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Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton
The first definitive biography of Chicago Bears superstar Walter Payton. At five feet ten inches tall, running back Walter Payton was not the largest player in the NFL, but he developed a larger-than-life reputation for his strength, speed, and grit. Nicknamed "Sweetness" during his college football days, he became the NFL's all-time leader in rushing and all-purpose yards, capturing the hearts of fans in his adopted Chicago. Crafted from interviews with more than 700 sources, acclaimed sportswriter Jeff Pearlman has produced the first definitive biography of Payton. Sweetness at last brings fans a detailed, scrupulously researched, all-encompassing account of the legend's rise to greatness. From Payton's childhood in segregated Mississippi, where he ended a racial war by becoming the star of his integrated high school's football team, to his college years and his thirteen-year NFL career, Sweetness brims with stories of all-American heroism, and covers Payton's life off the field as well. Set against the backdrop of the tragic illness that cut his life short at just forty-five years of age, this is a stirring tribute to a singular icon and the lasting legacy he made.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2011
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About the author
Jeff Pearlman
18 books574 followersJeff Pearlman is an American sportswriter. He has written nine books that have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list: four about football, three on baseball and two about basketball. He authored the 1999 John Rocker interview in Sports Illustrated.
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January 19, 2023
Philanthropist. Philander. Family man. Aloof husband. Loyal and selfless teammate. Prankster who requested his stats at halftime. Walter Payton was a man who was many things and one who meant the world to many people. This biography, “Sweetness”, captures Payton as the complex man that he was.
The author of this work, Jeff Pearlman, attempts to capture a man who is both tangible and mythical in nature. The joy and gregariousness during his playing career is presented along with the depression and self-doubt that plagued him during retirement. For someone who was beloved by so many people, who embodied the spirit of, “the city of broad shoulders”, he was so often a mystery to those around him. His wife, Connie who stayed married to him despite the countless affairs and cold shoulder, seemed to have almost zero understanding of him. His kids, Jarrett, Brittney and an out-of-wedlock son “Nigel” were largely on the periphery, which makes sense. The people who seemed to be closest to Walter were his personal assistant, Ginny Quirk and his longtime agent, Bud Holmes.
This book takes us through the journey that was Payton’s extraordinary life. From his humble upbringing in Mississippi to his decorated college and pro football career to his death from liver disease we get an unvarnished look into his life. Some may question why Pearlman delves so deep into his personal life and even I admit after the third or fourth detailed dalliance it was getting to be overkill. Even with that disclaimer, the breadth and research is awe inspiring. Without, having the ability to interview the subject himself due to his untimely death, Pearlman is able to bring Payton alive in all of his glory. An assist to the performer, Malcolm Hillgartner who capably handles the various inflections of those he intones, including difficult Mississippi delta accents.
At just 5 feet 10 inches and under 200 pounds, Walter was not equipped with super hero size nor was he particularly fast. His grit and determination on the gridiron was heroic though. Through sheer will and an ability to wring out everything that he could from his heart, body and soul, he propelled himself into the conversation of greatest player in NFL history. His physical prowess and most importantly mental fortitude allowed him to play in 186 consecutive games. He was able to combine violence and beauty into a package that has never since been replicated. Renowned for unselfish things like being a devastating blocker and spatting, the term used for taping up ankles and feet, he could seamlessly do anything required on the field of play.
That is not to say that Payton was strictly an athlete without any personality. He was a man who liked fast cars and women. Who finished in second place in a national dance competition while attending Jackson State. He would prank his teammates in many ways including calling their wives and using his ubiquitous high-pitched voice, act like a floosy that was having an affair. He was able to balance some of these more ribald acts with a human quality that is often lacking from people in general but especially those in exalted positions. He would lend support to those players who were unlikely to make the roster, giving them a kind word or a reassuring pep talk. He also spent many a day visiting children in hospitals and for the most part did it without publicity. Even as a college student he took his studies seriously, attending graduate level classes in education for the deaf. He was one of those rare sorts of people who even when they reached a high level of fame was most happy making those around him comfortable and feeling important.
