Lauren O. (LoMel) - , reviewed Playing the Game: Inside Athletic Recruiting in the Ivy League on + 134 more book reviews
I originally picked this book to read for an assignment in a graduate course, but was pleasantly surprised at how interesting it was. In some ways it was written as a response to "The Game of Life" by Shulman and Bowen, so if you've read that one I would recommend this one and vice versa. Since it focuses on the Ivy League specifically, it gives a somewhat different view than books focused on recruiting in major power conferences like the SEC or Big Ten, but it's a perspective that isn't often discussed and so I found it to provide a valuable view at a side of college athletics we rarely see. It also focuses on all sports, and not just football and basketball (there's a whole chapter devoted to squash), so I found this to be a well-rounded and interesting view of a topic which I previously had no knowledge of. If you're interested in college athletics I would highly recommend this book.
