Inside the Meat Grinder: An NFL Official's Life in the Trenches

by Chad Brown and Alan Eisenstock

Book Overview

From penalties to personalities, an NFL player-turned-umpire, with experience in eight seasons, takes a raw look at football from the trenches, commenting on controversial calls, dirty tricks,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312976534
• ISBN13: 9780312976538
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.3" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Telling it the way it is

Chad Brown brings the life of an NFL official into light. He talks about growing up playing football in the streets to shuffling colleges, waiting to hear his name called out in the NFL draft. Chad is eventually cut and tried a short stint in coaching, but finds his home in officiating. As a young official I find this book very inspirational. Very good and quick read, includes a neat view of walking onto the field on of an NFL stadium on Sunday afternoon.

No Non-sense

This book strongly shows the characteristics of a middle class African American male, who gradually becomes independant. He shatters his limited resources and boudarnies, to succeed to his current, highly profound profession of today. Mr. Brown is a role model. He reaches back into his heritage, shatters the racial and prejudice stereotypes of African Amercans, to obtain, one of the few, NFL offical positions. Mr. Brown, subtly, shows the population that anyone may succeed, no matter what color of the skin, but as long as one tries hard, and put forth his or her best effort. As a active reader, I found Inside the Meater Grinder too be quite humerous. I, as an African American activist, I strongly feel that the Black Community should be proud of Chad Brown for his successfulness in life, which is described in this novel. He describes how a determined African American male in a white dominant world, has maintained his ability as an Excellent offical and racial queries. Congrulations, Chad Brown. Keep of the good work, your people are proud. You go Chad!

How the NFL is Won

Mr. Brown's book is very insightful and gives a hint of understanding to someone who knows very little about the perplexing game of football. I found this book quite humorist after reading this fast-pace novel about Mr. Brown's early childhood and his experiences as a NFL player. When looking at the games with my husband, he has made some of the same comments about coaches and players that Chad Brown acknowledges in his book. The coachs complain and make excuses for loosing a game and blame the loss on the officials. I can only imagine the pressure these men must feel while trying to call the game correctly and follow the guidelines of the NFL.From my experiences, I have noted that the majority of authors compose a book about a topic in which they have little or no background in. To the contrary, Mr. Brown, in my opinion, has written an amazing book about his experiences, both on and off the football field. After reading this book, Mr. Brown has done an excellent job on changing my perspective about football by writing a humerous insight on "Inside the Meat Grinder." :)

ON THE FIELD FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

I enjoyed this book because it gave me (a woman) a different view of the game. I was unaware of the time officials are away from their families and the preparation involved with being a football official. It was also informative to know of the many "conversations" that take place between the players and the players and officials.I particularly enjoyed the round table discussion which included one of the great officials of our time Mr. Red Cashion. I believe Mr. Brown and Mr. Eisenstock have done an exceptional job of enlightening its readers on events that go unoticed in the NFL.

Interesting look at a part of the game we take for granted.

It's refreshing to read a book about professional sports where the love of the game is the central focus, not dollars and cents. After all the harping about bad officiating, Inside the Meatgrinder clarifies what NFL officials go through to get to that level, and what they have to do to stay there. Most of us wouldn't keep our jobs under this type of scrutiny and review.Although I try to focus on what's happening all over the field when I watch a football game, my attention is inevitably drawn to the ball. As an umpire, right in the middle of the most violent interior line action, Chad Brown explains what goes on in the "meatgrinder". This is a very readable book, an excellent way to start the football season. It's smart, witty, and leaves you rooting for the guys in striped shirts.