The ancient eight College football's Ivy League and the game they play today

Sportswriter Feinstein (Feherty) fumbles this granular deep dive into the 2023--2024 Ivy League football season. Though he gives space to each of the league's eight teams, the Dartmouth College Big Green stand out as the unofficial protagonists. They started the season reeling from the recent deaths of offensive lineman Josh Balara from cancer, and longtime coach Buddy Teevens from injuries sustained in a car accident. Feinstein describes how acting coach Sam McCorkle rallied the grieving team to a 5--2 season, tying for first in the league. Unfortunately, Feinstein struggles to spin a gripping story from the other teams' seasons, offering tedious background on facility updates and personnel changes. The vivid character portraits found in Feinstein's best work are absent here, replaced by superficial sketches of unmemorable athletes. The bulk of the book is devoted to lengthy play-by-plays, giving it the feel of a series of game recaps in search of a narrative ("After forcing Yale to punt to start the game, the Crimson moved to the Yale 45 with a first down. But the Yale defense stopped quarterback Jaden Craig on a fourth-and-three at the 38 and the Bulldogs took over on the 37"). It's a rare misstep from a generally reliable talent. Agent: Andrew Blauner, Blauner Books. (Nov.)

A prolific sportswriter chronicles an Ivy League football season shadowed by tragedy. Feinstein's 50th book is frequently upbeat, lauding the conference's rich heritage, standout players, and academic standards. But his account of the 2023 campaign, based on interviews with more than 80 players and coaches from all eight teams, begins with the league in mourning. Dartmouth's longtime coach Buddy Teevens was bicycling when a truck hit him in March 2023. He died from his injuries on Sept. 19 of that year, days before Dartmouth's home opener. Teevens' death was especially hard on another Ivy coach, Harvard's Tim Murphy. They "had been best friends ever since" Little League, writes Feinstein, recounting Murphy's sorrowful visits to his hospitalized friend's bedside. The author lauds Teevens for being one of the first college coaches to reduce the practice-session contact drills that might hasten brain injuries. But Feinstein soon shifts his focus to the league's traditional "ten games in ten weeks" schedule, which more than one player likens to a "sprint." Feinstein introduces readers to charismatic players like the aptly named Brown wide receiver Wes Rockett and Cornell quarterback Jameson Wang, former benchwarmers who developed into stars. Feinstein hails the league's commitment to classroom excellence, but aside from mentioning that spring practice is scheduled "around the players' academic schedules," he offers scant details about the football-schoolwork balance. Feinstein came to prominence withA Season on the Brink (1986), his candid portrait of a volatile college basketball coach, yet his depictions of current Ivy football coaches are conspicuously mild. He celebrates the league's longevity, noting that several schools have been playing football since the 19th century, but rightly criticizes the conference for having just "two Black head football coaches in history." An admiring, knowledgeable, occasionally superficial look at one of college football's storied leagues. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.