Men in Blazers Present Encyclopedia Blazertannica

May 15, 2018

Known collectively as Men in Blazers, coauthors Bennett and Davies are transplanted Brits and lifelong soccer fanatics who host their own podcasts, website, and TV program. Their enthusiasm for the beautiful game is the inspiration for this unconventional and highly entertaining A-Z guide, containing straight historical and informational entries as well as autobiographical anecdotes and often subjective tangents. Deeply ingrained elsewhere around the world, soccer has not quite achieved major league status in the United States; for the uninitiated, the game is a confusing landscape of leagues, fan cultures, and rivalries. Bennett and Davies sort it all out in this lively, welcoming guide for sports fans at the high school level and older, delineating a vibrant time line for the slow but steady growth of soccer in America in recent decades and in the process, legitimizing the game on both internal and international levels. VERDICT Whether read cover to cover or casually browsed, this mix of soccer history, personal accounts, and irresistible humor will engage and inform both new and seasoned fans, especially in time for the 2018 World Cup.--Janet Davis, Darien P.L., CT

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2018
Podcasters, proud balds, and TV pundits Rog and Davo, whose comically low-budget TV show debuted during the 2014 World Cup, have parlayed their offbeat and self-deprecating humor into a broad cult following that includes a convention (BlazerCon), a surprisingly extensive line of merchandise, and even product endorsements (BaldMart)?so why not an encyclopedia? This funny, browsable compendium expounds on in-jokes, frequent guests, personal obsessions, recurring punchlines, and occasionally even the sport of soccer. Kidding aside, soccer permeates this book, but only the uninitiated would expect straight-faced analysis. Instead, you'll find the etymology of Davo's fave exclamation joink! and discussion of players' hairstyles (from baldness deniers to mullet wearers) alongside satirical player and team profiles and entertainingly offbeat lists (e.g., the top 28 penalty-kick misses). Like a behind-the-scenes tell-all, gene-spliced with memoir, encyclopedia, lexicon, and humorous bathroom reading, the final result is funnier than a 3-3 draw featuring six own goals. Fans of the show and Americans who think the sport sounds best in a wry English accent will find this a very tasty pie, indeed.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)