Tailgate to Heaven: A British NFL Fan Tackles America
Despite a global recession, Englishman Adam Goldstein felt 2008 was the perfect time to invest in his lifelong passion. So he sold his flat and left his job and girlfriend in London for American football.

Goldstein’s goal was to achieve what no other fan of American football has accomplished: to attend one live National Football League (NFL) game at every NFL stadium during the regular season, plus those played in London and Canada. He traveled over 65,000 miles to watch forty football games in eighteen weeks and to experience and understand the phenomenal appeal of that classic American pastime, the tailgate party.

He drove from stadium to stadium, tailgate to tailgate, sometimes eight hundred miles a day, digesting everything that American football could serve up. He met players and extreme fans alike and was party to surreal pregame rituals while absorbing the rich cultural differences of each part of the country. During his football odyssey—a grueling yet rewarding quest—he compared sports traditions and fandom in the United Kingdom and the United States. In the process of football self-discovery, Goldstein often found himself embraced by NFL fans across the continent, as if he had the key that unlocked the very meaning of life.

Tailgate to Heaven is a humorous, moving, and inspiring story about how nothing closes a culture gap like love of a sport—and the camaraderie that comes with it.
"1111464489"
Tailgate to Heaven: A British NFL Fan Tackles America
Despite a global recession, Englishman Adam Goldstein felt 2008 was the perfect time to invest in his lifelong passion. So he sold his flat and left his job and girlfriend in London for American football.

Goldstein’s goal was to achieve what no other fan of American football has accomplished: to attend one live National Football League (NFL) game at every NFL stadium during the regular season, plus those played in London and Canada. He traveled over 65,000 miles to watch forty football games in eighteen weeks and to experience and understand the phenomenal appeal of that classic American pastime, the tailgate party.

He drove from stadium to stadium, tailgate to tailgate, sometimes eight hundred miles a day, digesting everything that American football could serve up. He met players and extreme fans alike and was party to surreal pregame rituals while absorbing the rich cultural differences of each part of the country. During his football odyssey—a grueling yet rewarding quest—he compared sports traditions and fandom in the United Kingdom and the United States. In the process of football self-discovery, Goldstein often found himself embraced by NFL fans across the continent, as if he had the key that unlocked the very meaning of life.

Tailgate to Heaven is a humorous, moving, and inspiring story about how nothing closes a culture gap like love of a sport—and the camaraderie that comes with it.
22.49 In Stock
Tailgate to Heaven: A British NFL Fan Tackles America

Tailgate to Heaven: A British NFL Fan Tackles America

by Adam Goldstein
Tailgate to Heaven: A British NFL Fan Tackles America

Tailgate to Heaven: A British NFL Fan Tackles America

by Adam Goldstein

eBook

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Overview

Despite a global recession, Englishman Adam Goldstein felt 2008 was the perfect time to invest in his lifelong passion. So he sold his flat and left his job and girlfriend in London for American football.

Goldstein’s goal was to achieve what no other fan of American football has accomplished: to attend one live National Football League (NFL) game at every NFL stadium during the regular season, plus those played in London and Canada. He traveled over 65,000 miles to watch forty football games in eighteen weeks and to experience and understand the phenomenal appeal of that classic American pastime, the tailgate party.

He drove from stadium to stadium, tailgate to tailgate, sometimes eight hundred miles a day, digesting everything that American football could serve up. He met players and extreme fans alike and was party to surreal pregame rituals while absorbing the rich cultural differences of each part of the country. During his football odyssey—a grueling yet rewarding quest—he compared sports traditions and fandom in the United Kingdom and the United States. In the process of football self-discovery, Goldstein often found himself embraced by NFL fans across the continent, as if he had the key that unlocked the very meaning of life.

Tailgate to Heaven is a humorous, moving, and inspiring story about how nothing closes a culture gap like love of a sport—and the camaraderie that comes with it.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781597978682
Publisher: Potomac Books Inc.
Publication date: 07/01/2012
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
File size: 3 MB

About the Author

A Chicago Bears fan since he was five, Adam Goldstein is a London-based tutor of drama, photography, and playwriting. He has written for Sport.co.uk, CrumbsForMen.com, USFootball.dk, and Tailgater Monthly magazine.

Table of Contents

Foreword Neil Reynolds ix

Foreword Karen DiEugenio xiii

Preface: My Team xv

1 Why? 1

2 From Soccer to Rugby to American Football: A Short, Personal History 17

3 The Trip's Creation 35

4 First Quarter 53

5 Second Quarter 95

6 Halftime (Bye Week) 139

7 Third Quarter: The Adam and Neal Trip 151

8 Fourth Quarter: The Adam and Steph Trip 207

9 Post Season 255

10 From Tailgatee to Tailgater and from Fan to Super Fan 275

Appendix A My Original 35-Game Schedule 285

Appendix B Stadium Ratings 291

Appendix C NFL Players Featured on Dancing with the Stars 299

Acknowledgments 301

Notes 305

Bibliography 313

Additional Resources 315

About the Author 317

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