We Want Bama

A lively chronicle of how the 2020 Crimson Tide became Nick Saban’s “ultimate team.”

• "Joseph Goodman’s WE WANT 'BAMA is a book about sports, sure. But it is far more than that. It is a stunningly stylish take on psychology and success, a free-wheeling but deeply reported look at the culture — some might say the neuroses — that makes phenomena like the University of Alabama possible. This is a sports book, sure. But not like the others you’ve read."
  John Archibald, Pulitzer prize-winning columnist, The Birmingham News
• "Alabama football might be a larger unifying force than Jesus in some parts of the south. For three hours on a Saturday the state stops spinning. Joseph flawlessly dissects the people and the catalysts for this phenomenon and flawlessly walks us through the one thing that unifies every fall in Alabama. Win or lose, football is religion. On Sundays we pray to Jesus, on Saturdays it's Nick Saban."
  Roy Wood Jr., The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
• "Joe Goodman, Alabama man, sports fan, and one hell of a writer, takes the reader along on a deep dive into the fascinating, complex, and wildly passionate pool of crazy that is Alabama Crimson Tide football."
  Dave Barry, Pulitzer Prize–winning humor writer
• "Joseph Goodman on Alabama's best season ever—and all that went with it—is exactly what I'd expect from him. It's smart, it's funny, and it's a bit out there. If you're an Alabama fan, a college football fan, or someone who wants to enjoy an unconventional approach to a sports book, you'll love this."
  Pat Forde, National College Football columnist for Sports Illustrated
• "Covering Alabama Football over the years, you discover early on the importance of ‘team’ to Nick Saban. In a year filled with so much strife, seeing the 2020 Crimson Tide come together to win in the most unpredictable of seasons inspired so many Alabama faithful. Goodman’s focus on the significance of togetherness through adversity is something that can ring true for us all."
  Laura Rutledge, ESPN/SEC Network Host & Reporter
• "WE WANT 'BAMA isn’t just a story about a great college football team—this is also Joe Goodman’s love song to the state of Alabama: its flaws, its charms, and its wonders. With an unflinching, biting, and humorous style, Goodman shares the economic, political, social, and historical factors that converged for the Crimson Tide to thrive through an unforgiving and unforgettable 2020 season. A must-read for every college football fan—but especially Alabama lovers and haters—who wants to understand what’s required for excellence."
  Michael Lee, The Washington Post
• "OMG. Read this book. Now. Joseph Goodman’s fever dream about our great and terrible state recalls Hunter S. Thompson, Charles P. Pierce, and W.J. Cash on a good day, which is to say, Game Day."
  Diane McWhorter, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of CARRY ME HOME: Birmingham, Alabama—The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution
• "If David Foster Wallace was from red clay country and liked football instead of tennis, he might have approached Goodman’s gonzo-lashed prose. An outstanding work of sports journalism that far transcends mere sports. Roll Tide."
  Kirkus (starred review)