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Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty
They were America's Team-the high-priced, high-glamour, high-flying Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s, who won three Super Bowls and made as many headlines off the field as on it. Led by Emmitt Smith, the charismatic Deion "Prime Time" Sanders, and Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin, the Cowboys rank among the greatest of all NFL dynasties.In similar fashion ...more
Audio CD, 0 pages
Published
January 12th 2009
by Tantor Media Inc
(first published 2008)
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I learned that Michael Irvin is a crazy mofo, Troy Aikman is as dumb as I thought, Jerry Jones is an egoistical idiot and Charles Haley masturbates during team meetings. So there, also I hate that as a society hold up professional athletes on a pedestal. There are many stand up guys, but many are also thugs, hoodlums, and sociopaths that believe they are above not just the law, but normal human decency. Pay teachers, fireman, policeman, not these pampered primadonnas.
a couple of great stories in the earlier chapters. it gets boring later on. the story on kevin mitchell and how the mets trashed airplanes make it a must read.
This was an interesting book, and I enjoyed reading it. It gave a lot of insight to what went on during a specific time with the Dallas cowboys. What I learned from this book: they were mostly (a few exceptions) drunks, druggies, cheaters (on their partners), womanizers, had big egos, and some were just plain Aholes. I guess it wasn't a total surprise, but I didn't know how bad it really was. Makes me wonder how different things are today...
I am a New York Giants fan who has always hated the Dallas Cowboys with a passion ever since I started watching football. Back in the 70's, it always seemed that America's Team would rain holy crap on our men in blue. Of course they did that to other teams too.
The original America's Team had an American hero, Roger Staubach, at quarterback and numerous straight-laced players and coaches. Rebels, like Duane Thomas, Clint Longley and Thoman "Hollywood" Henderson played within...more
The original America's Team had an American hero, Roger Staubach, at quarterback and numerous straight-laced players and coaches. Rebels, like Duane Thomas, Clint Longley and Thoman "Hollywood" Henderson played within...more
I couldn't put it any better than Drew Magary of Kissing Suzy Kolber, where I originally learned of this book. So here's the link to his review:
http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2008...
http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2008...
This was a fast read and very interesting although you have to either like football or hate the Dallas Cowboys. If you fall into both categories then it's probably the perfect book. I'd recommend it to all those sports-obsessed "reluctant readers" out there, i.e. many men I know.
Awesome book if you like football, and a must read if you want to know about one of the greatest franchises in football history. Gives you an inside look at how, not only the Cowboys lived and worked, but how a league team works.
OK, first of all, as a Washington Redskins fan, I fucking hate the Dallas Cowboys. It's something I was raised to do, and they've given me plenty of excuses to maintain that policy in the 25 or so years that I've spent following professional football (I started when I was 5, and I'm 33 now; the missing years in there are the late 90s, when Norv Turner coached the Redskins and hope vanished from the lives of Redskins fans for years. I just couldn't stand to watch for a few years there). The Redsk...more
At being a well-written work of non-fiction with a cohesive narrative, Jeff Pearlman's "Boys Will Be Boys" fails miserably.
As an unctuous, salacious trove of juicy, gossipy tidbits, it excels. Whether by conscious design or by accident, "Boys Will Be Boys" should appeal to the Dallas Cowboys' fans and haters alike. Though this is a good thing, it is the product of bad writing.
No half-way informed fan of the NFL will come away from "Boys Will Be Bo...more
As an unctuous, salacious trove of juicy, gossipy tidbits, it excels. Whether by conscious design or by accident, "Boys Will Be Boys" should appeal to the Dallas Cowboys' fans and haters alike. Though this is a good thing, it is the product of bad writing.
No half-way informed fan of the NFL will come away from "Boys Will Be Bo...more
Jeremy
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Cowboy fans, football fans, sports fans, and people who want to see jocks more clearly
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
As a fairly recent football fan and Dallas cowboys fan reading this book was both a fascinating look at the cowboys rise and fall during the 90's and some of the absolute horrifying behaviors that went on behind the scenes. I was in elementary school when much of the scandal happened and I can remember hearing about DUI's, drug use etc to some degree but not with a full understanding.
