“I wish I loved sports, and particularly football, a lot less than I do. It consumes too much of my memory and too much of my time.” – Chuck Klosterman
In this episode of Deviate, Rolf talks about why he’s talking to Chuck Klosterman’s former roommate Michael Weinreb about Chuck’s book Football, rather than Chuck himself (2:00); football-themed video games, and the difference between emotional and analytical sports fandom (7:00); Pico Iyer’s appearance in the movie Marty Supreme, how podcasting has changed the landscape, and how streaming video has become the standard way to watch even high school football (17:00); why going to football games in person is a “pagan” experience of games that is completely different than watching them on TV, and how there’s a travel parallel in experiencing distant places in person (24:00); how important the season and the weather is to the experience of football at both the experiential and metaphorical level (32:00); what might become of football, and why it persists as the object of fandom even by people who’ve never played it (39:00).
Michael Weinreb (@MichaelWeinreb) is the author of three sports books, including Game of Kings; Bigger Than the Game; and Season of Saturdays. He has been a contributing writer for ESPN, The New York Times, Grantland, Rolling Stone, The Athletic, and The Ringer. His Substack newsletter is called Throwbacks: A Newsletter About Sports History and Culture.
Notable Links:
- Kicking & Screaming might be the best movie ever (Deviate episode)
- Back to Penn State (2011 This American Life episode)
- Chuck Klosterman (author and essayist)
- Fargo Rock City, by Chuck Klosterman (2001 book)
- EA Sports College Football (video game)
- Super Bowl LV (game the Chiefs lost to the Buccaneers)
- Super Bowl LIX (game the Chiefs lost to the Eagles)
- A travel writers’ Super Bowl special (Deviate episode)
- Pico Iyer (travel writer and novelist)
- Marty Supreme (2025 sports comedy-drama film)
- Chick Hearn (Los Angeles Lakers announcer)
- Wesley Morris on Deviate
- Bill Simmons (American sportswriter and cultural critic)
- Football History Deep Dive (Bill Simmons Podcast episode)
- 2025 Kansas 1A football championship (high school game video)
- Arrowhead Stadium (venue for Kansas City Chiefs games)
- Communitas (concept of the spirit of community)
- Rick Steves (travel writer and broadcaster)
- Lambeau Field (stadium in Green Bay)
- Friday Night Lights (TV series)
- All the Right Moves (1983 film)
- The Last Boy Scout (1991 film)
- A Fan’s Notes, by Frederick Exley (1968 novel)
- Roger Goodell (NFL commissioner)
- Men’s 1500m race at the 2016 Olympics (sports results)
- Men’s 1500m race at the 2024 Olympics (sports results)
- Electronic Quarterback (1978 Coleco electronic game)
- Jimi Hendrix (American musician)
The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.
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