This book has done something truly unique in transforming the man, Walter Payton while not laying to waste the myth. Even with its many controversial moments it is deserving of a 5 star rating. Could I have done without some of the salacious details? Sure, but those moments do not detract from anything that he accomplished or even what he embodied. He is much more than just the name on the trophy for top player in Division II or the NFL Man of the Year. The way he struggled for every yard he gained, churning his magnificent legs like the pistons of a high performance vehicle, clubbing defenders away with a stiff arm, despite not being the biggest, strongest or fastest, he was the toughest. Much like his adopted city of Chicago, he radiated steel on the outside and charm on the inside. The duality of Walter Payton is best personified in his performance during his only Super Bowl appearance, number XX. In the twilight of his career, Payton led the Bears offense throughout the year but was held scoreless in the final game of his season. Though his team won handily, he was not accorded the catharsis of finding the end zone. Unfortunately, this cruelty would not be his last. The ultimate cruelty awaited, a man who was built out of granite succumbed to an illness that left him a shriveled up cusp of his former self. Even in the throes of liver disease, he lent his considerable voice and fame to drum up support for organ transplants. Strangely emotional after listening to this audiobook, even months later, I can understand perfectly why both Walter the man and the myth are held in such high regard.
October 16, 2011
At one point in this bio, author Jeff Pearlman says Payton cherished the love his fans gave to him but believed it was not real because they did not know the "real" Walter Payton. After getting to know the real Walter Payton through Pearlman's work, I have to say I was shocked at times to see some of the less than heroic behavior of my childhood hero. There are many things I would not have wanted to know as a child. As an adult, however, I am glad to know that Payton was as fallible and as human as the rest of us, yet he still possessed those heroic qualities that made him stand out as something special, as someone who was unforgettable, and not just as a football talent.
This book may tarnish Payton's legacy in the eyes of some, but that wasn't Pearlman's goal. He may not be as beloved in the eyes of some because of some of this book's content, but that's not fair. Those who judge Payton harshly should think of what their own biographies would look like, assuming they were important enough to have biographies written about them.
As for me, Walter Payton is still one of my heroes.
This book may tarnish Payton's legacy in the eyes of some, but that wasn't Pearlman's goal. He may not be as beloved in the eyes of some because of some of this book's content, but that's not fair. Those who judge Payton harshly should think of what their own biographies would look like, assuming they were important enough to have biographies written about them.
As for me, Walter Payton is still one of my heroes.
August 18, 2017
It’s because of Texas that I fell in love with Walter Payton. I had one of those crushes that women often have on sports celebrities, but rarely ever admit to. Yes, I dreamed about Sweetness and me often even as (or perhaps because I was) a married woman with three young children. It was 1985 and I lived in Louisville Kentucky, a wonderful place for fantasies.
Except for a break of three years living in Europe, I spent the first half of my life trying to get the h*ll out of Texas. My childhood consisted of dreaming of NYC, and my adulthood nagging my husband at the time to take the kids and me out of that Godforsaken place. Finally success—we were moving! Well, Kentucky isn’t exactly what I had in mind, but at that point anything would do.
If you’ve not been raised in Texas, or probably anywhere in the southern U.S., you have to know that American football is in your genes. It has to be genetic because there’s no cure for it. I’ve tried; doesn’t work. Not only do you love football, but supporting your HOME TEAM is imperative. If you live near Houston, you are an Oilers fan (Ooops, just told my age!), and if you live near Dallas, you are a Cowboys fan. You are born to a football team, just as you are born to a family. Texans believe that they are born with an invisible tattoo that delineates “Cowboys,” or “Texans” so that when they come to the pearly gates St. Peter can shine his magic light on them and know which line to put them in. Anyway, Kentucky does not have a professional football team.
I don’t remember the exact moment that realized that there was no HOME TEAM, but I do remember that I was just giddy with excitement. Why? Because, for the first time in my life I wasn’t attached at the hip to a specific team. I was going to get to pick any team that I wanted to support. You have no idea how liberated and free that made me feel. After much research and thought, I picked the Chicago Bears, who just happened to win the Super Bowl that season. This was the year of Sweetness, The Refrigerator, Jim McMahon, Mike Singletary (who I called Teddy Ruxpin because that’s who he looked like with his helmet on), Mike Ditka, Buddy Ryan, and others. My Sunday afternoons were spent watching ‘Da Bears, and my Sunday nights were spent dreaming about me and Sweetness. When I heard that Walter Payton had died “waiting for a kidney transplant,” I cried, really cried. It was so sad to me. When I heard about this book, I picked it up because I was hoping that I wouldn’t be so sad anymore. Didn’t work.