I do have to say that reading about the morals and characters of the some of the great players really c...more
I do have to say that reading about the morals and characters of the some of the great players really c...more
Jeff Pearlman's summary of the scandals and triumphs of the 1990s Dallas Cowboys dynasty is easily one of the best things I've read thus far in 2011. It was just as enjoyable to read about the game of football actually being played (granted, I'm a huge football fan) as it was to read about all the insanity that took place behind closed doors. Hookers. Weed. More hookers. Cocaine. More cocaine. Drunk driving. Dramatically tense business relationships. Even more cocaine hookers. Most fascinating w...more
The content is very entertaining and eye opening. My Dad's a big Cowboys fan so I followed this team in my early teens. I remember thinking of the on-field edition of Charles Haley being a "stabilizing veteran influence". Wow. Youth memories destroyed. Still, I try not to judge and I like the Cowboys. It seems the best way to really enjoy this book is if you're a Giants, Redskins, 49ers or Eagles fan and need fuel for some anti Cowboy tirades. I like these kind of trashy wild behind t...more
Not a bad book, but I was a bit disappointed by the author's tone at times. An example off the top of my head: Two pages [mid 346-mid 348] about Skip Bayless's 1996 book (Hell-Bent: The Crazy Truth About the "Win or Else" Dallas Cowboys), which suggested Troy Aikman might be gay? Why do I care? What did it have to do with the downfall of the 1990s Dallas Cowboys?
Whether or not the attack on Bayless was justified, it felt like an unnecessary personal attack on a rival w...more
Whether or not the attack on Bayless was justified, it felt like an unnecessary personal attack on a rival w...more
Its probably good Cowboys fans didn't know all these stories as they were happening. Most of the luster would have worn off much faster from the "Team of the 90's".
Jimmy Johnson is a real prick. He cuts a guy for falling asleep in a meeting. That same guy was tired b/c his newborn was suffering some sort of ailment that prevented him from getting much sleep.
Jerry Jones is the single biggest reason the Cowboys haven't returned to the Super Bowl. Time and time aga...more
Jimmy Johnson is a real prick. He cuts a guy for falling asleep in a meeting. That same guy was tired b/c his newborn was suffering some sort of ailment that prevented him from getting much sleep.
Jerry Jones is the single biggest reason the Cowboys haven't returned to the Super Bowl. Time and time aga...more
The rise and fall of the 1990s Dallas Cowboys football dynasty. You'll be amazed how screwed up a team can be yet still win. Snarky and referential sports history at its best!
Exhibit A: how an interesting story doesn't necessarily translate to great writing or a good book. The Cowboys of the '90s were a dynasty team that won 3 Super Bowls while engaging in the kind of debauchery one usually associates with ancient Rome — from Charles Haley's proclivity toward not just exposing but actively... uh... handling himself in public to the incredible array of skanks (Pearlman's term, btw) that the team not only engaged with regularly (and in sometimes fascinating multiples) ...more
Pearlman dishes the dirt on one of the greatest NFL dynasties in history: the 1990s Cowboys. My heroes have always been Cowboys, so the stories in this book disappointed me. But it made for an interesting read.
This book is good in the same way that reading political books is good. If you hate the Democratic Party and think they are all out to destroy freedom in this country then you will likely pick up a Bill O'Rielly book and, suprise, be delighted to find out all your suspicions are true and they really are as horrible as you think.
If you hate the Dallas Cowboys...and I do...especially the Cowboys of the mid-90's and think that they were the worst bunch of cheating, drug addicted, good f...more
If you hate the Dallas Cowboys...and I do...especially the Cowboys of the mid-90's and think that they were the worst bunch of cheating, drug addicted, good f...more
If you are a (American) football fan, this is an excellent read. You will read of the 1990's Dallas Cowboys from a whole new perspective. It's an ugly scandalous side which you would be ashamed to tell your mother.
If you hated the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990's, you will find a lot of reasons to hate them ever so much more. As a teenager, I cheered this team on and I feel dirty and cheated now.
