"To have an idea is relatively easy or difficult. Nevertheless, what Dani achieves with this book is to make this idea into something feasible, comprehensible and thus, teachable. And it seems to me a one of those dribbles made by Iniesta without touching the ball. Beautiful because is effective, simple and lack of ornaments but at once, so powerful as to break any waist." From Preface of Adolfo Cartujo González (Football Coach)
Is football an athletic contest or a social event? Is it a game of skill, a test of manhood, or merely an organized brawl? Michael Oriard, a former professional player, asks these and other intriguing questions in Reading Football, the first contemporary book about football's formative years. American football began in the 1870s as a game to be played, not watched. Within a brief ten years, it had become a great public spectacle with an immense following, a phenomenon caused primarily by the voluminous commentary about the game conducted in popular newspapers and magazines. Oriard shows how this constant narrative in football's early years developed many different stories about what the game meant: football as pastime, as the sport of gentlemen, as a science, as a game of rules and their infringements. He shows how football became a series of cultural stories about power, luck, strategy, and deception. These different interpretations have been magnified by football's current omnipresence on television. According to Oriard, televised football now plays a cultural role of enormous importance for men, yet within the field of cultural studies the influence of football has been ignored until now. From the book: "A receiver sprints down the sideline, fast and graceful, then breaks toward the middle of the field where a safety waits for him. From forty yards upfield the quarterback releases the ball; it spirals in an elegant arc toward the goalposts as the receiver now for the first time looks back to pick up its flight. The pass is a little high; the receiver leaps, stretches, grasps the ball--barely, fingers clutching--at the very moment that the safety drives a helmet into his unprotected ribs. The force of the collision flings the receiver backward, slamming him to the turf. . . . This familiar tableau, this exemplary moment in a football game, epitomizes the appeal of the sport: the dramatic confrontation of artistry with violence, both equally necessary."
Ben is at his happiest playing for United and is getting top marks from the coach. But every day at school is a trial for Ben, as he struggles to hide a huge secret from his teachers and classmates. Ben's secret is starting to affect his game - can he swallow his pride and ask for help before he sidelines himself - for good?
Footballers must train hard. Learn about the special jobs that attackers, defenders and goalkeepers do in a football match. I'm a Footballer is from Developing Reader Level 2. It is ideal for children aged 6+ who are confidently using their phonics knowledge and can read short, simple sentences with only a little help. Frequently repeated words help improve fluency and confidence. Read It Yourself is a series of modern stories, traditional tales and first reference books for children who are learning to read. Each book has been carefully checked by educational consultants and includes comprehension puzzles, book band information, and tips for helping children with their reading. With five levels to take children from first phonics to fluent reading, Read It Yourself helps every child on their journey to becoming a confident reader.
Baseball is not the only sport to use "moneyball." American football fans, teams, and gamblers are increasingly using data to gain an edge against the competition. Professional and college teams use data to help select players and identify team needs. Fans use data to guide fantasy team picks and strategies. Sports bettors and fantasy football players are using data to help inform decision making. This concise book provides a clear introduction to using statistical models to analyze football data. Whether your goal is to produce a winning team, dominate your fantasy football league, qualify for an entry-level football analyst position, or simply learn R and Python using fun example cases, this book is your starting place. You'll learn how to: Apply basic statistical concepts to football datasets Describe football data with quantitative methods Create efficient workflows that offer reproducible results Use data science skills such as web scraping, manipulating data, and plotting data Implement statistical models for football data Link data summaries and model outputs to create reports or presentations using tools such as R Markdown and R Shiny And more
