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150 years of college football

Kai Ryssdal Aug 19, 2014
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150 years of college football

Kai Ryssdal Aug 19, 2014
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Even if you aren’t much of a football fan, you have to admit that there’s something special about a Saturday afternoon and college football. Maybe it’s the whole excuse-for-quality time-on-the-couch thing, or maybe it comes down to the pizza and chicken wings. But, there’s definitely something about the excitement of it all that makes millions of Americans look forward to it every week.

“No other nation in the world can even fathom the notion of attaching a prominent moneymaking athletic operation to a university,” says Michael Weinreb, author of “Season of Saturdays: A History of College Football in 14 Games“. “The fact that college football has existed for nearly 150 years, and the fact that it remains one of the most popular sports in America, must say something about who we are.”

Weinreb says college football represents America’s evolution politically and culturally, from race to economic status.

“Everything we argue about in America is essentially in there in the mix in college football,” says Weinreb.

Listen to the full conversation in the audio player above.

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