Review: 'Fanatic: 10 Things All Sports Fans Should Do Before They Die,' by Jim Gorant

'Fanatic: 10 Things All Sports Fans Should Do Before They Die,' by Jim Gorant (Houghton Mifflin, $24)

Ask a sports-obsessed yet athletically challenged adolescent what he or she thinks would be the perfect career, and three answers typically arise: sportswriter, sports broadcaster or sports agent.

It seems like obvious deductive reasoning: I like sports; therefore, I want to work in sports.

As a former sportswriter and aforementioned adolescent growing up, I found just the opposite to be true. Being intimately involved in the carnival culture of prep, college and professional sports is one of the best ways to bring the sports 'fanatic' back to reality.

It is from that perspective that I read Sports Illustrated senior editor Jim Gorant's take on being witness in 2005-06 to 10 'must-see' events for American sports fans.

On the surface, this is prototypical sports cliche literature.

First, the idea was conceived over a meal and probably, though not mentioned, beer.

Second, Gorant created his list of 10 sports events after an argument with colleagues over the greatest sports events ever.

Third, it is a chronology (paging John Feinstein).

Fourth, it was released just in time for Father's Day.

Lastly, Gorant described his pilgrimage as a personal quest to understand two mysteries: 'my own growing need to go to these events and how my relationship to sports had changed from passionate participant to distant viewer' (aka recapturing sports religion from Amen Corner at the Masters Tournament).

And yet, this book was a pleasure to read for its familiarity and editorial decisions. With the exception of the Super Bowl and Final Four, Gorant chose events (Daytona 500, the Masters, Kentucky Derby, Wimbledon, a Chicago Cubs afternoon home game, the Ohio State-Michigan college football game, a December game at Green Bay's Lambeau Field and Opening Day at Boston's Fenway Park) with strong ties to the communities where they take place.

It is the micro arena of neighborhood fanaticism that defines sports culture, and it is in this arena where 'Fanatic' shines.

Focusing as little as possible on results and more on the personalities and festivities surrounding these events, Gorant brings anecdotes from extremism (deciding whether to pay 10 percent of your salary on a Super Bowl ticket) to territorialism (families split apart by the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry).

It's laudable (though some might say idiotic) for Gorant to imitate the style of one of the greatest sports novels of all time, Dan Jenkins' 1991 classic 'You Gotta Play Hurt.' Jenkins has two major advantages over Gorant: He is a much better writer, and his book is an embellished work of fiction with all of the sex and alcohol that made being a sportswriter appear almost glamorous.

'Fanatic' is forgettable in the landscape of sports books. From my experience as a sportswriter, though, Gorant's journey is the ultimate metaphor to the games on the field. Whether it's watching the Daytona 500 from the infield or thawing out after a Green Bay Packers' victory, game results become a small, if not extinguished, memory.

After reading Gorant's memoir, I am not the least bit jealous of him witnessing the games. I probably saw most of them on television, anyway. As a recovering sportswriter, I am nostalgic about the seemingly endless pregames and postgames that Gorant chronicles. It is between games where sports debates rage, memories become cemented and fanatics lose touch with reality.