I became a fan of Seth Wickersham’s sports writing after reading his definitive book on the New England Patriots dynasty, It’s Better to Be Feared. My attention span wasn’t the best during the COVID times, but I simply could not put that book down when it came out in 2021. I’ll bet I read all 528 pages in two or three sittings. So, of course, I was excited when Wickersham announced American Kings, an in-depth exploration into the world of the quarterback. The book is the result of years of interviews Wickersham conducted specifically for this book, as well as decades of talking with and befriending historical icons and up-and-comers. 
As the title gives away, Wickersham views the quarterback as holding a unique kind of gilded celebrity and status in America. QB is a difficult and almost mystical position in sports. He is a field general, coach, press secretary, homecoming king, snake-oil salesman, egomaniac, and lunatic.
To try and understand what makes a quarterback great, Wickersham interviews decades’ worth of QBs and their families, from Y.A. Tittle to Arch Manning. He identifies several categories of things that quarterbacks seem to have in common: quick processing, leadership, extreme confidence, selfishness, total focus, and obsession.
As you can see from the list, these aren’t all qualities that are widely considered to be healthy or even desirable in “real” life. Perhaps that is why so many quarterbacks struggle in the “real” world and after retirement. When the thing that defines you is gone, and what made you successful is now poisonous, what do you do?
Wickersham does not sugarcoat the cost of becoming an icon. Specifically, he highlights the cost of football to the families of QB Bob Waterfield and actress Jane Russell. Waterfield and Russell were one of the first L.A. “it” couples that combined sports and Hollywood. Waterfield had a drinking problem, leading his children to ask his parents NOT to get back together when they considered remarriage. Wickersham also talks to Joe Namath, John Elway, and others who developed drinking problems and struggled with marriage. And Tom Brady, whose life has changed considerably since Wickersham’s 2021 book.
And what about those who never make icon status? He talks about how rough it is on QBs like Matt Ryan, who was good but never quite great. And the pressures on thousands of young players who are going through the QB-industrial-complex of personal coaches, camps, Elite 11, etc. This kind of attention “is a breeding ground for entitled young men who expect the world to revolve around them.” Wickersham observes. A long-time Elite 11 veteran puts it more bluntly: The complex is creating a collection of “little a**holes.”
After looking at decades of quarterbacks, Wickersham and I were both unable to figure out what makes some exit the game gracefully. Some have religion, some have family, some have new careers. But plenty of quarterbacks have those things and fail. So what’s the difference? I don’t know.
This book was enjoyable, but I do wish it were a little longer. It’s about 100 pages shorter than Wickersham’s previous book, and I think going a little deeper on existing subjects or adding a couple of new topics would have made this the read of the year for me. Still, I recommend this book for any football fan, or anyone interested in the relationship of obsession and greatness (think Whiplash).
I received a digital copy of Quarterback from Hyperion Avenue for review consideration via NetGalley. This review and the opinions in it are my own. Also, I never played quarterback.
This book is taking the CULTURE spot on my bingo card because it’s about the spot in American culture of football. (Go, me!)