***WTR provides reviews of books I’ve recently read – some titles were provided free of charge, some were not. All opinions, though, are my own.***
New York Times bestselling author Jeff Pearlman’s latest book, The Last Folk Hero: The and Myth of Bo Jackson, ends with his asking current Auburn University students whether they recognize this 90’s sports icon. I began my reading of Pearlman’s book by asking my teens the same question.
My three oldest kids recognized Bo Jackson but immediately (and predictably) took to Google to look into why their old man might be so geeked up about an old professional football and baseball player. Jackson, their search revealed is, after all, a career .250 hitter and rushed for less than 3,000 total yards in his brief NFL career.
That, I guess, is the where, as Pearlman calls it, the “mythology” of Bo Jackson comes in. The stories of Bo Jackson’s transcendent, God-given abilities are where I begin to share some folklore with my otherwise previously ignorance teenagers.
The Last Folk Hero vs. Bo Knows Bo
Prior to Pearlman’s book, much has been written about Bo Jackson.
Jackson was a fascinating study of God-given athleticism, an advertiser’s dream, and harbored an “I don’t give a sh*t” personality unbecoming to interviews. Bo Knows Bo, an autobiography co-written with the renowned Dick Schaap has served as the bedrock of literature on the topic of America’s most prolific two-sports star.
So, why did Jeff Pearlman feel compelled to further dig into the former Kansas City Royal and Los Angeles Raider great? Well, memories (even Jackson’s) can cloud facts and leave colorful details out altogether.
I asked Pearlman that question during our interview:
The non-Sports Folklore of Bo Jackson
Books about athletes often are made for the uber sports nerd – complete with box scores, insider jargon, and far too much game-to-game (or season-to-season) detail for the average fan.
While providing an in-depth look at Jackson’s careers on the gridiron and ball field, The Last Folk Hero spends as much time off the field as on. I loved the balance.
Jackson’s upbringing, teammate relationships (or lack of), fatherhood, and post-career endeavors were as interesting to learn about in the book. The book strikes a perfect balance of on and off the field details for both the sports nerd or average fan.
The Sports Folklore of Bo Jackson
I remember Bo Jackson’s Sports Center worthy highlights or his character’s domination of Nintendo’s Tecmo Bowl, but I did not remember much in between. For instance, I did not previously understand why, as the #1 draft pick in the NFL, Jackson elected to play baseball for the Kansas City Royals instead of becoming the running back for the Tampa Bay Bucs of the NFL.
I was clueless to the evolution of the idea to play two professional sports simultaneously. Not only would such an endeavor require ridiculous skill, it necessitated agreement between the upper echelon of two polar opposite pro sports leagues (and owners trying to make financial gains).
I recall understanding that Jackson was injured during a long run, but did not previously grasp the gravity of the injury he sustained or its impact on both of his sports careers.
Pearlman’s book fills in the blanks – the stuff that watching Jackson run up an outfield wall, or plow through linebacker Brian Bosworth, or breaking a bat on his leg (and head) will not provide in full.
I was so excited to receive a copy of Jeff Pearlman’s The Last Folk Hero: the Myth and Life of Bo Jackson, that I initially prepared for a major post-read letdown.
It never happened.
Half way through, in fact, I sent a note to Pearlman saying that I simply could not stop reading his amazing, new book. My inflated expectations were surpassed in every regard – from the flow of the book, to the author’s voice throughout, and the unique and unquestionable research done in collecting the mythology of Bo Jackson on and off the fields of play.
I have been thinking a lot (probably too much) about “folklore” after reading The Last Folk Hero – something I might best describe as stories passed from generation to generation that provide insights into a cultural phenomenon.
Bo Jackson’s rise and fall, career and legend, his confusing combination of philanthropy and stand-offish nature, are anecdotes that are reintroduced to those of us that had forgotten about Bo Jackson in Jeff Pearlman’s new book. Parents, like me, should pass these tales along to our kids who, too often, want to anoint new “best ever” athletes after one MVP season or Sport Center worthy highlight.
So, my answer when asked by my teens: ‘Why read about a career .250 hitter and 2,000+ yard NFL rusher?’
Check out YouTube, kids. Then, read the book.
Summary
Amazon Buy Link: here
Author website: here
Cover:
