The System

The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football

By: Jeff Benedict, Armen Keteyian

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

AN EXPLOSIVE AND REVELATORY PORTRAIT REPORTED FROM DEEP BEHIND THE SCENES OF BIG-TIME NCAA COLLEGE FOOTBALL: THE PASSION, THE THRILLING ACTION—AND THE SHOCKING REALITIES THAT LIE BENEATH THIS COLOSSAL, MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR BUSINESS

College football has never been more popular - or more chaotic. Millions fill 100,000-seat stadiums every Saturday; tens of millions more watch on television every weekend. The 2013 Discover BCS National Championship game between Notre Dame and Alabama had a viewership of 26.4 million people, second only to the Super Bowl. Billions of dollars from television deals now flow into the game; the average budget for a top-ten team is $80 million; top coaches make more than $3 million a year; the highest paid, more than $5 million.

But behind this glittering success are darker truths: “athlete-students” working essentially full-time jobs with no share in the oceans of money; players who often don’t graduate and end their careers with broken bodies; “janitors” who clean up player misconduct; football “hostesses” willing to do whatever it takes to land a top recruit; seven-figure black box recruiting slush funds. And this: Despite the millions of dollars pouring into the game, 90 percent of major athletic departments still lose money. Yet schools remain caught up in an ever-escalating “arms race” - at the expense of academic scholarships, facilities and faculty.

Celebrated investigative journalists Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian were granted unprecedented access during the 2012 season to programs at the highest levels across the country at a time of convulsive change in college football. Through dogged reporting, they explored every nook and cranny of this high-powered machine, and reveal how it operates from the inside out. The result: the system through the eyes of athletic directors and coaches, high-flying boosters and high-profile TV stars, five-star recruits and tireless NCAA investigators and the kids on whom the whole vast enterprise depends.

Both a celebration of the power and pageantry of NCAA football and a groundbreaking, thought-provoking critique of its excesses, The System is the definitive book on the college game.

©2013 Jeff Benedict, Armen Keteyian (P)2013 Random House

YES!!! If you follow college football

What did you love best about The System?

The System is must read for anyone with more than a passing interest in college football. Each chapter takes a specific element of the college football game (coach, recruitment, crimes committed by athletes, NCAA investigations, boosters...) and explores the topics in detail through the use of factual stories. These stories best exemplify the moral corruption within the system of college athletics and are great listening material. The listener almost forgets this is an audio book, instead The System seems like a highly detailed/smart sport radio program (without commercials). What listeners can expect is an inside/outside education about what really happens in big time college football programs. Some avid college football fans may find the book obvious as the topics have all been previously explored by 60-Minutes and ESPN. If you are an avid college football fan and know what a "Hostess" relative to recruiting college athletes, you probably know 90% of the information in The System.My only criticism of The System is the organization of the chapters. The book does lead of an over aching point. The listener is exposed to one theme of college football at a time until the books simply ends.

Excellent

If you are a college football fan, this book is for you. Good stories, the good, the bad and the ugly. I was especially interested in the Billl Moos section, as I am a huge Husker fan, it really shows you how quality administrators and coaches make a difference.

Really good book

Really good book. Definitely was sad to finish it but at the same time it makes watching NCAA football that much harder now.

Best book I have read all year (Gladwell fan)

Would you listen to The System again? Why?

Absolutely, excellent journalism. Well cited. Both interesting and objective.

What other book might you compare The System to and why?

Think NY Times journalism with a Malcolm Gladwell tone. You can't often find books having to do with football that are not focused on inspiring or condemning. It has a fair and in depth look for something I knew little about.

Which scene was your favorite?

I thought everything with Mike Leech as very solid.

Excellent!

What did you like best about this story?

The authors went out of their way to put together a true look at college football; from tutors working with athletes, janitors, athletic directors, coaches, boosters, and the players themselves. I've been a lifelong football fan and so I am familiar with some of the scandals that are mentioned but they fill in the gaps left in the media coverage. The narrator does a wonderful job and the book never feels tedious. I find myself sometimes staying in my car longer so that I can finish a chapter before I go inside work or home. Not many audio books can get me to do that.

Great read for the college football fan

As an avid college football fan, I loved this book. Yes there are some disturbing parts in the book such as sex scandals but the title is "Glory and Scandal" which should imply there will be disturbing content. The authors center most of the book around a handful of programs nationally, but have done a good job in gathering info from each. I enjoyed how they illustrate progression of Mike Leach to each program that he coaches and points out each of the issues he faces at each program. Very well done.

WOW

My brother in law was the sports information director for the University of Utah for 30 years.
I found this book to go along with many of the things he would say about the football team and coaches he has known. This is a great read and not all of it is negative towards collage football. I felt Jeff was very even handed with the collage teams.
If you enjoy collage sports this book is for you.

Thorough account of present-day College Football

Where does The System rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is in the top 10%.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The System?

Mike Leach is a great character and they do a good job tying him in throughout.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes, but impossible bc of 17 hours of content.

An inside guide to the college football machine

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it provides an intimate look at many sides of college football. It hits on the highlights and lowlights, while striving to explain college football as objectively as possible.

What does Mark Deakins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice is strong and he brings a sort of energy to a high-energy and high-emotion topic.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no...it's too long.

Any additional comments?

I thought this book was going to delve into and highlight more scandal than anything, but that was not the case. It did discuss scandals, and went in depth, but that was not the overall focus of the book. This book wants the reader to understand the big picture of what goes into college football, and acknowledges that scandals of all sort (recruiting, sexual, criminal, coaching abuses, boosters, ect...) are a part of that. It does not try and fix this or offer ways of avoiding these issues, but rather accepts it as the dirty underbelly of a business that creates a silly amount of money. The authors also highlight the positives stories with regard to players coming from nowhere and discusses how many coaches are looking out for the best interests of the players in many occasions (although not all). The book is presented in such a fashion as to keep the reader (listener) interested.

You must be a sports fan to enjoy this book

When I bought this book I expect the author to present a thesis, and then build his case through stories and evidence. I expected something great. This book was really just a compilation of interesting football stories, it wasn't building a case to prove a point. With that said, as a huge football fan I really enjoyed most of the stories. It was very well written, and well researched, and the stories were not the usual football stories. I was just let down by the randomness of the book.

If you are a big fan of college football you will enjoy this book. If you are not much of a sports fan, especially college football, this book will not really draw you in.