Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) -
Anyone who has watched a professional sport for a length of time begins to understand the rules and if they continue, they begin to see that there are another set of unwritten rules that exist beyond the ones written down and enforced by the league. These rules, sometimes known as The Code, are enforced by the players themselves, sometimes in conjunction with coaches and even the officials working the games.
Ross Bernstein has done a tremendous job in researching the unwritten rules in professional sports. I have recently finishedThe Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Intimidation in the NHL, which discusses the tradition of both respect and of fighting in professional hockey. The book is well researched and well written, with quotes from several people who played or were otherwise involved in the game over the years.
The book also delves into how the written rules have changed over time, and how the unwritten rules have evolved to keep pace. It discusses how the players enforce these traditions even to the point where sometimes players are taken to task by their own teammates.
In my opinion, the book's flaw although some may consider it to be its strength is that it makes no pretense at being an objective study. The author obviously endorses the concept that team enforcers perform a vital service to the game, and that attempts to wipe out fighting are misguided. He makes the case that rules put in place to move away from the bench-clearing brawls of the 1970s' Broad Street Bullies have in fact hurt the game while never denying that SOME sort of rules needed to be put in place to prevent those 18-on-18 fiasco's. While suggesting that certain rules be repealed because of unforeseen consequences, Mr. Bernstein does not take things a step further and suggest how the rules SHOULD be changed to fix what he perceives are problems without bringing back the undesirable aspects that the rules DID eliminate.
This is a good read. There aren't a lot of books about sports that cause the reader to think, and while I only agree with some of the authors' points, he does make them in a clear and concise fashion. I'm looking forward to reading the baseball version of The Code that is already on my To Be Read pile.
RATING: 4 stars.
Ross Bernstein has done a tremendous job in researching the unwritten rules in professional sports. I have recently finishedThe Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Intimidation in the NHL, which discusses the tradition of both respect and of fighting in professional hockey. The book is well researched and well written, with quotes from several people who played or were otherwise involved in the game over the years.
The book also delves into how the written rules have changed over time, and how the unwritten rules have evolved to keep pace. It discusses how the players enforce these traditions even to the point where sometimes players are taken to task by their own teammates.
In my opinion, the book's flaw although some may consider it to be its strength is that it makes no pretense at being an objective study. The author obviously endorses the concept that team enforcers perform a vital service to the game, and that attempts to wipe out fighting are misguided. He makes the case that rules put in place to move away from the bench-clearing brawls of the 1970s' Broad Street Bullies have in fact hurt the game while never denying that SOME sort of rules needed to be put in place to prevent those 18-on-18 fiasco's. While suggesting that certain rules be repealed because of unforeseen consequences, Mr. Bernstein does not take things a step further and suggest how the rules SHOULD be changed to fix what he perceives are problems without bringing back the undesirable aspects that the rules DID eliminate.
This is a good read. There aren't a lot of books about sports that cause the reader to think, and while I only agree with some of the authors' points, he does make them in a clear and concise fashion. I'm looking forward to reading the baseball version of The Code that is already on my To Be Read pile.
RATING: 4 stars.
