It’s difficult to imagine today–when the Super Bowl has virtually become a national holiday and the National Football League is the cou...
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Dec 22, 2011
Barney
rated it: 
This text is much more about two commissioners, Bert Bell and Pete Rozelle, than it is about the game itself. The current commish, Roger Godell, gets small mention in the text largely because it was written before his term started. The small mention, though, is telling: "He uses words like 'monetize' and 'commoditize' one owner said with distaste" (pg 427). Rozelle (and his successor, Paul Tagliabue) would never use those words. Rozelle emerges as a brilliant organizer, marketer and al
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Nov 26, 2010
Scott
rated it:
This was a good overview of how the key owners in the early days of the NFL worked together to help lay the foundation for how pro football came to be the "American Game" While it does mention some about the key games and players, the real focus of this work is the interaction between the key owners, such as the Mara family, the Rooneys, etc. Additionally, much time is spent on the business interactions between the NFL and AFL during the 1960s, which proved critical in the foundation o
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Jan 31, 2012
Ed Wagemann
rated it: 
After After World War II, during the Eisenhower years America's national past time was shifting from baseball to football. George Carlin famously characterizes the differences between the two games in his iconic comedy routine Baseball versus Football in which he illuminates the reasons that football has become a much better representative of our national psyche than baseball. Today, as we all know, the NFL is an intergral part of American culture. The Superbowl is as important as any nation
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Dec 26, 2008
Tom
rated it:
MacCambridge wrote an interesting history of Sports Illustrated, but this story of the NFL is the best thing I've read by him. The NFL's is one of the most successful branding efforts in the history of the US, and MacCambridge's account of how it was orchestrated is full of interesting, weird characters.
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Jan 06, 2010
Regina
rated it: 
I read this history of the NFL several years ago. It was highly engaging and contained good history through Pete Rozelle's leadership.
After that, I recall that it seemed as if the book became weaker. It was difficult to maintain the same level of interest in these later chapters.
After that, I recall that it seemed as if the book became weaker. It was difficult to maintain the same level of interest in these later chapters.
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Nov 15, 2007
Aneesa
rated it:
This was the best book I read in 2006. It was one of the few non-fiction books that I just could not put down. Not only is it well researched but the way that McCambridge has weaved together each tale to make up the larger story of the NFL is amazing. Unless you live under a rock, you know what a huge part professional football plays in our society and this book tells you exactly how and why it came to be this way. I came away with a very good sense of what each league commissioner brought to
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Dec 01, 2008
Chuck
rated it:
The best pro football book I've ever read. Comprehensive, but not overstuffed. The writer made a lot of good decisions.
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Apr 16, 2009
America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation by Michael Maccambridge (?)
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Jan 10, 2012
Robert
rated it:
This is a pretty good history of how the National Football League came to dominate American sports and supplant baseball as the national pastime. Had the book ended at the point where Namath and the Jets validated the merger, I might have rated it five stars. Once we get into the 70's and 80's, though, the NFL is more about labor disputes, television contracts and abandoned cities than it is about football. The pre-merger history is much more lively and definitely worth the read for the football
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Sep 05, 2007
adam
rated it:
Goddamnit I am ready for football season. This book did a great job with the Rozelle years of the NFL, but the last 30 years of the league kinda got the short end of the stick. Almost as good a business book as it is a sports one.
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Dec 03, 2007
Jacqueline
rated it:
Really well-written journalistic and historical approach to the business and game of football. I learned a lot and enjoyed reading it. Gives a lot of cultural and social context, as well as antidotes and historical facts.
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Dec 02, 2010
Patricia
rated it:
Fantastic read. I would recommend it to anyone who's interested in reading about the history of the sport. Definitely makes me want to pick up similar books to drill even deeper.
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Jan 19, 2008
Kathleen
rated it:
A must read to understand the impact of the NFL in America. Behind the scenes action that helps you understand how we have been sold American football as the sport of sport
Apr 30, 2008
Brian
rated it:
Starts off like a house afire, but loses steam after the AFL/NFL merger. Perhaps that says something about the game, too?
Feb 18, 2008
Ann
rated it:
Fascinating history of pro football with quite a bit of American historical context. Are you ready for some football?
Jan 18, 2008
Nik
rated it:
Must read for any National Football League fan. In-depth history of how the game has evolved to where it rests today.
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