Much More Than A Game

Rather than simply recounting, play by play, the 1968 Yale and Harvard football seasons, the author uses the Game as a platform to discuss the major changes that hit American society and the Ivy League in the late 1960s. Football lovers may complain that the actual games don’t get enough coverage, but I found the detours into the change in admissions policies, arrival of co-education, florescence of the SDS movement, early hints of the women’s movement, and impact of the Vietnam war to be the highlights of the book. I matriculated at Yale in 1972 and the description of campus life seems very accurate to me, although much had changed even between 1968 and 1972.

The social and political currents discussed in the book are well-illustrated by specific details of the lives and background of the players. A detailed epilogue describing the later lives of the players sets the entire story in a broader context. Very well researched and entertainingly recounted! ( )

I will admit it. I enjoy a good sports story. It has its heroes. There are successes and failures, and time is always a major player in how the story comes out. I will say that Ivy League football would not have been my first choice, but it wasn't hard for me to grasp the importance and tradition of the annual Harvard-Yale contest. Colt does a great job of introducing you to the stars and the major contributors in a way that makes the story better, rather than getting in its way. Likewise, he does not take you through the season in a plodding, game by game approach, but rather touches down in detail or lightly where it makes sense. Regardless, the build-up to the final game of the season is well-done.

What made this story so intriguing though was the time period, the late 60's and everything it brought--the clash of culture changes, the Vietnam War, the passions of college students--all brought together on college campuses. But then there are the traditions of the Harvard and Yale college campuses and how they react and respond to the rapid changes. Perhaps most interesting, however, was the involvement of some of the players in the campus movements and protests, how it affected the outlook on their college and post-college careers and in some cases how it affected their football careers. Although I was too late to the game, I have always intrigued by everything embodied by the 60's. This book was a very enjoyable in-depth, albeit limited-scope experience of that time. ( )

THE GAME, by George Howe Colt, is the build up, the playing, and the aftermath of the 1968 college football match between Harvard and Yale. With it's storied rivalry, proud alumni, and tumultuous societal times, this game was impactful on so many levels. It was about David versus Goliath, war versus peace, a group of young individuals unifying into a whole, and just a great time in history to play a truly great game. The game still resonates with many of the players an spectators today, 50 years after the game, which is a testament to what a special moment the game really was.
Colt spends more than the first half of the book setting the scene. He describes many of the players and coaches on both sides and portrays the time on Harvard and Yale's campuses along with the countries sentiments as well. While a goo bit of that was quite compelling to read about, the defining of the political times I felt kind of went down a rabbit hole of war and anti-war activism more than necessary for this kind of book. Colt also walks the reader through the season Yale and Harvard have in 1968 leading up to the their game against each other. As with any college football team, there are waves of good and bad occurrences throughout the season and Colt does a good job riding those waves in the book. I did find myself yearning to get to the game already at times, but once the games begins in the book, it gets good and only gets better and better right up until the end.
Extremely enlightening to read about Harvard versus Yale in 1968 and the world around it, THE GAME will be enjoyed certainly by any college football fan, but I think it's historical significance carries a larger weight the can connect to people of any age.
Thank you to Scribner, George Howe Colt, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! ( )