It's Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness - Seth Wickersham

It's Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness

By Seth Wickersham

  • Release Date: 2021-10-12
  • Genre: Football
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 190 Ratings

Description

NOW WITH A NEW EPILOGUE ON THE 2021 SEASON AND TOM BRADY’S BRIEF RETIREMENT
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED • NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR
National Sports Media Association • Book of the Year
Kirkus Reviews • Best Nonfiction of the Year

“Seth Wickersham has managed to do the impossible: he has pulled off the definitive document of the Belichick/Brady dynasty.”
—Bill Simmons, The Ringer

The explosive, long-awaited account of the making of the greatest dynasty in football history—from the acclaimed ESPN reporter who has been there from the very beginning.

Over two unbelievable decades, the New England Patriots were not only the NFL’s most dominant team, but also—and by far—the most secretive. How did they achieve and sustain greatness—and what were the costs?

In It's Better to Be Feared, Seth Wickersham, one of the country’s finest long form and investigative sportswriters, tells the full, behind-the-scenes story of the Patriots, capturing the brilliance, ambition, and vanity that powered and ultimately unraveled them. Based on hundreds of interviews conducted since 2001, Wickersham’s chronicle is packed with revelations, taking us deep into Bill Belichick’s tactical ingenuity and Tom Brady’s unique mentality while also reporting on their divergent paths in 2020, including Brady’s run to the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Raucous, unvarnished, and definitive, It’s Better to Be Feared is an instant classic of American sportswriting in the tradition of Michael Lewis, David Maraniss, and David Halberstam.

Reviews

  • Enjoyed except the political opinion parts

    4
    By dbloom1066
    Well written and researched, just wish journalists would leave out their personal opinions on social and political issues since they include them as if they were facts versus their perspective.
  • Too long

    2
    By tlr 59
    The book seemed to go on and on. The author also injected his personal political beliefs numerous times. There were interesting tidbits about Brady that I hadn’t ready before. But overall I can’t recommend.
  • Disappointed

    2
    By AAPL Freak
    Clearly the author wanted to make sure their political views were clear. Was hoping for more of a story about the football team, not the author’s take on all the things wrong with the country. I felt like an Op Ed. The lack of real insight or anything new was also sad. Most of what is in this is pretty well known. Save your time and pass on this.
  • Cheating organization exposed some

    4
    By ericinsures
    Good book on Brady. Wanted more of the cheating schemes from patriots and belicheck. At least someone exposed the ruthless tactics employed by this organization