Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Buzz Bissinger


H. G. "Buzz" Bissinger (born 1954) is an American journalist, author, and sportswriter noted for his narrative nonfiction works examining American culture through sports and urban issues.
Bissinger gained prominence with his 1990 book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream, a New York Times bestseller that chronicled the 1988 football season in , highlighting the town's intense obsession with the sport amid broader social and economic challenges.
The work was adapted into a 2004 feature film directed by and an acclaimed television series (2006–2011), cementing its cultural impact.
Earlier in his career, while reporting for , Bissinger shared the 1987 with two colleagues for a six-part series exposing and in the municipal court system.
His other books include A Prayer for the City (1997), an account of 's decline and revival efforts under ; Three Nights in August (2005), profiling Cardinals manager ; and Father's Day (2012), a memoir about raising his son with .
Bissinger, a contributing editor at since 1996 and a teacher in the University of Pennsylvania's program, has stirred debate with his criticisms of college athletics, arguing it exploits athletes without compensation and calling for its abolition in favor of professional models.

Early life and education

Family background and upbringing

Harry Gerard Bissinger III, known as Buzz, was born on November 1, 1954, in to Eleanor Lebenthal Bissinger and Harry Gerard Bissinger II. His father, previously an advertising account executive, became president of the municipal bond firm Lebenthal & Co. from 1969 to 1986, marking a shift to within the family-connected enterprise. His mother, née Eleanor Lebenthal, hailed from the family that founded the Wall Street-based Lebenthal Fund and served as executive vice president at the firm alongside her husband. Bissinger grew up in a Jewish family in urban , with a , Ann. The household emphasized rigorous intellectual and professional standards, expecting children to pursue education and elite careers, reflective of the parents' ties and socioeconomic position. This environment, rooted in the competitive dynamics of New York finance circles, fostered early exposure to achievement-oriented values amid the city's cultural density.

Academic pursuits

Bissinger attended in , graduating in 1972. During his time there, he discovered his calling in , which laid the groundwork for his future career in reporting and writing. He then enrolled at the , earning a degree in English in 1976. His studies at Penn honed his writing skills, with early interests in sports and opinion pieces reflecting a budding passion for narrative-driven . Following his undergraduate education, Bissinger pursued advanced training through a at during the 1986–1987 academic year, an opportunity designed to elevate journalistic standards through interdisciplinary study and exposure to leading scholars.

Journalism career

Early reporting roles

Bissinger began his professional journalism career immediately after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1976, securing a reporting position at the Norfolk Ledger-Star in , following applications to 307 newspapers where he received only this offer. There, from 1976 to 1978, he worked as a rookie reporter amid the post-Watergate era's emphasis on investigative work, though his initial assignments involved general local beats and producing extended stories up to 125 inches in length, which allowed him to practice narrative techniques essential to his later style. In 1978, Bissinger transitioned to the St. Paul Pioneer Press in , where he continued building foundational reporting skills through coverage of everyday news and features during the late and into the early . This period emphasized routine journalistic tasks, such as sourcing facts and crafting engaging prose, rather than specialized investigations, providing the practical experience that sharpened his ability to observe and depict community dynamics. These early roles at regional dailies laid the groundwork for his proficiency in immersive, character-driven reporting without venturing into high-stakes exposés.

Investigative work at the Philadelphia Inquirer

Bissinger joined The Philadelphia Inquirer in the early 1980s following stints at the Ledger-Star in Norfolk, Virginia, and the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minnesota, where he honed skills in local reporting amid Philadelphia's turbulent political landscape marked by governance challenges and institutional scandals. His work at the Inquirer focused on urban accountability, immersing him in examinations of systemic failures in city institutions. In collaboration with reporters Daniel R. Biddle and Fredric N. Tulsky, Bissinger contributed to the six-part investigative series "Disorder in the Court," published in 1986, which exposed entrenched corruption, political favoritism, and private conflicts of interest permeating Philadelphia's judicial system. The series detailed how networks influenced judicial appointments, case assignments, and outcomes, enabling that undermined fair adjudication and , with examples including judges' improper dealings with attorneys and lax oversight fostering inequities in criminal and civil proceedings. Methodologically, the team relied on exhaustive document analysis, including court records and financial disclosures, alongside interviews with insiders, to trace causal links between political machines and , avoiding reliance on unverified allegations. The series earned the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting, recognizing its illumination of "transgressions of justice" in the courts. Its revelations prompted and state investigations into the implicated practices, contributing to heightened scrutiny and procedural reforms aimed at insulating judicial processes from political interference, though entrenched urban governance dynamics limited immediate overhauls. Bissinger's role underscored a commitment to causal realism in , prioritizing evidence of how individual and systemic incentives perpetuated over superficial narratives.

Magazine contributions and evolving roles

In 1996, Bissinger joined Vanity Fair as a contributing editor, marking a transition from daily newspaper reporting to long-form magazine journalism that emphasized immersive, narrative-driven profiles on diverse subjects including sports, cultural scandals, and political figures. His work for the magazine often delved into the human elements behind high-profile events, such as the 2007 piece "Gone Like the Wind," which examined the lacrosse scandal through detailed reporting on its social and institutional ramifications. Other contributions included a 2015 profile on , focusing on personal transformation amid media scrutiny, and an exposé on journalist Stephen Glass's fabrications, highlighting ethical lapses in the profession. Bissinger expanded his magazine output to outlets like The New York Times Magazine and Sports Illustrated, where he applied his investigative rigor to critiques of American sports culture, particularly the National Football League (NFL) and its associated risks. Pieces and related commentary addressed systemic issues in football, including player exploitation and the emerging evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma, drawing on autopsy data from former players to argue for reforms in youth and college levels. His 2012 advocacy for banning college football, rooted in CTE prevalence rates exceeding 90% in examined NFL retirees' brains, amplified debates on the sport's sustainability without proposing elimination of professional play. This phase reflected Bissinger's stylistic evolution toward blending first-person immersion with data-backed analysis, influencing public and policy discussions on athlete safety by prioritizing over sentimentality, as seen in his shift from local investigative beats to platforms that reached wider audiences on topics like and media accountability.

