The Whistleblower: Rooting for the Ref in the High-Stakes World of College Basketball

by Bob Katz

Overview

In this vivid portrait of one consummate professional at the top of his game, Katz pulls off an unbelievable feat in The Whistleblower—readers actually come to root for the ref.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826361981
Publisher:	University of New Mexico Press
Publication date:	11/15/2020
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Bob Katz is the author of five books and has written on sports and culture for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and other publications.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Invisible Gorilla
The One We Want on the Road
In a Very Partisan Place
Worst F**king Ref in the World!
Cotton Fields Back Home
One Tough Bracket
To the Next Level
Total Quality Control
Screens from Every Angle
The Paradox of Video Review
The Road to Assembly Hall
Disputed Call in Overtime
Rooting for the Ref
The Whistleblower
Acknowledgments

What People are Saying About This

Dayton Duncan

“By following one of the NCAA’s best, Ed Hightower, Katz shines a welcome light on this often overlooked, often reviled, never fully appreciated figure on the hardwood floor: the one responsible for keeping things fair and square and honest to basketball’s principles of sportsmanship in what has become a multimillion-dollar industry. I’ll never be able to watch another game the sameway—and neither will you.”

Juan Williams

“If you love sports, pick up this book. It will take you into a new dimension when you watch your next game. Bob Katz’s take on big-time basketball . . . is great because you will realize what you’ve been missing!”

Ira Berkow

“The Whistlebloweris as great a tour guide to the game of basketball—and thus the game of life— as any that I’ve ever come across. Katz performs the difficult task of simultaneously entertaining and deeply informing, and does it primarily through, of all figures, a referee, the intriguing and astute Ed Hightower.”

Armen Keteyian

“Two pages in and you knowThe Whistlebloweris a different kind of sports book—intellectually different. From on high you’re transported into the world of one of college basketball’s all-time great referees [and] youreyes are opened to a man and a form of performance art that lingers long after the last whistle is blown.”

Dick Vitale

“I always enjoyed calling games where Ed Hightower was one of the officials. He always had control of the game. Now Hightower is coming out with a new book called The Whistleblower: Rooting for the Ref in the High Stakes World of College Basketball. Written by Bob Katz, it chronicles a year in the life of referee Hightower, providing behind-the-scenes perspective. It is available in bookstores this week.”

Editorial Reviews

If you love sports, pick up this book. It will take you into a new dimension when you watch your next game.—Juan Williams, Fox News

A different kind of sports book—intellectually different.—Armen Keteyian, Emmy-winning sports journalist

A different kind of sports book—intellectually different.—Armen Keteyian, Emmy-winning sports journalist

From the Publisher