Episode · The Daily Stoic · 2025-09-20
Books mentioned on The NFL Idols America Obsesses Over | Seth Wickersham (PT. 2)
Is ego a prerequisite for greatness as an NFL quarterback? In this episode, Ryan is joined by award-winning sports journalist, Seth Wickersham, to dig into the brutal realities of the position, from overbearing parents and sideline meltdowns to Tom Brady’s relationship with Bill Belichick.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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It's Better to Be Feared
Discussed“And um I think that you know, so you write a book about quarterbacks. Like how do you write about Brady when I literally just wrote a book about him?”
Where to get it
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The Right Stuff
The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe is a classic work of narrative nonfiction that chronicles the lives, fears, and extraordinary courage of the military test pilots chosen for America's early human spaceflight programs.
Discussed“I was actually thinking of Tom Wolf, the right stuff, and I was reading your book. Like, you either have the other right stuff or you don't.”
Where to get it
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Meditations
Marcus Aurelius's Meditations is a foundational work of Stoic philosophy that records the personal reflections and spiritual exercises of the Roman emperor.
Discussed“But there's this interesting passage in meditations where Marcus, he's writing to himself, obviously he's now the emperor, and he says, You have to take care not to become Caesarified.”
Where to get it
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My first coach
Discussed“There's a story, have you read that book, My First Coach? It's about like quarterbacks and their dads.”
Where to get it