Literary works

Breakthrough with Friday Night Lights

Bissinger immersed himself in the culture of Odessa, Texas, from August 1988 through the Permian High School Panthers' football season, embedding with players, coaches, and residents to document the community's fixation on the team. This firsthand observation revealed the idolization of high school athletes, where victories defined local identity amid economic stagnation from declining oil production, while exposing intense pressures on teenagers to perform despite injuries and academic neglect. Racial dynamics played a central role, with black players facing subtle discrimination in a predominantly white town, and the team's reliance on them contrasting with segregated social attitudes. Published in 1990 by , Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream critiqued worship by illustrating how Odessa's obsession distorted priorities, prioritizing gridiron success over and , yet some analyses note Bissinger's narrative amplified flaws without fully crediting the sport's unifying aspects. The book achieved #1 New York Times bestseller status, selling over two million copies and influencing discussions on athletics. Its impact extended to adaptations, including a 2004 film directed by Peter Berg starring Billy Bob Thornton as coach Gary Gaines, which grossed $61.9 million domestically while softening some of the book's social critiques. Berg later produced the NBC/DirectTV series (2006–2011), running five seasons and earning critical acclaim for character depth, though diverging from the original 1988 storyline by fictionalizing events in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas. While praised for exposing small-town pathologies, the work drew backlash from Odessa locals who viewed its depiction of racism and dysfunction as exaggerated stereotyping of Texas culture.

Subsequent books and themes

In 1997, Bissinger published A for the City, a account of Philadelphia's economic and social decline during the early , centering on Ed Rendell's aggressive revival efforts amid fiscal crises, population exodus, and institutional decay. The book details Rendell's strategies, such as slashing budgets, imposing wage freezes, and attracting private investment, while portraying the human toll through profiles of struggling residents, including a welfare-dependent family and a factory worker facing job loss. Critics noted its empathetic yet unflinching examination of urban failure, attributing Philadelphia's woes to entrenched corruption, racial tensions, and failed federal policies rather than isolated mismanagement. Bissinger's 2005 book Three Nights in August dissects through the lens of St. Louis Cardinals manager during a pivotal three-game series against the Chicago Cubs in August 2003. Drawing on extensive access, it explores strategic decision-making—such as pitching rotations, lineup tweaks, and in-game —while revealing the emotional strains of , including player egos and performance slumps. The narrative critiques baseball's romanticized myths, emphasizing data-driven tactics over , with La Russa portrayed as a cerebral tactician navigating uncertainty in a high-stakes environment. Shifting to personal narrative, (2012) chronicles Bissinger's cross-country road trip with his twin son Zach, who suffered from oxygen deprivation at birth, resulting in intellectual disabilities and savant-like traits. Contrasting Zach's challenges with his identical twin Gerry's conventional successes, the probes parental guilt, familial divergence, and the limits of intervention, as Bissinger confronts his own and societal expectations of "normalcy." It underscores causal factors like premature birth complications over vague environmental attributions, while critiquing institutional support systems for failing to address individual realities. Bissinger's 2022 work, The Mosquito Bowl, reconstructs an impromptu football game played by U.S. Marines on Guadalcanal in December 1942, involving elite college and professional players amid the Pacific campaign's brutalities. Through archival research and biographies of 65 participants—many of whom perished in subsequent battles—the book contrasts the game's fleeting camaraderie with war's grinding attrition, disease, and command errors, challenging propagandistic narratives of unalloyed heroism. It highlights how sports provided psychological respite but masked systemic perils, including inadequate training and logistical failures. Across these works, Bissinger employs sports, urban policy, family dynamics, and as prisms for dissecting institutions' vulnerabilities, favoring granular evidence over ideological gloss and revealing patterns of overreliance on myths—whether civic , strategic , parental , or martial —that obscure causal breakdowns like economic incentives, biological imperatives, and operational realities. While praised for piercing realism, detractors have observed a recurrent , framing institutional as near-indictments of systemic rot without sufficient counterexamples of .

Collaborations and adaptations

Bissinger co-authored the memoir Shooting Stars with , published in 2009 by Gotham Books, which chronicles James's high school basketball career and the formation of his early team in , culminating in a state championship win. The collaboration leveraged Bissinger's investigative reporting style to detail themes of , , and racial dynamics in , based on James's recollections and Bissinger's interviews. Despite initial commercial success, Bissinger later characterized the project as "an epic failure" in a 2012 interview, citing James's disengagement, heavy reliance on ghostwriting, and failure to capture authentic voice amid commercial pressures. In 2017, Bissinger served as co-writer for Caitlyn Jenner's memoir The Secrets of My Life, published by , which recounts Jenner's upbringing, Olympic achievements as Bruce Jenner, family life, and gender transition process through extensive personal interviews conducted by Bissinger. The book emphasizes Jenner's internal conflicts and decision to publicly transition in 2015, with Bissinger framing the narrative around themes of authenticity and societal constraints on . Critics noted the collaboration's access to Jenner's perspective enabled raw disclosures, such as family estrangements, but questioned potential in detailing private matters for public consumption. An HBO documentary titled Buzz, directed by Andrew Shea and released in 2019, examined Bissinger's role in the project, highlighting interpersonal tensions and his reflections on embedding in Jenner's story. Bissinger contributed to adaptations of his Friday Night Lights reporting, receiving writing credits on the 2004 feature film directed by , where he consulted to maintain factual accuracy on the program's culture and 1988 season events. This cinematic version amplified the book's exploration of small-town obsession with , influencing a 2006–2011 series that expanded the narrative into serialized drama while drawing on Bissinger's original observations for authenticity. The adaptations were praised for translating immersive into visual storytelling but faced scrutiny for dramatizing real individuals' lives, prompting Bissinger to defend their fidelity against claims of exaggeration.