First, I kicked myself for not researching his death more. Walter Payton did not die waiting for a liver transplant. He died because he had a rare autoimmune kidney disease which probably lead to bile duct cancer. Once you have bile duct cancer, you are no longer a candidate for transplant. The book does not make it clear whether Payton realized that he was not even on the list, or even if his doctors told him that kidney transplant was not an option! He often spoke in support of organ transplant, leaving one to wonder. The sad part is that he could possibly have had the kidney disease for years before it was discovered, but because he was Walter Payton, ultimate athlete, no one...not his doctors, not himself, not his friends...paid attention to any of the symptoms that he may have had. Even abnormal test results, which usually would set off alarms, were discounted. Sad.
Mr. Pearlman does not sugarcoat Walter Payton, the man, who was moody at best, and definitely not the person you’d expect after seeing that beautiful smile. Apparently he went back and forth between being a happy jokester and a volatile person, between manic and depressive, and always, always insecure, constantly complaining about not being appreciated. Having said that, I have to add that he was also the man that we wanted him to be, loyal and helpful, generous to a fault with his fans, especially the kids, and most especially to the kids who were going through bad times. In the end Walter Payton was human, and a great one at that, which just makes his death all the more sad for me.
Except for a break of three years living in Europe, I spent the first half of my life trying to get the h*ll out of Texas. My childhood consisted of dreaming of NYC, and my adulthood nagging my husband at the time to take the kids and me out of that Godforsaken place. Finally success—we were moving! Well, Kentucky isn’t exactly what I had in mind, but at that point anything would do.
If you’ve not been raised in Texas, or probably anywhere in the southern U.S., you have to know that American football is in your genes. It has to be genetic because there’s no cure for it. I’ve tried; doesn’t work. Not only do you love football, but supporting your HOME TEAM is imperative. If you live near Houston, you are an Oilers fan (Ooops, just told my age!), and if you live near Dallas, you are a Cowboys fan. You are born to a football team, just as you are born to a family. Texans believe that they are born with an invisible tattoo that delineates “Cowboys,” or “Texans” so that when they come to the pearly gates St. Peter can shine his magic light on them and know which line to put them in. Anyway, Kentucky does not have a professional football team.
I don’t remember the exact moment that realized that there was no HOME TEAM, but I do remember that I was just giddy with excitement. Why? Because, for the first time in my life I wasn’t attached at the hip to a specific team. I was going to get to pick any team that I wanted to support. You have no idea how liberated and free that made me feel. After much research and thought, I picked the Chicago Bears, who just happened to win the Super Bowl that season. This was the year of Sweetness, The Refrigerator, Jim McMahon, Mike Singletary (who I called Teddy Ruxpin because that’s who he looked like with his helmet on), Mike Ditka, Buddy Ryan, and others. My Sunday afternoons were spent watching ‘Da Bears, and my Sunday nights were spent dreaming about me and Sweetness. When I heard that Walter Payton had died “waiting for a kidney transplant,” I cried, really cried. It was so sad to me. When I heard about this book, I picked it up because I was hoping that I wouldn’t be so sad anymore. Didn’t work.
First, I kicked myself for not researching his death more. Walter Payton did not die waiting for a liver transplant. He died because he had a rare autoimmune kidney disease which probably lead to bile duct cancer. Once you have bile duct cancer, you are no longer a candidate for transplant. The book does not make it clear whether Payton realized that he was not even on the list, or even if his doctors told him that kidney transplant was not an option! He often spoke in support of organ transplant, leaving one to wonder. The sad part is that he could possibly have had the kidney disease for years before it was discovered, but because he was Walter Payton, ultimate athlete, no one...not his doctors, not himself, not his friends...paid attention to any of the symptoms that he may have had. Even abnormal test results, which usually would set off alarms, were discounted. Sad.
Mr. Pearlman does not sugarcoat Walter Payton, the man, who was moody at best, and definitely not the person you’d expect after seeing that beautiful smile. Apparently he went back and forth between being a happy jokester and a volatile person, between manic and depressive, and always, always insecure, constantly complaining about not being appreciated. Having said that, I have to add that he was also the man that we wanted him to be, loyal and helpful, generous to a fault with his fans, especially the kids, and most especially to the kids who were going through bad times. In the end Walter Payton was human, and a great one at that, which just makes his death all the more sad for me.
