Chris Kluwe

Chris Kluwe is a NFL punter and an active promoter of equal rights for all Americans.

His new book is Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies: On Myths, Morons, Free Speech, Football, and Assorted Absurdities.

From his Q & A with Alexandra Alter for the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog:

This isn’t at all a typical book for a professional athlete to write. How did it come about?

I had a bunch of publishers coming to me saying, ‘Hey, you should write a book.’ The first couple who came to me, I was like no, I’m focusing on football. After seven or eight, I was like whoa, these are the people who are in charge of books. That would be as if seven or eight football teams approached me and said, “Why don’t you play football?”

Did any of the publishers want you to write the conventional life story of a football player?

There were more than a few publishers who wanted the standard autobiographical football story. I was like, ‘That’s not the book I want to write. The book I want to write is how my mind works what I see in the world.’ Nothing against the autobiographical football book, but that’s not me. That’s what people expect from an athlete who’s going to write a book. Even though I’m a football player, I’m so much more than that.

You mention Kurt Vonnegut as one of your favorite writers. Did he influence your writing at all?

He...[read on]

Learn about Chris Kluwe's six favorite books.

--Marshal Zeringue