Awards and recognition

Pulitzer Prize and investigative honors

In 1987, H. G. "Buzz" Bissinger shared the with colleagues Daniel R. Biddle and Fredric N. Tulsky at for their six-part series "Disorder in the Court." The series documented pervasive corruption and procedural failures in the Philadelphia court system, including favoritism, bribery, and miscarriages of justice that eroded public trust in judicial integrity. The investigative work traced causal links between entrenched patronage networks and systemic breakdowns, prompting heightened oversight and calls for within Pennsylvania's , though specific indictments were not directly attributed in contemporaneous reports. Bissinger also received the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award for this coverage, recognizing its contribution to public understanding of legal processes and institutional . Earlier in his career, Bissinger earned the Livingston Award for Young Journalists for his 1982 feature "The Plane That Fell From the Sky" in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, which empirically dissected the factors behind a near-catastrophic aviation incident through rigorous analysis of flight data and human error. Additionally, he was awarded the National Headliners Award in 1983 for distinguished reporting excellence. These honors underscored Bissinger's early prowess in causal realism applied to real-world failures, distinct from narrative-driven journalism.

Literary and other accolades

Bissinger received a from for the 1986–1987 academic year, a prestigious program supporting mid-career journalists in deepening their expertise through study and reflection, which influenced his transition toward long-form narrative nonfiction. In 2013, conferred upon him an honorary degree during its commencement exercises, honoring his distinguished body of work in immersive reporting and storytelling that illuminated American social dynamics. Bissinger served as a fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Kelly Writers House in 2014, a residency supporting writers engaged in literary craft and public discourse. His 1990 book Friday Night Lights garnered sustained literary acclaim for its unflinching immersion in small-town football culture, selling over two million copies and establishing a benchmark for narrative nonfiction's capacity to reveal societal pressures without .

Personal life

Marriages and immediate family

Bissinger has been married three times. His first marriage was to Debrah Stone, followed by a second to Sarah Macdonald from 1985 to 1992. He married his third wife, Lisa C. Smith, a and producer who previously served as Assistant Vice Chancellor at NYU , on November 12, 2003. Bissinger is the father of three sons from his earlier marriages: Caleb, and fraternal twins Gerry and Zachary, born prematurely in 1983. The family includes a pet dog named Pippin. Bissinger and Smith divide their time between residences in Philadelphia and a waterfront property on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest.

Parenting challenges and personal struggles

Bissinger's identical twin sons, Gerry and , were born on August 20, 1983, thirteen and a half weeks prematurely, with weighing one pound eleven ounces and suffering oxygen deprivation for three minutes during delivery, resulting in irreversible that manifested as developmental disabilities, including borderline intellectual impairment and physical limitations akin to . In stark contrast, Gerry, born three minutes earlier, experienced no such complications and pursued a conventional path, graduating college to become a teacher. The disparity imposed immediate and enduring caregiving demands on the , with requiring specialized from infancy, including institutional placements and therapies, while Bissinger grappled with the causal realities of prematurity's uneven outcomes—survival rates for such cases hovered around 50% in the early , often with neurological sequelae. These challenges permeated Bissinger's 2012 memoir , which chronicles a cross-country with the then-28-year-old to foster connection amid Bissinger's admitted guilt over perceived neglect and preferential emotional investment in Gerry's achievements. 's savant-like for maps and geography provided moments of insight, yet the narrative underscores the empirical toll: constant medical interventions, for the child, and parental strain that Bissinger links to his own as a causal factor in family tensions. Reviews have praised the book's unflinching depiction of —Zachary's ability to navigate routines independently despite deficits—but critiqued Bissinger's self-focused reflections as occasionally exploitative, prioritizing his over unvarnished family empirics. Compounding these parental trials, Bissinger has detailed his post-Friday Night Lights descent into compulsive , amassing roughly $587,000 in luxury purchases from 2010 to 2012, which he equated to the surges of substances or , exacerbating family stress amid career-induced and identity voids. These behaviors, rooted in success's aftermath rather than mere affluence, led to a 2013 rehabilitation stint addressing broader "compulsive and dangerous" patterns, with deemed the milder issue. Recovery involved and , enabling Bissinger to reengage domestically, though he attributes the addictions' origins to unaddressed pressures that indirectly undermined consistent presence. Public disclosures, while therapeutic, have drawn scrutiny for blurring personal with familial exposure, contrasting Bissinger's defense of as essential to causal accountability over sanitized narratives.

Controversies and public image

Disclosures on sexuality and cross-dressing

In March 2013, Buzz Bissinger published the essay "My Gucci Addiction" in , disclosing a shopping compulsion that escalated from 2010 to 2012, during which he spent $587,412.97 on luxury apparel, including 81 leather jackets, 75 pairs of boots, and women's items such as stretch leather leggings and knee-high boots, which he wore without regard for traditional gender distinctions. He described elements in his wardrobe, including experiments with and makeup, though he rejected dresses and skirts as ill-fitting for his frame, framing these choices as a pursuit of androgynous self-expression inspired by rather than full . Bissinger also revealed attractions to , including two years of sessions with a following his second marriage's end in 2009, and sporadic homosexual encounters amid his place on the "complex spectrum" of sexuality, while maintaining he is and attributing diminished marital intimacy to his as a sexual substitute. These admissions, tied to his late 50s, portrayed and fluid attractions as longstanding but intensified by midlife personal turmoil, including and professional doubts. The 2019 HBO documentary Buzz, directed by Andrew Shea, extended these revelations by chronicling Bissinger's "sexual awakening" during 2017 collaboration with on her memoir The Secrets of My Life, where he revisited , leather fetishes, and through candid footage of shopping sprees, makeup trials, and reflections on his teenage-onset compulsions. emphasized parallels between Bissinger's experiences and Jenner's , positioning his fluidity—distinct from identity—as a form of authentic self-exploration amid stalled heterosexual relationships, without endorsing medical interventions. Bissinger's Jenner profile for Vanity Fair's June 2015 issue, which detailed her while highlighting her conservative political views on issues like and military service, drew mixed trans community responses: some praised its visibility for normalizing narratives, while others criticized its focus on Jenner's traditionalism as insufficiently progressive, potentially alienating advocates seeking broader ideological alignment. Public reactions to Bissinger's disclosures varied sharply. Supporters, including outlets like , lauded the essay and documentary for their raw vulnerability in defying binaries and sports-machismo , viewing his openness as a bold challenge to rigid norms. Critics, however, characterized the revelations as exhibitionistic or a indulgence, with some commentators decrying the confessional style as self-indulgent therapy masquerading as , amplifying personal insecurities over substantive insight. Others dismissed the as perverse or trivial, questioning its authenticity amid his heterosexual marriages and lack of sustained identity shift. Bissinger has maintained indifference to detractors, emphasizing over societal approval.

Criticisms of reporting style and political stances

Bissinger's immersive journalism, exemplified in works like Friday Night Lights, has drawn criticism for inherent subjectivity, as extended embedding with subjects can foster personal bonds that compromise detachment. In a 2010 retrospective interview, Bissinger acknowledged that such immersion inevitably builds relationships, leading to emotional fallout when critical portrayals emerge, potentially skewing narrative balance toward sympathy or selective emphasis. Critics of the genre broadly argue that this approach risks partiality, prioritizing experiential depth over rigorous verification, though Bissinger maintains it yields unfiltered causal insights into social dynamics. His confrontational defense of traditional has fueled detractors' views of an elitist style dismissive of . During a 2008 Costas Now segment, Bissinger lambasted bloggers for deficient , subpar writing, and , prompting accusations of reactionary gatekeeping amid newspapers' decline. Outlets like noted his persistence in scorning "glib snideness" over substantive analysis, interpreting it as resistance to evolving journalistic norms rather than principled critique. Politically, Bissinger's stances have invited charges of inconsistency, particularly his 2012 pivot from to , which liberals derided as uninformed flip-flopping amid policy disagreements on entitlements. This drew backlash from former allies, including Friday Night Lights TV creator , highlighting tensions between his self-described liberal roots and pragmatic endorsements. The 2015 Vanity Fair collaboration with Caitlyn Jenner elicited left-wing rebukes for elevating a figure viewed as politically problematic due to her affiliations and stances on issues diverging from progressive orthodoxy. Segments of the faulted Bissinger's portrayal for insensitivities, such as deadnaming references in interviews, perceiving it as insufficiently aligned with activist demands despite his intent to humanize the transition's complexities. Recent Air Mail columns, including a November 2024 piece on Pennsylvania's deluge, reveal Bissinger's exasperation with hyperbolic from both Democrats and Republicans, critiquing their manipulative tactics as eroding rational —yet some read this as inconsistent with his prior leanings, underscoring a broader disillusionment with ideological entrenchment. An August 2024 dispatch similarly assailed political conventions' theatrical excesses, positioning him against performative politics irrespective of affiliation.

Recent activities and legacy

Post-2020 projects

In 2022, Bissinger published The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in , a account centered on a 1944 football game played by U.S. Marines on amid the Pacific theater of . The book draws on archival records, family accounts, and military histories to profile college athletes who enlisted, contrasting the mythic narrative of sports fostering unbreakable esprit de corps with the grueling realities of combat, disease, and high casualties among participants—many of whom died shortly after the game. Bissinger emphasizes verifiable personal stories over romanticized wartime lore, highlighting how athletic backgrounds neither guaranteed survival nor mitigated the war's randomness, with over half the players killed or wounded in subsequent battles. Beginning in 2024, Bissinger launched a regular column in Air Mail, a digital newsletter, where he critiques contemporary cultural excesses with a focus on empirical absurdities rather than ideological posturing. Pieces include "Phone Rage" (January 6, ), decrying inefficient infrastructures; "Sports Immolated" (January 27, ), analyzing the erosion of competitive integrity in professional athletics through specific instances of rule-bending and commercialization; and "The Wellness Madness" (February 24, ), questioning unsubstantiated health trends like liquid supplements and canine nutrition fads lacking rigorous clinical backing. In columns like "Let Them Eat Worms!" (April 20, 2024) and a piece on political conventions, Bissinger targets performative outrage and electoral theatrics, such as scripted spectacles and participant hypocrisies, arguing they prioritize spectacle over substantive policy grounded in observable outcomes. These writings extend his journalistic approach of dissecting hype against documented evidence, as seen in prior sports reporting, without endorsing partisan narratives. No major book-length projects beyond The Mosquito Bowl have been announced through 2025.

Enduring impact and ongoing influence

Friday Night Lights (1990) remains a cornerstone of , offering a unflinching examination of how high school fosters hero worship and communal delusion in , during the 1988 Permian Panthers season, with over 100,000 copies sold and adaptations including a 2004 film and series (2006–2011) that amassed 38 Emmy nominations. The book's portrayal of player injuries, academic neglect, and racial divides—evidenced by ' career-ending knee injury and the team's 9-1 regular season record masking deeper dysfunction—has fueled policy debates on , including limits on contact and emphasis on holistic development, as seen in state-level reforms post-2010s awareness surges. Bissinger's immersive methodology, involving six months of on-site embedding, established a benchmark for narrative nonfiction by prioritizing causal observation over detached reporting, influencing practitioners like those in and long-form outlets to pursue extended access for revealing systemic illusions in institutions. This approach extended to his 2015 Vanity Fair profile of , which detailed transition doubts and family tensions through unfettered access, earning praise from conservative commentators for highlighting ideological overreach in discourse—such as Jenner's own post-transition drawing more backlash than her —while drawing left-leaning rebukes for not fully endorsing progressive framings without qualification. Critics, including sports ethics analysts, have faulted Bissinger for selective narratives that amplify dramatic flaws while underplaying redemptive elements, as in Friday Night Lights' focus on Permian excesses potentially overlooking broader motivational benefits of athletics, though defenders counter that such choices reflect empirical prioritization of verifiable harms over idealized outcomes. His broader oeuvre, spanning and pathology, continues to shape discourse on causal drivers of public behavior, evidenced by planned 2025 collaborations like the Fetterman memoir , which probes mental health's role in senatorial resilience amid 2022 and partisan pressures.