January 10, 2021
Oscar Wilde wrote “The truth about the life of a man is not what he does, but the legend which he creates around himself” certainly pertains to the life of Walter Payton as he worked hard and succeeded to be a nearly perfect football hero and role model to millions of fans throughout the nation (especially Chicagoland). Jeff Pearlman shines a bright light in his unflattering biography of a boy raised in poverty ‘rising’ to the highest achievements as a running back for Jackson State and the Chicago Bears before dying a premature death at age 45 from primary sclerosis cholangitis. The author describes Payton’s ‘enigmatic’ personality and behavior as an imperfect man trying to be the perfect role model image and ‘hero’ to his fans, family, and supporters. Despite these imperfections, the author not only gives us an opportunity to know Walter Payton but he gives us reason to ‘love’ Sweetness as the human being and super star he truly was.
September 3, 2022
I really enjoyed this book about Walter Payton. I learned a lot about the man and his life and I felt the author did a great job telling both the positive and negative. Highly recommended for any football or sports fan.
December 29, 2012
Whenever a biography like this one is released, where the subject is no longer living to dispute the sometimes sordid tales within, it will be immediately dismissed by many as gossip trash. For those of you who did that with this book, without taking the time to read it, you are making a huge mistake. My father is quoted several times in this book. He and Walter were great friends when I was a child in Chicago, and I knew many of these controversial revelations at the time they were occurring.
Like many famous athletes, Walter Payton wasn't an angel. He was, however, an incredible athlete and a legendary football player. Ironically, Jeff Pearlman caught a lot of unwarranted flak when he should have been praised for responsibly reporting the facts of Walter's life.
I came away from this book with even more of an appreciation for how hard he worked to become a great player, how much the game has changed, and how all people are flawed in one way or another.
Obviously this book was special for me personally, since I lived through a lot of it. But, if you are a football fan, and especially a Bears fan, I can definitely recommend this book to you.
Like many famous athletes, Walter Payton wasn't an angel. He was, however, an incredible athlete and a legendary football player. Ironically, Jeff Pearlman caught a lot of unwarranted flak when he should have been praised for responsibly reporting the facts of Walter's life.
I came away from this book with even more of an appreciation for how hard he worked to become a great player, how much the game has changed, and how all people are flawed in one way or another.
Obviously this book was special for me personally, since I lived through a lot of it. But, if you are a football fan, and especially a Bears fan, I can definitely recommend this book to you.
October 5, 2012
At the moment I am giving this three stars.
The problem is I don't know how I feel about this book, mostly because I grew up (in Chicago) watching Walter Payton as soon as I was able to comprehend what football was. To me Walter Payton was what football meant as the definition to the actual word. That being said, I didn't go into this book with rose colored glasses on, I knew I was probably going to learn some information that would have been hard to take.
The life of Walter Payton is a very interesting one and the story that unfolds is this book is really well written, but in this day and age of biographies and memoirs that are fabricated and embellished how do we not take the information with a grain of salt? Do we know that every source is being forthright? Is the author asking the right questions? Is he capable of understanding if he is being lied to or not? Are old grudges and animosities coloring the discussion? Are people only speaking because they are trying to defend his legacy or taint it? Is this about truth or legacy, because those two things hardly ever go hand in hand.
I want to believe the information in this book is accurate and that it was put together to show that the legend and the truth are not always the same but also not as bad as we fear. I believe that the author had the best intentions when writing this book, and that he only set out to write a biography of the real Walter Payton, flaws and all.
In doing so I must accept the idea that the Walter Payton within these pages was a man of immense talent and immense immaturity. A person with a childlike spirit as well as a childlike impulse control. A person with natural gifts, an immense work ethic and a drive that made him the best in his field, but also a person insecure and selfish. A person with a me first, gotta-get-my stats attitude, but also a fiercely competitive athlete who hated to lose. A person who made terrible decisions, and maybe didn't appreciate just how amazingly good he had it. There were things in the book that left me awed and there are things in this book that left me flabbergasted.
I guess that is what Walter Payton actually was, an amazing athlete who became a symbol that defined the spirit of competition, a person with a good heart and a good reputation that he was determined to protect everyday even when he was making decision that would have tarnished that reputation if ever discovered. A human being who tried to hide his flaws, who fought for every thing (and yard) he ever got and a man who died far to young - but for some of us will live forever.
Still, the ten-year-old Bears fan in me is having a hard time today.
The problem is I don't know how I feel about this book, mostly because I grew up (in Chicago) watching Walter Payton as soon as I was able to comprehend what football was. To me Walter Payton was what football meant as the definition to the actual word. That being said, I didn't go into this book with rose colored glasses on, I knew I was probably going to learn some information that would have been hard to take.
