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It’s Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness
Top of the pile
92
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
88/100Critics
96/100Scholars
Author:
Seth Wickersham
Publisher:
Liveright
Date:
October 12, 2021
An ESPN reporter takes readers inside one of the NFL's most revered and reviled teams, exploring how the tense but productive relationship between star quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick builtâthen toppledâa sports dynasty.
What The Reviewers Say
Seth Wickersham, with thorough reporting and the experience of covering New England’s twists and turns, manages a noteworthy feat in It's Better to Be Feared... he humanizes Brady, Belichick and the Patriots owner Robert Kraft for outsiders in a way that can be exceedingly difficult ...This is Belichick as Walter White rather than Heisenberg, and Brady with intimate moments of self-awareness about his career and personal life. Love New England? Spygate, Deflategate and the other self-inflicted problems and toxicity within the organization were probably uglier than you thought.
... a superlative sports book full of intimate, fly-on-the-wall reporting, savvy insights and deft, page-turning writing.
... thorough and thoughtful.
Wickersham elegantly demonstrates the grander themes at work after watching them play out from the start.