References

  1. [1]
    Buzz Bissinger - Department of English - University of Pennsylvania
    A native of New York City born in 1954, Buzz is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Livingston Award, the American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award and the ...Missing: biography profession
  2. [2]
    About Buzz Bissinger
    Buzz Bissinger is among the nation's most honored and distinguished writers. A native of New York City, Buzz is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize.Missing: profession notable
  3. [3]
    Friday Night Lights - Buzz Bissinger
    With frankness and compassion, empathy and brutal honesty, H. G. Bissinger chronicles a season in the life of Odessa and shows how single-minded devotion to the ...
  4. [4]
    Buzz Bissinger - Biography - Bookreporter.com |
    Buzz Bissinger was born in 1954. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist whose books include the New York Times bestsellers THREE NIGHTS IN AUGUST and FRIDAY ...Missing: profession | Show results with:profession
  5. [5]
    Buzz Bissinger: College Football Is An Exploitive Waste of Money ...
    May 7, 2012 · In part one of our two-part interview, we talked to Bissinger about why college football should be banned, a potential system of paying players ...
  6. [6]
    Buzz Bissinger - Biography - IMDb
    Buzz Bissinger was born on November 1, 1954 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Friday Night Lights (2004), Shattered Glass ...Missing: parents | Show results with:parents
  7. [7]
    Paid Notice: Deaths BISSINGER, HARRY GERARD II
    Oct 29, 2001 · On October 25, 2001, age 75. Beloved husband of Eleanor Lebenthal Bissinger. Loving father of Ann Bissinger and Harry Gerard Bissinger III.Missing: professions | Show results with:professions
  8. [8]
    H. Gerard Bissinger II, 75, Former Bond Firm President
    Nov 1, 2001 · A former advertising account executive, Mr. Bissinger made municipal bonds a second career as Lebenthal's president from 1969 to 1986. He and ...Missing: professions | Show results with:professions
  9. [9]
    Trivia - Buzz Bissinger - IMDb
    His mother, Eleanor Lebenthal Bissinger, is related to the family that founded and runs Wall Street's Lebenthal Fund. Is a second cousin of Peter Berg and Mary ...Missing: Harry Gerard professions<|control11|><|separator|>
  10. [10]
    Deaths | Dartmouth Alumni Magazine | Nov/Dec 2004
    Nov 1, 2004 · He and his wife, Eleanor (Lebenthal) formed the second husband/wife team to head the family-run business. Ellie, as executive vice president, ...
  11. [11]
    In My Library Buzz Bissinger - New York Post
    Jun 17, 2012 · I'm Jewish, and I've read a lot about WWII, but I can't really describe it. I read this book after I went, and the devotion of father and ...Missing: siblings heritage upbringing
  12. [12]
    A Father's Journey - Chapter 16
    Born into a family in which all children were expected to attend Ivy League universities and enter prestigious careers, Bissinger found himself ill-equipped to ...Missing: background | Show results with:background
  13. [13]
    Buzz Bissinger Is Trying to Chill Out - Philadelphia Magazine
    Jan 30, 2014 · My name is … Buzz Bissinger. I was born Harry Gerard Bissinger III. “Buzz” was a nickname given to me at birth by my mother.Missing: family background
  14. [14]
    Buzz Bissinger Found Calling In Journalism at PA – The Phillipian
    ... Phillips Academy. On the eve of the 1971 Andover ... ” After Andover, Bissinger went on to the University of Pennsylvania ... Buzz Bissinger '72 to Visit Campus, ...Missing: education | Show results with:education
  15. [15]
    H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger, NF '86 - Nieman Foundation for Journalism
    The reason I really began to write books is that, after my Nieman year, I felt I owed it to myself to go and do something out of the box.
  16. [16]
    Alumnus, author of 'Friday Night Lights' stresses leadership
    Mar 3, 2005 · After applying to 307 newspapers, he was offered a job only at one, the Ledger-Star of Norfolk, Va. However, his career prospects soon ...
  17. [17]
    Buzz Bissinger, on The Future of Long Form Journalism in a ...
    "I started in 1976. It was the height of Watergate. I started at The Norfolk Ledger Star. Every paper wanted investigative reporting. They had rookie reporters ...Missing: early roles
  18. [18]
    Buzz Bissinger on heart, luck, honesty, critics and the importance of ...
    May 25, 2012 · So when I was at the Norfolk Ledger-Star I was doing 125-inch stories as a kid reporter. So even there you began to learn narrative – how to ...Missing: roles | Show results with:roles<|separator|>
  19. [19]
    Buzz Bissinger Books In Order
    After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1976, Bissinger began a journalism career at the Ledger Star in Norfolk. He switched to The St. Paul ...Missing: early | Show results with:early
  20. [20]
    Buzz Bissinger - Key West Literary Seminar
    A native of New York City, Bissinger is winner of the Pulitzer Prize, a Livingston Award, the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award for Media and the ...Missing: biography profession notable
  21. [21]
    Featured Fellow: Buzz Bissinger - Nieman Storyboard
    Sep 13, 2013 · Bissinger authored the critically acclaimed narrative nonfiction book Friday Light Nights, which inspired the long-running television series by the same name.
  22. [22]
    1987 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists
    Investigative Reporting. Daniel R. Biddle, H. G. Bissinger and Fredric N. Tulsky of The Philadelphia Inquirer. For their series "Disorder in the Court," which ...
  23. [23]
    Disorder in the court - The Philadelphia Inquirer
    Mar 12, 2009 · Disorder in the court. Politics and private dealings beset the city's justice system. by H . G . Bissinger and Daniel R. Biddle, Inquirer ...Missing: impact reforms
  24. [24]
    Awards - About The Philadelphia Inquirer
    Tulsky for their series “Disorder in the Court,” which revealed transgressions of justice in the Philadelphia court system and led to federal and state ...
  25. [25]
    Buzz Bissinger - Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair - Aspen Ideas Festival