The life of Walter Payton is a very interesting one and the story that unfolds is this book is really well written, but in this day and age of biographies and memoirs that are fabricated and embellished how do we not take the information with a grain of salt? Do we know that every source is being forthright? Is the author asking the right questions? Is he capable of understanding if he is being lied to or not? Are old grudges and animosities coloring the discussion? Are people only speaking because they are trying to defend his legacy or taint it? Is this about truth or legacy, because those two things hardly ever go hand in hand.
I want to believe the information in this book is accurate and that it was put together to show that the legend and the truth are not always the same but also not as bad as we fear. I believe that the author had the best intentions when writing this book, and that he only set out to write a biography of the real Walter Payton, flaws and all.
In doing so I must accept the idea that the Walter Payton within these pages was a man of immense talent and immense immaturity. A person with a childlike spirit as well as a childlike impulse control. A person with natural gifts, an immense work ethic and a drive that made him the best in his field, but also a person insecure and selfish. A person with a me first, gotta-get-my stats attitude, but also a fiercely competitive athlete who hated to lose. A person who made terrible decisions, and maybe didn't appreciate just how amazingly good he had it. There were things in the book that left me awed and there are things in this book that left me flabbergasted.
I guess that is what Walter Payton actually was, an amazing athlete who became a symbol that defined the spirit of competition, a person with a good heart and a good reputation that he was determined to protect everyday even when he was making decision that would have tarnished that reputation if ever discovered. A human being who tried to hide his flaws, who fought for every thing (and yard) he ever got and a man who died far to young - but for some of us will live forever.
Still, the ten-year-old Bears fan in me is having a hard time today.
November 9, 2016
Sometimes I think I engage sports biographies so I can huffily complain about how mediocre they are. As a rule, they don't portray the depth and contradictions inside their subject. As a rule, they survey seasons about as compellingly as a football card or baseball card as they begin to rattle off numbers. Generally, they don't capture scenes that make particular moments stand out.
This one gives me no room for complaint in any of those respects. Walter Payton comes through as a real person, at once wise and immature, giving and selfish, pious and adulterous. The author allows the reader to move behind Walter Payton in certain of his memorable runs, and the opponents, because of the author's devotion to his craft, are not one-dimensional cutouts who exist to make Walter Payton look spectacular. Because the author is willing to pause long enough to tell us that the guy Walter Payton just ran over is one of the most solid hitters in the game, or even a Hall of Famer, we get a more palpable sense of the strength of Sweetness. This kind of descriptive objectivity extends to force the reader to be present for Walter Payton's father's autopsy and for his own physical demise, but the overall work is moving as a result.
This one gives me no room for complaint in any of those respects. Walter Payton comes through as a real person, at once wise and immature, giving and selfish, pious and adulterous. The author allows the reader to move behind Walter Payton in certain of his memorable runs, and the opponents, because of the author's devotion to his craft, are not one-dimensional cutouts who exist to make Walter Payton look spectacular. Because the author is willing to pause long enough to tell us that the guy Walter Payton just ran over is one of the most solid hitters in the game, or even a Hall of Famer, we get a more palpable sense of the strength of Sweetness. This kind of descriptive objectivity extends to force the reader to be present for Walter Payton's father's autopsy and for his own physical demise, but the overall work is moving as a result.
February 2, 2012
Once again Jeff Pearlman delivers a great book, this time on the great running back Walter Payton, who may very well be the best football player of all time, but he was far from perfect as a person. Very, very well researched and a heartbreaking story in that Payton was not ALWAYS the great person I've thought he was in the past. This book brings some things to life that were not always known by fans. Pearlman doesn't really offer his opinion though, he constantly backs up facts with quotes from other people, whether it be family, friends, teammates, buisness partners or someone else to prove his point. Pearlman caught some flak from writing this story, but I'm still glad there are reporters out there who will dig where nobody else will did and tell a story that hasn't been told or people have been too afraid to tell. A must for football fans, although Bears fans may want to stay away from if they want to continue to believe Walter Payton was perfect. Nobody is perfect. Can't wait to read the next one by Pearlman, who has also written great ones like "The Bad Guys Won" and "Boys will be Boys."
