Nick Greene – författare

A brilliant and entertaining deconstruction of the most popular sport in the world from the bestselling author of How to Watch Basketball Like a GeniusAfter reading this fun book, you’ll never look at soccer the same way again.In How to Watch Soccer Like a Genius, Nick Greene calls on a turf manager, an expert on color theory, and a landscape historian to understand the field itself, a paleoanthropologist to talk kicking, and an Anglican priest to explain schisms—how American football, soccer, and rugby could all develop from the field games of rowdy 19th-century British schoolboys.Greene delves deep into what defines the game, how it developed, and what happens during a match’s 90 minutes (and then some). His expert commentators include a domino toppler, a developmental neuroscientist, an art historian, a civil engineer, and more.Along the way, Greene reveals how understanding the hidden logic of the game—from the science of a perfect kick to the design of the pitch—can transform the way you watch, making every pass, play, and decision more meaningful. Whether you’re a lifelong fan or new to the sport, this is a book that deepens your appreciation of what’s happening on the field and why it matters.On the surface, soccer seems like the simplest of games: one ball, two teams, two goals, and (preferably) some grass. There’s a reason it’s the first team sport little kids learn to play. But the closer you look, the more you dig into the game’s history, the more infinitely complex and complex the picture becomes.

A brilliant, entertaining deconstruction of basketball, drawing on the expertise of board-game creators, winemakers, therapists, and more Basketball is the second-most popular sport in the world—an insanely complicated game built on a combination of athleticism, craftiness, rules, intangibles, and superstardom. However, while it’s enjoyable to watch, the real reason it works is because it’s a game of culture, art, and all the things that make us human.How to Watch Basketball Like a Genius deconstructs the sport from top to bottom and then puts it back together again, detailing its intricacies through reporting and dozens of interviews with experts. These experts, however, are a diverse group: wine critics weighing in on LeBron’s ability to delegate on the fly, magicians analyzing Kyrie Irving’s mystifying dribbling techniques, SpaceX rocket scientists breaking down Steph Curry’s deadeye three-point shooting. Every chapter treats basketball to a multi-disciplined study that adventures far beyond the lines of the court, examining key elements of the sport from some surprising and revealing angles. There’s a reason it has conquered the world, and every game is a chance to learn about pop culture, fashion, history, science, art, and anything else that bounces our way.