Bury Me in My Jersey

February 22, 2010
More than a family memoir, this debut work by McAllister, a lecturer in the English department at Temple University, reads like a feverish coming-of-age tale of a gridiron groupie known as a “Philly fanatic,” complete with endearing childhood and college flashbacks. Many devotees of the Philadelphia Eagles football team will recognize themselves in McAllister, starting with the author and his sport-obsessed father sitting in their game-day uniforms during the telecasts, comparing notes on the players and contests, and enjoying the stadium melees that caused management to install holding cells in the ball park. Although the author questions how much of his character he owes to his family or the zeal of the city, he writes that Philly fans are the greatest in the NFL, even if they sometimes get crazy. This is great reading for all who have shared a father-son kinship, football zanies, and the raw sporting soul of Philly.