January 4, 2012
First book I have read about Payton and thoroughly enjoyed the read. At times I was disgusted and other times near tears as his life unfolded. Appeared to be fair with what Pearlman had to work with--Payton met with him at the end of his life, his son and wife would not speak to him.. Payton's assistants apparently were willing to share their experiences with the man and allowed the reader an insight.
January 7, 2012
Pearlman expends so much time and effort conjuring Payton's dark side and personal eccentricities that he shortchanges Payton's (possible the greatest all-around football player to ever play the game)singular genius as a player.
August 20, 2023
Jeff Pearlman’s detailed, thoroughly researched yet also thoroughly readable biography “Sweetness” makes eminently clear. Perfect athletes are perfect people only in adolescent biographies.
Jeff Pearlman is an American sportswriter who has wrote for Sports Illustrated and written multiple sports biography books. He seems to like writing about iconic teams and players, such as the 1986 Mets, The Lakers and Cowboys and players like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Brett Favre. I think he needs to update the Favre one. The current HBO show - Winning Time credits Pearlman’s book.
Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton stands as one of the most engaging, thoroughly researched, and frank football books imaginable. Pearlman said he interviewed 678 people for the book, which he worked on for 2 ½ years. Sweetness chronicles Payton's life, from his childhood in segregated Mississippi, to his college years at Jackson State, to his 13-year NFL career and his post-Bears life.
The “Sweetness” nickname, interestingly, stemmed not from his outwardly sunny and playful personality, but from something that occurred during a practice for a college all-star team. While eluding a would-be tackler, he yelled out to the defender, “Your sweetness is your weakness!” So a rather uneventful creation of a nickname, but it did play into a persona that Walter wanted people to believe.
There are certain Chicago institutions that an outsider simply does not mess with. Walter Payton tops the list, not only as the quintessential Chicago Bear but also as the dependable, durable, tough-minded embodiment of how Chicagoans like to view themselves. Pearlman got a flack at the time this book was released.
Pearlman did not set out to expose Payton but to understand him, to identify and define the qualities that made him so appealing. He was a football-playing hero to millions, true, but he was also a human being of considerable complexity. There’s a story in how those two sides intersected, and a skilled biographer like Pearlman is, gets to that story.
He wasn’t the fastest or biggest running back, but Chicago fans learned he was the best all-around runner, blocker and receiver, and probably one of the best players, pound for pound, in the history of professional football.
Payton, a child of the South, grew up in the tumultuous era of civil rights and integration. In his senior year, his high school was integrated, and racial tensions divided the football team. Although he was an outstanding prospect, Payton’s path to major colleges was blocked by an unwritten racial quota. Instead, he attended Jackson State College, a traditional “black university.” After an outstanding college career, the Chicago Bears made him the fourth overall selection in the 1975 draft.
I grew up in Chicago in the 70’s. Walter Payton was the only sports poster I had in my room as a kid. Payton gained my admiration and almost all Bears fans because, he gained yardage behind offensive lines that were mediocre at best, his margin not just talent but a toughness fostered by his own grueling work ethic: He ran up hills and stadium stands in season and off and sprinted after each practice play. He embodied toughness. In Walter’s prime, he played for terrible Bears teams where defenses always zoned in on him, because he was the offense. Things started to change in the early 80’s when Mike Ditka became coach, and the Bears finally drafted a talented QB in Jim McMahon.
The 1985 Bears won the Super Bowl and are remembered as one of the most iconic teams in NFL history. They went 15 – 1 that year. After their only loss to Miami, Payton initially refused to participate with teammates in taping “The famous Super Bowl Shuffle” video. He later was taped against a blue screen and his image spliced into the smash-hit, rap song project, a natural for a guy who had once been a finalist in the national “Soul Train” dance competition while in college. What makes this such a fascinating read, even after growing up following Walter Payton, as a kid, time after time in this book I was learning new things about him, both good and bad.
Now for some of the bad. After the 46-10 Bears win over the New England Patriots, still the most one-sided Super Bowl game in history, represents the riddle that was Walter Payton. This championship should have been the pinnacle of his career. Instead, he ended the game in tears because he had not been given the opportunity to score a touchdown. Afterwards, his agent and friend, Bud Holmes, was forced to cajole him to appear before the media. He somehow did after Holmes talked him into it. The weird thing about the 1985 team, as far as pop culture at the time was that Walter was in 4th place behind Ditka, McMahon and The Fridge. This is not even counting Buddy Ryan and the 46 defense. What a team!
