page 289 too.