On This Day – 12th September
One of my favourite books was published on this day back in 1992. ‘Fever Pitch’ is a book written by Nick Hornby about his obsession with Arsenal Football Club and how this affects his life and relationships.
I can totally understand the obsessive side of his football supporting life. I am very much the same. Although I support two clubs (Aldershot Town and Arsenal), football has often been more important to me when other things should get my attention.
Hornby’s dedication to Arsenal is much more intense than mine though. In Fever Pitch, he writes frankly about how he has struggled with maintaining relationships and meaningful relationships with his friends and family, purely because he was pre-occupied with worrying about Arsenal.
A film based around the book was released in 1997 and starred Colin Firth, who had never been to a football match in his life! He played the part of Nick Hornby’s character very convincingly and the film is in my top ten films of all-time.
An American alternative was brought out in 2005 called ‘The Perfect Catch’ and was written about a baseball fan who, like Hornby, has a dangerous obsession with a sport.
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