    Buzz Bissinger is a journalist and author. A longtime contributor to Vanity Fair, his exclusive July 2015 article, “Caitlyn Jenner: The Full Story,” became a ...
  26. [26]
    Buzz Bissinger - Longform
    Trouble was, he made things up—sources, quotes, whole stories—in a breathtaking web of deception that emerged as the most sustained fraud in modern journalism.Missing: evolution | Show results with:evolution
  27. [27]
    Football is dead. Long live football. - ESPN
    Apr 14, 2013 · Thus far, the center has released the test results for a third of those brains; all but one have shown signs of CTE. Another 500 athletes have ...
  28. [28]
    Get Rid of College Football (But Keep the NFL)
    May 7, 2012 · Buzz Bissinger will argue that college football should be banned at the Slate/Intelligence Squared live debate on May 8 in New York City.
  29. [29]
    Friday Night Lights: Movie vs Book | UKEssays.com
    Jun 27, 2017 · Author H. G. “Buzz” Bissinger's brilliant study of the 1988 football team set in this beautiful Texas town grew into a socially motivated ...<|separator|>
  30. [30]
    A Brief Summary Of Friday Night Lights By Buzz Bissinger | ipl.org
    Harry Gerard Bissinger wrote a non-fictional book entitled Friday Night Lights. Bissinger created this non-fiction book in 1990. “Bissinger , also known as Buzz ...
  31. [31]
    Breaking down the football in “Friday Night Lights” - Concerning Sports
    Jan 12, 2018 · Roles and themes on the 1988 team​​ Race is a major theme in Friday Night Lights, sometimes drowning out everything else in the story, but the ...
  32. [32]
    Friday Night Lights (2004) - IMDb
    Rating 7.2/10 (69,769) Based on H.G. Bissinger's book, which profiled the economically depressed town of Odessa, Texas and their heroic high school football team, The Permian High ...Full cast & crew · Derek Luke · Parents guide · Filmmakers
  33. [33]
    'Friday Night Lights' author's new book gets film adaption
    Aug 29, 2025 · “The Mosquito Bowl” is being written and directed by Peter Berg, who adapted Bissinger's 1990 book, “Friday Night Lights,” for the big screen.
  34. [34]
    Director: 'Friday Night Lights' is evidence that Bissinger loved football
    Sep 16, 2015 · Regardless of the criticism H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger received from some folks in Odessa about his book “Friday Night Lights,” movie director ...
  35. [35]
    A Prayer for the City - Buzz Bissinger
    A Prayer for the City is Pulitzer Prize-winning Buzz Bissinger's true epic of Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell, an utterly unique, unorthodox and idiosyncratic ...
  36. [36]
    https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/01/11/reviews/980111.11fishmat.html
  37. [37]
    https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780679421986
  38. [38]
    A Prayer for the City - Salon.com
    Jan 19, 1998 · Bissinger ultimately has some valuable observations about the Disneyfied “audience economy” being forced on our inner cities, but he's so much ...
  39. [39]
    3 Nights in August - Buzz Bissinger
    Three Nights in August captures the strategic and emotional complexities of baseball's quintessential form, the three-game series.
  40. [40]
    3 Nights in August: Strategy, Heartbreak, and Joy Inside the Mind of ...
    Rating 3.9 (8,501) He recommended H.G. Bissinger's Three Nights in August, a widely admired account of a three games series between the Cardinals and Cubs in August of the 2003 ...
  41. [41]
    Three Nights In August: Strategy, Heartbreak, and Joy Inside the ...
    Book details ; Print length. 320 pages ; Language. English ; Publisher. Harper Perennial ; Publication date. April 4, 2006 ; Dimensions. 5.4 x 0.8 x 8.1 inches.
  42. [42]
    'Father's Day' Is Buzz Bissinger's Memoir About His Son
    May 14, 2012 · His new memoir, “Father's Day,” is ostensibly about his relationship with his son Zach, now in his 20s, whose brain was deprived of oxygen at birth and who has ...Missing: summary | Show results with:summary
  43. [43]
    Book Review: Buzz Bissinger's Father's Day - Philadelphia Magazine
    May 4, 2012 · In Father's Day: A Journey into the Mind & Heart of My Extraordinary Son, out this month, Bissinger writes about his son Zach, born 13 and a ...Missing: summary | Show results with:summary
  44. [44]
    Father's Day: A Journey into the Mind and Heart of My Extraordinary ...
    Author Buzz Bissinger takes a cross-country road trip with his savant son Zach, learning to understand his son's unique perspective while exploring their ...
  45. [45]
    The Mosquito Bowl - Buzz Bissinger
    Writing with the style and rigor that won him a Pulitzer Prize and have made his books modern classics, Buzz Bissinger takes us from the playing fields of ...
  46. [46]
    Book Review: 'The Mosquito Bowl,' by Buzz Bissinger
    Oct 14, 2022 · In “The Mosquito Bowl,” Buzz Bissinger examines the Pacific theater through the lives of several athletes who served.Missing: contributions | Show results with:contributions
  47. [47]
    The Mosquito Bowl: 'Three hours of pure joy' amid the horrors of war
    Dec 20, 2022 · A new book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buzz Bissinger brings to light a most unusual football game on the Pacific island of Guadalcanal ...
  48. [48]
    The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II
    In stock Rating 5.0 7 Sixty-five young Marines in WWII's Pacific Theater, many of them top-level college and professional football players, feeling the tension and tedium.Missing: themes | Show results with:themes
  49. [49]
    Shooting Stars: James, LeBron, Bissinger, Buzz - Amazon.com
    In this memoir co-authored with Pulitzer Prize winner Buzz Bissinger, five friends from Akron, including LeBron James, form an unbreakable bond through ...
  50. [50]
    Shooting Stars by LeBron James | Goodreads
    Rating 4.0 (1,053) Aug 29, 2009 · From the ultimate team—basketball superstar LeBron James and Buzz Bissinger, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Friday Night Lights and Three ...
  51. [51]
    Buzz Bissinger calls his book with LeBron James 'an epic failure'
    Jun 26, 2012 · Sportswriter Buzz Bissinger now calls "Shooting Stars," the 2009 book he co-authored with LeBron James, "an epic failure."
  52. [52]
