Soccer is the world's most popular sport, inspiring the absolute devotion of countless fans around the globe. But what is it about soccer that makes it so compelling to watch, discuss, and think about? Is it what it says about class, race, or gender? Is it our national, regional, or tribal identities? Simon Critchley thinks it's all of these and more. In his new book, he explains what soccer can tell us about each, and how each informs the way we interpret the game, all while building a new system of aesthetics, or even poetics, that we can use to watch the beautiful game.
Critchley has made a career out of bringing philosophy to the people through popular subjects, and in What We Think About When We Think About Soccer he uses his considerable philosophical acumen to examine the sport that has captured the hearts and minds of millions.
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"[Critchley] approaches every subject—be it suicide or soccer—with the same intellectual rigor. The writing is not only deep and philosophical but approachable and conversational.”
— Los Angeles Times
"[An] irresistible treatise on how soccer came to be the dominant sport around the globe…Critchley’s depth and range of knowledge is remarkable.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Critchley makes the sport’s myths tangible without removing our sense of awe.”
— Rolling StoneBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Simon Critchley is an author and Hans Jonas Professor at the New School for Social Research. His books include Very Little… Almost Nothing, Infinitely Demanding, The Book of Dead Philosophers, and The Faith of the Faithless, as well as the novella Memory Theatre, the book-length essay Notes on Suicide, and a book on David Bowie. He is series moderator of “The Stone,” a philosophy column in the New York Times and coeditor of The Stone Reader.
Liam Gerrard is an award-winning voice artist with over ten years of experience working in every field of the voice industry, as well as a highly acclaimed stage and screen actor. A 2017 Audie Award nominee, he has narrated over thirty audiobooks in a wide range of genres and styles.