More Than a Game: Why North Carolina Basketball Means So Much to So Many

I'm a student at UNC and when I first got here I didn't know much about our basketball team. I thought this book was really cool because it has so many fun facts in it and I learned so much about the proud tradition of UNC Basketball!

First off, I'll admit that I'm biased - I'm a member of the email list-serve that figures so prominently in this book. But the appeal of Thad's work reaches far beyond this core constituency. It presents a scholarly analysis of the good and the bad of fandom, and an insight into how one arrives at the stage where a basketball team can mean so much. Divided into four parts, there's something here for everyone: social commentary, philosophy, statistics, and yes, basketball. Carolina basketball, no less! The combination of the fan diaries and the survey give powerful insight into the UNC fan community - at least, that portion of the community on the internet. To my knowledge, such an honest assessment has never been performed on any team's fans before now, but it's worth the wait. If you've ever felt the Fever, and wondered, even for a moment, whether it was a good thing, pick up this book and let it help you decide for yourself.

Mr. Williamson's unique position, growing up in Chapel Hill with close connections to the Carolina program, provide him with a perfect vantagepoint from which to view and analyze the phenomenon that is Carolina Basketball. Part history, part social analysis, part simple fandom, More Than A Game is an extremely interesting and impassioned book which provides the reader with questions to answer for him or herself about extremism vs. a fun hobby. Particularly interesting is the fan survey which gives us a look at the nuances of everyday life from alumni, fans and those who take it to another level altogether (like myself). Reading the book took me for a stroll down memory lane, comparing Mr. Williamson's view of Carolina basketball history to my own. Sports fans, hoops fans and recruiting junkies will love it.

It's a challenging (and rewarding) read if one goes from page first to page last, but that's not the only option available. The book lends itself to enjoyment on many levels and, as such, should be appealing to a wide spectrum of readers (beyond that core group--of which I am a member--who must have ANYTHING relating to UNC hoops, regardless of its potential value). And part of the appeal to me, on a comprehensive level, is the very fact that it isn't a "rah rah" book, but instead is more serious and substantive. In other words, I found value in the book beyond merely quenching a thirst for UNC basketball knowledge. I felt smarter in addition to feeling entertained. The book prompted me to think on a grander scale, with UNC basketball as the nucleus for that expansive thought.

A great book!!! Author Thad Williamson delivers both a personal reflection and an analytical examination of what it means to be a UNC Tar Heel fan. Thad grew up in the Chapel Hill area, so he evokes many of the fond memories that alumni have, yet he also delivers details that can draw in the casual reader and show them the delight that is The Southern Part of Heaven. Then he provides summaries and quotations from various fan diaries kept throughout the 1999-2000 season to illustrate the many ups and downs that the college sports fan goes through. His analysis of how fans react to the fortunes of the basketball team is thought-provoking. A necessary part of any sports fan's library...