    The Secrets of My Life: Jenner, Caitlyn - Amazon.com
    A memoir about Caitlyn Jenner's journey to become a transgender woman and fight for the LGBTQ+ community, revealing shocking and heartbreaking stories along the ...
  53. [53]
    Excerpt: Caitlyn Jenner on 'The secrets of my life' - Macleans.ca
    Apr 24, 2017 · In her book, co-written by Buzz Bissinger, Jenner declares: “I am going to live authentically for the first time in my life. I am going to ...<|separator|>
  54. [54]
    The Soul-Searching of Buzz Bissinger | The New Yorker
    Oct 15, 2019 · In 2013, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist H. G. (Buzz) Bissinger, fifty-eight years old and until then known primarily for his wildly ...
  55. [55]
    Buzz Bissinger - IMDb
    He is a writer and producer, known for Friday Night Lights (2004), Shattered Glass (2003) and Friday Night Lights (2006). He has been married to Lisa C. Smith ...
  56. [56]
    Clear Eyes, Full Heart, Can't Lose: The Enduring Legacy of “Friday ...
    Aug 21, 2025 · Rewatching director Peter Berg's 2004 adaptation of Bissinger's book (Berg co-wrote the screenplay with David Aaron Cohen), I was struck by the ...<|control11|><|separator|>
  57. [57]
    Encounter: Buzz Bissinger - Creative Nonfiction
    Buzz Bissinger is best-known as the author of the 1990 best-selling nonfiction book “Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team and A Dream,”Missing: achievements | Show results with:achievements
  58. [58]
    Drexel Announces 2013 Honorary Degree Recipients
    May 23, 2013 · Buzz Bissinger: Among the nation's most honored and distinguished writers, Bissinger is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Livingston ...
  59. [59]
    Reflecting On Football And Addiction As 'Friday Night Lights' Turns 25
    Aug 3, 2015 · A quarter-century ago, Buzz Bissinger wrote about the big-time stakes of small-town high school football in Friday Night Lights.
  60. [60]
    Buzz Bissinger Biography: Family Life & Achievements - Mabumbe
    Feb 6, 2025 · Full Name, Harry Gerard Bissinger III ; Date of Birth, November 1, 1954 ; Place of Birth, New York City, New York, USA ; Nationality, American.Missing: profession | Show results with:profession
  61. [61]
    New Clearman Cottage Writer's Residency Established for Penn ...
    Sep 5, 2014 · Bissinger and Smith, who is a writer and producer, will be available for informal discussions of the creative process. Located minutes from the ...
  62. [62]
    Buzz (2019) - User reviews - IMDb
    We then go to "Long Beach Peninsula, WA", where Buzz is talking a walk with his wife Lisa Smith and their two dogs. Along the way Buzz admits that "I've got a ...
  63. [63]
    Buzz Bissinger: "Father's Day: A Journey into the Mind & Heart of My ...
    Jun 14, 2012 · In it, Buzz describes a road trip that helped him understand the son who had remained a mystery to him for nearly three decades.Missing: summary | Show results with:summary
  64. [64]
    Across America with an Unusual Dad and His Extraordinary Son
    Apr 30, 2013 · In the summer of 1983, Buzz Bissinger and his first wife had twin boys who were 13 1/2 weeks premature. Gerry, the firstborn, was one pound ...Missing: Caleb | Show results with:Caleb
  65. [65]
    Buzz Bissinger's 'Father's Day': a father's love for two vastly different ...
    May 27, 2012 · The source of the mystery is Bissinger's son, Zach, who was born 13 weeks premature and three minutes after his twin brother, Gerry. The ...Missing: Caleb | Show results with:Caleb
  66. [66]
    [PDF] Buzz (left) and Zach Bissinger at home. Photo by Chris Crisman C'03
    Did he know that he would never marry or have a family of his own? Did he know what sex was? Did he know who I really was …” In the following excerpt ...<|separator|>
  67. [67]
    Charming son shines in Buzz Bissinger's 'Father's Day'
    Jun 14, 2012 · Brain-damaged from a premature birth, at 24 Zach is known for his infatuation with maps and an uncanny knack for instantly matching a random ...<|separator|>
  68. [68]
    Book reivew: "Father's Day" - Houston Chronicle
    May 11, 2012 · But by surviving, he created challenges for himself and his family. The experience was so draining for Bissinger and his wife Debra that it ...
  69. [69]
    Book review: Author of 'Friday Night Lights' bonds with his ...
    May 18, 2012 · Bissinger's Father's Day is full of moments that made me cringe at a father's selfishness. Bissinger seems so freighted with guilt and shame ...
  70. [70]
    My Gucci Addiction | GQ
    Mar 26, 2013 · My name is Buzz Bissinger. I am 58 years old, the best-selling author of Friday Night Lights, father of three, husband. And I am a shopaholic.Missing: recovery | Show results with:recovery
  71. [71]
    'Friday Night Lights' Author Buzz Bissinger on Rehab
    Jan 14, 2014 · Bissinger revealed that he spent more than $500,000 on clothes since 2010 in a 6,000-word essay in last April's GQ. The day after his essay was ...Missing: achievements controversies
  72. [72]
    The angst of Buzz Bissinger - Broad Street Review
    Bissinger's own roiling anxiety, his depression, his narcissism and his professional insecurity, not to mention what he sees as his failings as a man, as a ...
  73. [73]
    Documentary considers gender expressions - Philadelphia Gay News
    Sep 23, 2019 · “Buzz,” is a beguiling documentary about Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Buzz Bissinger finding his authentic sexual self.
  74. [74]
    https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/06/caitlyn-jenner-bruce-cover-annie-leibovitz
  75. [75]
    [PDF] REACTIONS OF THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY REGARDING ...
    Clear strides have been made for the overall legislation towards the equality of the LGBT community, however the transgender community still faces more ...
  76. [76]
    Buzz Bissinger Talks Crossdressing And Challenging The Gender ...
    Sep 9, 2015 · Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Buzz Bissinger truly doesn't care what you think about his love for crossdressing.Missing: GQ | Show results with:GQ
  77. [77]
    You Can Buy Buzz Bissinger's Designer Clothes on eBay
    Feb 25, 2016 · Buzz Bissinger's 2013 article in GQ, “My Gucci Addiction,” is one of ... cross-dressing and gender-switching perverse and disgusting.Missing: details | Show results with:details