As for Payton's 23-year marriage to Connie, Pearlman says that "it was a union solely in name." Walter's extramarital dalliances were becoming common knowledge throughout Chicago. Says his longtime friend Ron Atlas, "Walter knew that if he left Connie, all the work he'd done to his image would go by the wayside."
In retirement without football, he became deeply depressed. “Payton found himself burdened by a realization that had struck thousands of ex-athletes before him: I am bored out of my mind,’ Pearlman writes. Walter loved to drive fast, and he took up race car driving and suffered a severe injury that scared his daughter Brittany.
Despite his apparent affability and often-gifted platform presence, he was often lonely; his close friends on the Bears were a short list, chiefly running back Roland Harper and, later, fullback Matt Suhey. We learn too that his marriage to Connie Payton was marred by his attraction to a succession of other women and that he was prone to pain killers and depression, made manifest in suicide threats unreported in the press.
It would have been more so if Payton hadn’t used painkillers to cope with the damage done to his body over 13 seasons of high-speed, never-back-down NFL collisions. And life after football had to be a letdown for anyone who had heard the cheers that Payton heard and felt the rush Payton felt Sunday after Sunday for those 13 years. It was never revealed if Walter suffered from concussions. All the people who saw him play would probably agree that if he had a concussion, he was not sitting down.
Payton was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. At his Hall of Fame induction — which should have been a highlight in his life — his wife sat in the front row. And his flight attendant girlfriend sat in the second. His longtime assistant was in charge of keeping them apart. The last 10 years of Walter’s life, he lived apart from Connie. They were never divorced. It seems the main reason being is that Walter was marketed as a family man.
The last part of the book covers Payton’s rare illness. Payton had primary sclerosing cholangitis, a rare and deadly liver disease. The cause of it was unknown and so was the cure. The hardships he went through, the unrealized hope for a liver transplant that would never come, how he knew, deep inside, that he was going to die. Despite that, he kept going until he no longer could. He contacted old teammates and friends. He faced everything as he always did, with pride and determination. He died of bile duct cancer in 1999.
Pearlman claims his portrait of Payton is not meant to be exploitative, and that the 678 interviews he conducted were a reflection of his desire to tell a fascinating life story well. The end result: He came to love Payton, not for his insecurities and shortcomings, but for his sheer humanity. “I love what he overcame, I love what he accomplished, I love what he symbolized, and I love the nooks and crannies and complexities,” Pearlman concludes in the book’s final paragraph.
He had a reputation for being kind-hearted and caring and knew the names of ballboys and team interns ¬– and even where they went to school. The NFL has honored his memory by naming its annual player community service award the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
Off the field at his best, Walter understood celebrity and embraced its demands, going beyond mere autograph-signing to introduce himself to people on the street with a warm, “Hi, I’m Walter – Walter Payton.” He would lend support to those players who were unlikely to make the roster, giving them a kind word or a reassuring pep talk. He also spent many a day visiting children in hospitals and for the most part did it without publicity.
This is an extremely detailed and well researched book. Potential readers… regardless of their (fan) team affiliation should not hold it against the author for telling the truth. The writing style… even when describing Payton’s deep foibles is never done in a malicious “Hollywood” gossip column manner. Yes, Payton used drugs and committed adultery. He was not the perfect father or husband the media portrayed. But in that regard, he is no different from most professional athletes and indeed no different from most people.
Jeff Pearlman is an American sportswriter who has wrote for Sports Illustrated and written multiple sports biography books. He seems to like writing about iconic teams and players, such as the 1986 Mets, The Lakers and Cowboys and players like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Brett Favre. I think he needs to update the Favre one. The current HBO show - Winning Time credits Pearlman’s book.
Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton stands as one of the most engaging, thoroughly researched, and frank football books imaginable. Pearlman said he interviewed 678 people for the book, which he worked on for 2 ½ years. Sweetness chronicles Payton's life, from his childhood in segregated Mississippi, to his college years at Jackson State, to his 13-year NFL career and his post-Bears life.
The “Sweetness” nickname, interestingly, stemmed not from his outwardly sunny and playful personality, but from something that occurred during a practice for a college all-star team. While eluding a would-be tackler, he yelled out to the defender, “Your sweetness is your weakness!” So a rather uneventful creation of a nickname, but it did play into a persona that Walter wanted people to believe.
