You Herd Me!: I'll Say It If Nobody Else Will

by Colin Cowherd

Overview

There are really two games, the one you see and the one you don't. The way I see it, the best way to use access to both worlds is to illuminate and reveal, not idolize and adore. It's better to be wrong than to be played for a fool. – Colin Cowherd
 
In this age of billion dollar athletic marketing campaigns, “feel good” philosophy with no connection to reality, and a Sports Media echo chamber that’s all too eager swallow whatever idiotic notion happens to be in vogue at the moment, it’s tough to find people who aren’t afraid to say what they’re really thinking.
 
But that’s where Colin Cowherd comes in. As his millions of fans on ESPN Radio and ESPNU already know, Colin is the rare sports analyst who’s brave (or crazy) enough to speak his mind—even if it pisses some people off. Of course, it helps that a lot of what Colin has to say is simply hilarious. Lots of writers can tell you about Boston’s storied sports history. But how many can tell you why the city of Boston is America’s five year old? Lots of writers will brag about the stuff they got right, but how many will happily list all the calls they got completely and utterly wrong? Whether he’s pointing out the stupidity of conspiracy theories, explaining why media bias isn’t nearly as big a deal as many assume, or calling out those who prize short term wins over sustainability, Colin is smart, thought-provoking, and laugh-out-loud funny. Some of the questions he’s not afraid to ask in You Herd Me! include:
 
Is Tiger Woods really a sex addict—or does he just have good PR?
Is “work-life balance” really the ideal we should all strive for—or is that just a way for people feel better about mediocrity?
Is talent really all it’s cracked up to be—or can too much talent actually be counterproductive?
Is the X games really a sport—or would we all be better off if we admitted it’s something else entirely?
Is Hell really a supernatural place of fire and brimstone—or is it actually just another word for living in Tampa?
 
Unapologetically entertaining and packed with behind-the-scenes insights you won’t get anywhere else, You Herd Me! is unlike any other sports book ever written.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804137898
Publisher:	Crown/Archetype
Publication date:	11/19/2013
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.58(w) x 9.58(h) x 1.06(d)

About the Author

COLIN COWHERD is currently the host of The Herd with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio and ESPNU. He is also a former cohost of the show SportsNation on ESPN2.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Addiction or Fiction? 8

Torn in the USA 16

Conservative Backlash 22

The Cult of (Bad) Personality 29

Drunk and Stupid: No Way to Go Through a Football Game 38

Hanging in the Imbalance 48

For Adults Only 57

Leaving Las Vegas 63

IQ, Low-Q, No Clue 71

Michael vs. LeBron: Swish or Swoosh? 76

Hey, NBA-Let 'Em Play 86

Manning Overboard 94

Pace Yourself 101

Pick Your Poison 112

Daddy Dearest 120

Diamonds Aren't Forever 130

When Small Grows Up 140

I Value What I Need 148

The Drain Game 158

Whistle-Blower 168

Conspiracy of Dunces 180

Primal Time 193

Bean There, Done That 203

The Gracious Host 209

The Sport That Shouldn't Be 215

Southern Exposure 223

Reduction Junction, Love Your Function 232

My Pitch for Pith 240

The Long Invasion 248

For Us, Bias 256

A False Positive 266

Nature vs. Nurture 272

Luck, Meet Genius 279

Home Alone 283

Swing and a Miss, and a Miss, and a Miss 288

Acknowledgments 293

Editorial Reviews

2013-11-12
ESPN Radio host Cowherd sounds off on a variety of sports topics. Although his business obliges him "to summon a strong opinion," the author insists his views are honestly held, not adopted merely for the sake of controversy. It's his job, he claims, to look beyond the press releases and the consumer's to figure out who among the talking heads offers a reliable source of information. In his debut, Cowherd shotguns the sports world in a series of short chapters, each a blast on a hot topic--e.g., why Nike is the only company that can mount a marketing campaign sufficiently powerful to drive public opinion; why college basketball coaches are so insufferable; why quarterbacks from second-tier colleges have greater success in the NFL than those from big schools; why home-field advantage is so pronounced in the NFL; why the X Games ought to get out of the Olympics; why the Southeastern Conference is the biggest dynasty in sports; and why the NFL should ban in-stadium beer sales. The phone lines light up when Cowherd compares Bill Belichick to Steve Jobs, Major League Baseball to the Republican Party, Boston fans to 5-year-olds, John Daly to Allen Iverson, Peyton Manning to Robin Williams. Occasionally, he discourses on a nonsports topic--how "menstrual synchrony" has its male equivalent in the group stupidity of young men, why all comedians eventually lose their edges and why a so-called balanced life is overrated--but he sticks mostly to the games and personalities that obsess our sports-crazed nation. Cowherd's socially liberal views often place him at odds with the sports world, and his brashness can be off-putting, but his departures from conventional wisdom, his humor and--notwithstanding his confessions of predictions gone horribly wrong--his frequently incisive trendspotting and analysis set him apart from the pack of radio hosts who do no more than fill time. Provocative and amusing takes on the passing sports parade.

Kirkus Reviews