{"product_id":"the-hot-seat-a-year-of-outrage-pride-and-occasional-games-of-college-football-9781541700338","title":"The Hot Seat: A Year of Outrage, Pride, and Occasional Games of College Football","description":"\u003cb\u003eA fan's search for the truth about American history, human nature, and whether Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh will keep his job\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Being a University of Michigan football fan should be joyful. Michigan is an elite academic institution whose football team boasts forty-three Big Ten championships. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But these days, college football is complicated. The NCAA is corrupt and exploitative, and Michigan keeps losing to Ohio State. It's hard not to wonder, as \u003ci\u003eSlate\u003c\/i\u003e writer and superfan Ben Mathis-Lilley does in this book: Why are we doing this? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Hot Seat \u003c\/i\u003eis a chronicle of one of the wildest years in Michigan football history, but also a search for the truth about fandom, from the pages of history books to the wilderness of online forums. Is it embarrassing to care about what happens in a game? Why is Jim Harbaugh like that? Is it somehow Thomas Jefferson's fault? This book explores all these questions and many more. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Against the backdrop of a quickly changing sport and country, \u003ci\u003eThe Hot Seat \u003c\/i\u003eis an exploration of the all-consuming culture of fandom, and why it matters.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBen Mathis-Lilley\u003c\/b\u003e is a senior writer for Slate.com, where he writes blog posts, columns, and feature stories about news, politics, and sports. He worked previously at \u003ci\u003eNew York\u003c\/i\u003e magazine and, briefly but gloriously, as the editor of BuzzFeed's sports section. He lives in New Jersey.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"PublicAffairs","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50496827195666,"sku":"9781541700338","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_20c87bef-ee76-4934-a036-9eab919e1fae.jpg?v=1730702047","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-hot-seat-a-year-of-outrage-pride-and-occasional-games-of-college-football-9781541700338","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}