Book Review: The Ancient Eight by John Feinstein

Look, I really wanted to like this book. Really, REALLY wanted to like this book.

Not only am I a fan of Ivy League football who used to love taking the subway up to Columbia games a couple of times a year.

Not only was I a fan of the late John Feinstein's football books Next Man Up and A Civil War.

But also, it's a book about smart kids playing football in front of small crowds! For the love of the game! For the honor of your school! All the stuff I live for!

I really wanted to like this book...but I didn't. There was nothing in here about what made playing in the Ivy League special - you might as well have been writing about the Lehigh Valley Conference. There wasn't anything in here about what it takes to be dedicated enough at football to play at the Division 1 level AND be smart enough to go to a top college that doesn't offer athletic scholarships. Nothing about these teams and this league, one of the most impactful in college football, stood out. Instead, this book reads more like a mishmash of box scores pieced together to see if a narrative will develop through osmosis.

To make things more personal, Feinstein follows several players and coaches throughout the season. Or, I should say, follows several players and coaches ON EACH TEAM throughout the season. Look, following a season in Next Man Up worked great because it was Brian Billick and a bunch of famous players, and following a season in A Civil War worked because it was just a few players between Army and Navy. But in this book, there were so many people across these eight schools that I had no idea page to page who anyone was and what team they played for. Way too many people to keep straight.

Not that Feinstein didn't try repetition. In fact, if one were of the mind to play a drinking game (while reading - whoa!), one could get quite a bit slobberknockered by drinking every time Feinstein repeats the exact same quote at different points in a chapter. Who was his copy editor, Mr. Short Term Memory?

Now look, as mentioned above, Feinstein unfortunately passed away recently. This is a pretty recent book - it covers the 2023 season. On the surface, the word that comes to me is "lazy"; however, I do wonder if maybe the shortcomings in the writing are due to his decline.

Overall, I really can't recommend this one - five out of ten hot dogs.