Jeff Pearlman tells a good story. He gives life .. a story ... to peo...more
I really enjoy the books Jeff Pearlman writes. This is one about my beloved Dallas Cowboys. He starts the book when Jerry Jones buys the Cowboys and fires Tom Landry hiring Jimmy Johnson to coach the team. This was in 1989 and the Cowboys went 1-15. The book covers their glory years when they won three Super Bowls in four years from 1992-1995. He tells the behind the scenes stories about the drugs, the women, the parties and the football. No one comes out unscathed in this book. All the w...more
First off.........this in NOT a book children, or young adults either! This should be read my adults only!! We have all read stories about the wild lives that come with celebrity. The author of this book took all these stories about the Cowboys, every raunchy detail included, and strung them together and called it a book. I have no doubt that these stories are true. But the one sidedness of the book bothers me. I'm sure that for all the bad stories, there were good ones too.
B...more
B...more
Whatever. It did a lot of things...none well at all. It wasn't salacious enough, didn't delve deeply enough into the tactical aspect of the Cowboys' reign, didn't attempt to mine the personalities of the players, coaches and owner to make some sort of conclusion about their success, or success on the football field in general, or just plain ol' success.
And what a hack this guy is. Jesus Christ. Sportswriting by someone who can actually WRITE (Updike, Ford and King to name three o...more
And what a hack this guy is. Jesus Christ. Sportswriting by someone who can actually WRITE (Updike, Ford and King to name three o...more
Eye-opening account of life as a professional athletics...even being aware of the sex, drugs and egos involved I was surprised by the depth of the behavior of all parties involved. It was also interesting to read of the complicit nature of the media with their subjects since the behavior is well-known but not reported for fear of alienating and losing one's sources and relationships.
What do these athletes do when they get older? The behavior is habitual since many were very young w...more
What do these athletes do when they get older? The behavior is habitual since many were very young w...more
An in-depth view of the early 90s Cowboys, from the Jones led dismissal of Tom Landry through the break-up of the dynasty, this book presents many humorous anecdotes about the major players on the Cowboys.
The writing isn't spectacular, and there are a few factual mistakes (Rocket Ismail DID NOT win the Heisman), but if you are interested in football I'd recommend it. The most compelling narrative surrounds Michael Irvin, the undeniable heart-and-soul of that team.
Cha...more
The writing isn't spectacular, and there are a few factual mistakes (Rocket Ismail DID NOT win the Heisman), but if you are interested in football I'd recommend it. The most compelling narrative surrounds Michael Irvin, the undeniable heart-and-soul of that team.
Cha...more
Great insight into the wreckless party culture of the Dallas Cowboys during their 1990s dynasty. The author is not afraid to reveal all secrets and probably adds a bit of exaggeration (but maybe not... these guys are like rock stars in Big D after all).
Most of the stories are to be expected after reading bits and pieces through the years in the media. However, the antics of Charles Haley are priceless. Bordering between disgusting and down-right hilarious. Take your pick.
...more
Most of the stories are to be expected after reading bits and pieces through the years in the media. However, the antics of Charles Haley are priceless. Bordering between disgusting and down-right hilarious. Take your pick.
...more
Very solid football book. I really hate the Cowboys as a franchise, and some of that hatred stems from their success and sliminess of the 90s. I was in my early teens then, but I knew I didn't like their approach. I didn't like their stars, who were generally classless, I didn't like their attitude, which was brash and unsportsmanlike, and I didn't like their management, which was attention-hungry.
Since those heady days of my youth, I hadn't spent much time thinking about the over...more
Since those heady days of my youth, I hadn't spent much time thinking about the over...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I found this book for $1 in a Goodwill store and decided to give it a go as a leisure read. It's a surprisingly objective view of the short-lived Cowboy "dynasty" of the '90s. In one sense it's pretty sad, seeing the talent that was wasted or exploited on this Super Bowl championship team. In that respect I'd rather read Tony Dungy to see how winning can be done in a more selfless way. On the other hand, Boys Will Be Boys is entertaining and a quick read. But I'm glad I didn't pay...more
A salacious, juicy and compelling read -- if you like bawdy stories about locker room antics and men who can't keep their dicks in their pants. What keeps the book from being a ridiculous tell all is the amount of reporting Pearlman did. He doesn't have unnamed sources and shit like that. People are dishing about how messed up the Cowboys' locker room was, while winning at the same time.
How they did it, I don't know. But i was fascinated.
How they did it, I don't know. But i was fascinated.
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