Court Justice by Ed O’Bannon with Michael McCann

COURT JUSTICE by Ed O’Bannon with Michael McCann is subtitled “The Inside Story of My Battle Against the NCAA.” In this non-fiction work, O’Bannon describes his decision to participate in a class action suit and seek compensation for the use of his image after seeing himself and his UCLA teammates portrayed in a video game.  I know that this book, which is written in a simple conversational tone, will interest those students who are passionate about paying student athletes and protecting their rights. For me, COURT JUSTICE is a unique twist on that issue and an appealing read as it details O’Bannon’s efforts to stand on principle and fight for fairness for college athletes. He also includes a section with a dozen recommendations and ideas for reform. In this season of the Olympics and its own rather distorted view of “amateurism,” it seems especially appropriate to spend some time reading and reflecting on COURT JUSTICE.   

Billion Dollar Ball by Gilbert M. Gaul

Billion Dollar Ball is full of amusing anecdotes and some surprising, even scary, statistics.  Author Gaul describes the growth and excesses of college football in this non-fiction work based on hundreds of interviews with athletic directors, university presidents, coaches, and many more. For example, do you know the highest paid public employee in many states? Yes, the head football coach at the state’s major college. Another example is the number of season tickets newly available (40) in 2013 at the University of Alabama vs. the list of fans (26,000) waiting for tickets.

Billion Dollar Ball will be of interest both as an entertaining and informative read for Sophomore non-fiction assignments and as a supplement for any Junior Theme students who are researching the money and media involved with big time sports culture in America.  Seniors, too, will find it of interest as they contemplate their own college choices, NCAA regulations and programs at Division I schools. Gaul is a Pulitzer Prize winning author and clearly brings his expertise and investigative reporting skills to Billion Dollar Ball, a fascinating tale.