Title: The Playboy Interviews: They Played the Game Author: Stephen Randall, editor, (and the editors of Playb Publisher: Milwaukie Press Publish Date: 2006 Pages: 471 Genres:: Interviews, Compilation, Non-Fiction Reviewer: J. Henry

Rating:

The first book in Playboy’s interview compilation was released earlier with interviews with athletes ranging from the 1960s to as recent as last year in The Playboy Interviews: They Played the Game.

Baseball great Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron; seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong; boxing legend, and always a source of gossip, Mike Tyson; and, of course, O.J. Simpson, are amassed in this group of almost two dozen interviews.

Simpson is better known for having been acquitted in the criminal trial of his ex-wife Nicole (and her friend’s) murder in 1994 than for his Heisman trophy. Playboy Interviews provides a treat for the reader to see such a contrast in his image from being somewhat squeaky clean in 1976—when gossip centered on whether or not he was going to continue to play football with the Buffalo Bills—to 2003 when he sits for an interview (with an attorney present) as he repeatedly declares his innocence. The latter interview seems to focus more on people’s perception of O.J. as guilty rather than his proclaimed innocence. Simpson often reminds his interviewer that he is neither poor nor as hated as the media makes him out to be.

Mike Tyson’s interview is littered with profanity—the four-letter “f” word specifically—as he continues to have a defeatist attitude and loathing words towards a world that doesn’t seem to understand him. His interview is also conducted with a lawyer present as it was done right after his infamous second fight with Evander Holyfield where he ended up biting off a piece of his opponent’s ear.

An interview with Billie Jean King in 1975 presents an interesting distinction as she declares that she is not a lesbian and happily married. This takes place years prior to an angry lover outing King to the media and King denying it. King’s main goal was in attempting to create the unification of men and women in not only the sport of tennis, but in all sports. Announcing her sexual orientation as other than heterosexual makes it evident that her efforts would have been overshadowed by her recent proclamation. It would take the tennis great another 20 years to acknowledge this part of her life.

All the interviews collected are interesting reads, some tend to center more on the athletes’ personal life or recent successes and tragedies and public awareness (Hank Aaron, King, 2003 Simpson interview, and Lance Armstrong) while others pertain more to the intimacies of the games they inhabit (1976 Simpson interview, Barry Bonds, Wayne Gretzky). And some interviews contain a good mixture of both (Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter).

The one shortcoming of this collection is the lack of female athletes that Playboy may or may not have interviewed or even considered for this book. What about Olympic figure skater Katarina Witt who bared all for Playboy; surely an interview must have also taken place? Or Olympians Amy Acuff and swimmer Haley Cope Clark? Acuff and Clark are more recent names from the Athens games and do not have the legendary status of say Martina Navratilova or some of the U.S. women’s soccer team members like Mia Hamm, or even sisters Venus and Serena Williams or WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes. But the lack of interviews along with the amount of women posing for Playboy rather than being seriously interviewed is lacking and takes away from some of the strength of this book. This volume is more male dominated, especially since female sports have come a long way from not just being relegated to the Olympics every four years, but with many of the trailblazers, like Billie Jean King, who have paved a way for women to be more recognized as talented athletes on par with their male counterparts rather than just sex symbols. Perhaps when approached there’s a certain stigma with females and Playboy that just doesn’t mesh and may turn them off from doing interviews or photos.

As with their directors collection one doesn’t have to be a fan of a specific sport ,or sports in general, to enjoy these interviews. These interviews bring the reader into the politics of their game, the fulfillment of being a dominant force, and the overall exciting aspects of these athletes’ personalities that make them either revered or at least speculated about are engaging. Playboy provides another level of depth to their subjects that may have been cut from the magazine, but is now allowed to stand on its own.