  78. [78]
    Buzz Bissinger Retrospective Interview - Matt Tuthill
    In a recent interview with Blitz Magazine, Bissinger reflected on Permian's 1988 season, the backlash he faced in Odessa, his complicated relationship with ...Missing: achievements | Show results with:achievements<|control11|><|separator|>
  79. [79]
    Immersion journalism - Wikipedia
    Criticism. Immersion journalism has been criticized for being too subjective and partial to the journalist's opinion. By immersing oneself in the subject for ...Missing: Buzz | Show results with:Buzz
  80. [80]
    A Confrontation on 'Costas Now' Worthy of a Blog
    May 1, 2008 · Bissinger entered in an extreme state of annoyance and outrage about bloggers' writing skills, their lack of journalistic ethics and their absence of ...
  81. [81]
    Bissinger contrite, but still bashing blogs - Salon.com
    the ones that privilege glib snideness over reporting and analysis — are the rule.
  82. [82]
    "Friday Night Lights" Author To Haters: "Fuck Yourselves"
    Oct 10, 2012 · Friday Night Lights author Buzz Bissinger, who recently announced that he'd switched his support from President Obama to Mitt Romney in a ...Missing: views | Show results with:views
  83. [83]
    Buzz Bissinger, the Consummate Swing Voter - New York Magazine
    Oct 18, 2012 · He wrote a column for the Daily Beast declaring his support for Mitt Romney and was widely disparaged as a “low-information voter,” which led to ...<|separator|>
  84. [84]
    "Friday Night Lights" author, creator part ways on Romney - CBS News
    Oct 12, 2012 · Bissinger tempered his endorsement by noting his disagreement with several elements of Romney's agenda, particularly what he called the ...
  85. [85]
    Buzz Bissinger on His Caitlyn Jenner Story and the Trans Community
    Jun 3, 2015 · The Philly journalist opens up about how he got the assignment, who likes Gucci more, and how they kept the whole thing under wraps.
  86. [86]
    Buzz Bissinger talks about getting criticism from the trans community ...
    I heard him in an interview on PBR yesterday. He was really disrespectful when talking about Caitlyn, using her old name every time he referred to her, and ...
  87. [87]
    Buzz Bissinger on Presidential Election Madness in Pennsylvania
    Nov 2, 2024 · Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Buzz Bissinger is apoplectic at the political ads bombarding his Pennsylvania home.Missing: pieces | Show results with:pieces
  88. [88]
    Conventional Madness - Air Mail
    Aug 17, 2024 · Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Buzz Bissinger is maddened by political conventions, sickened by the costumes, and apoplectic at the idiots on and off the ...Missing: pieces | Show results with:pieces
  89. [89]
    The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II
    Amazon.com: The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II: 9780062879929: Bissinger, Buzz: Books. ... Publication date. September 13, 2022.
  90. [90]
    THE MOSQUITO BOWL | Kirkus Reviews
    7-day returnsTHE MOSQUITO BOWL. A GAME OF LIFE AND DEATH IN WORLD WAR II. by Buzz Bissinger ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2022.<|separator|>
  91. [91]
    The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II
    Sep 12, 2023 · Publication Date: September 12, 2023 · Genres: History, Nonfiction · Paperback: 496 pages · Publisher: Harper Perennial · ISBN-10: 0062879936 · ISBN- ...
  92. [92]
    Buzz Bissinger Latest Articles - Air Mail
    By Buzz Bissinger · January 27, 2024 · Culture · Phone Rage. In a new column, the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Buzz Bissinger is infuriated, incensed, and ...
  93. [93]
    Buzz Bizzinger's AIR MAIL Column No. 1: Phone Service Woes
    Jan 6, 2024 · Phone Rage. In a new column, the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Buzz Bissinger is infuriated, incensed, and enraged by the world around ...
  94. [94]
    Sports Immolated - Buzz Bissinger - Air Mail
    Jan 27, 2024 · January 27, 2024. Reading Time: 5 minutes. Were it not for Sports ... It was a good political leader. It was human and warm and bold.” I ...
  95. [95]
    Buzz Bissinger's Wellness Industry Durge - Air Mail
    Feb 24, 2024 · The Wellness Madness. Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Buzz Bissinger is sick of wellness. What he wants is more badness, malice, and depravity.
  96. [96]
    Let Them Eat Worms! - Air Mail
    Apr 20, 2024 · Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Buzz Bissinger is fed up with the moaners, the whiners, and the worm eaters.
  97. [97]
    Air Mail on X: "Buzz Bissinger is maddened by political conventions ...
    Buzz Bissinger is maddened by political conventions, sickened by the costumes, and apoplectic at the idiots on and off the stage.
  98. [98]
    January 6, 2024 - Air Mail
    Jan 6, 2024 · Phone Rage In a new column, the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Buzz Bissinger is infuriated, incensed, and enraged by the world around him— ...Missing: pieces | Show results with:pieces
  99. [99]
    Buzz Bissinger – Highly Acclaimed Author
    It is a measure of Bissinger's singular talent that his searing account is tragic, yet also inspiring and unforgettable.”
  100. [100]
    https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2012/10/14/friday-night-lights-author-msm-peers-deceiving-themselves-if-they-think-they-can-be-unbiased/amp/
  101. [101]
    'Friday Night Lights' Author: MSM Peers 'Deceiving Themselves' If ...
    Oct 14, 2012 · “The column only confirmed for me the liberal bias that is rife in the mainstream media,” Bissinger wrote. “Every colleague but one vehemently ...
  102. [102]
    Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger - 906 Words | 123 Help Me
    In the book Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger shows that they are often negative in communities where high school sports “keep the town alive” due to the ...Missing: enduring influence
  103. [103]
    Nobody Wants To Talk About John Fetterman And Buzz Bissinger's ...
    Jun 23, 2025 · Over time, Bissinger's opinion about the Jenner book has soured. Not only did he tell Philadelphia Magazine in 2022 that he hated ...Missing: views | Show results with:views