Brawn for Brainiacs

The Physics of Football: Discover the Science of Bone-Crunching Hits, Soaring Field Goals, and Awesome Passes, by Timothy J. Gay

It’s that time of year again, when all thoughts turn to football.  I have never liked physics *or* football, so why would I read a book about two of my least favorite things?  Well, as much as I struggle with it, a rudimentary knowledge of physics is pretty useful, so that one’s easy.  As for football, I avoided it for most of my life - I went to a small high school that didn’t have a football team, and then went to a Division III college.  I even lived overseas for a few years where people find American-style football laughable.  But I have male family members who play and watch this sport, and can’t help but feel I might be missing something.  Maybe if I just understood it a little better, I would grow to like it!  So in addition to watching some football games, I got this book.

The author is a physicist who actually played college football, albeit at CalTech, and now works at the University of Nebraska (Go Big Red!).  His writing style is amusing and engaging - there were enough pictures, diagrams, funny quotes and anecdotes to keep me reading, so I managed to learn quite a bit about both physics and football.  He explains the West Coast Offense, goes over quickness vs. speed, the football in flight (hang time and range, the Magnus force), blocking and tackling, kicking and passing strategies, etc.  I learned things a kicker or punter can do to improve his accuracy, and how different surfaces can enhance acceleration and speed.  Maybe now I’ll be able to watch an entire game without my mind wandering.  Maybe.

Incidentally, Gay got his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago.  For an interesting take on college football, or rather, one college’s football program, I recommend this refreshing New York Times Article:  At the University of Chicago, Football and Higher Education Mix.