There are certain Chicago institutions that an outsider simply does not mess with. Walter Payton tops the list, not only as the quintessential Chicago Bear but also as the dependable, durable, tough-minded embodiment of how Chicagoans like to view themselves. Pearlman got a flack at the time this book was released.
Pearlman did not set out to expose Payton but to understand him, to identify and define the qualities that made him so appealing. He was a football-playing hero to millions, true, but he was also a human being of considerable complexity. There’s a story in how those two sides intersected, and a skilled biographer like Pearlman is, gets to that story.
He wasn’t the fastest or biggest running back, but Chicago fans learned he was the best all-around runner, blocker and receiver, and probably one of the best players, pound for pound, in the history of professional football.
Payton, a child of the South, grew up in the tumultuous era of civil rights and integration. In his senior year, his high school was integrated, and racial tensions divided the football team. Although he was an outstanding prospect, Payton’s path to major colleges was blocked by an unwritten racial quota. Instead, he attended Jackson State College, a traditional “black university.” After an outstanding college career, the Chicago Bears made him the fourth overall selection in the 1975 draft.
I grew up in Chicago in the 70’s. Walter Payton was the only sports poster I had in my room as a kid. Payton gained my admiration and almost all Bears fans because, he gained yardage behind offensive lines that were mediocre at best, his margin not just talent but a toughness fostered by his own grueling work ethic: He ran up hills and stadium stands in season and off and sprinted after each practice play. He embodied toughness. In Walter’s prime, he played for terrible Bears teams where defenses always zoned in on him, because he was the offense. Things started to change in the early 80’s when Mike Ditka became coach, and the Bears finally drafted a talented QB in Jim McMahon.
The 1985 Bears won the Super Bowl and are remembered as one of the most iconic teams in NFL history. They went 15 – 1 that year. After their only loss to Miami, Payton initially refused to participate with teammates in taping “The famous Super Bowl Shuffle” video. He later was taped against a blue screen and his image spliced into the smash-hit, rap song project, a natural for a guy who had once been a finalist in the national “Soul Train” dance competition while in college. What makes this such a fascinating read, even after growing up following Walter Payton, as a kid, time after time in this book I was learning new things about him, both good and bad.
Now for some of the bad. After the 46-10 Bears win over the New England Patriots, still the most one-sided Super Bowl game in history, represents the riddle that was Walter Payton. This championship should have been the pinnacle of his career. Instead, he ended the game in tears because he had not been given the opportunity to score a touchdown. Afterwards, his agent and friend, Bud Holmes, was forced to cajole him to appear before the media. He somehow did after Holmes talked him into it. The weird thing about the 1985 team, as far as pop culture at the time was that Walter was in 4th place behind Ditka, McMahon and The Fridge. This is not even counting Buddy Ryan and the 46 defense. What a team!
As for Payton's 23-year marriage to Connie, Pearlman says that "it was a union solely in name." Walter's extramarital dalliances were becoming common knowledge throughout Chicago. Says his longtime friend Ron Atlas, "Walter knew that if he left Connie, all the work he'd done to his image would go by the wayside."
In retirement without football, he became deeply depressed. “Payton found himself burdened by a realization that had struck thousands of ex-athletes before him: I am bored out of my mind,’ Pearlman writes. Walter loved to drive fast, and he took up race car driving and suffered a severe injury that scared his daughter Brittany.
Despite his apparent affability and often-gifted platform presence, he was often lonely; his close friends on the Bears were a short list, chiefly running back Roland Harper and, later, fullback Matt Suhey. We learn too that his marriage to Connie Payton was marred by his attraction to a succession of other women and that he was prone to pain killers and depression, made manifest in suicide threats unreported in the press.
It would have been more so if Payton hadn’t used painkillers to cope with the damage done to his body over 13 seasons of high-speed, never-back-down NFL collisions. And life after football had to be a letdown for anyone who had heard the cheers that Payton heard and felt the rush Payton felt Sunday after Sunday for those 13 years. It was never revealed if Walter suffered from concussions. All the people who saw him play would probably agree that if he had a concussion, he was not sitting down.
Payton was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. At his Hall of Fame induction — which should have been a highlight in his life — his wife sat in the front row. And his flight attendant girlfriend sat in the second. His longtime assistant was in charge of keeping them apart. The last 10 years of Walter’s life, he lived apart from Connie. They were never divorced. It seems the main reason being is that Walter was marketed as a family man.
The last part of the book covers Payton’s rare illness. Payton had primary sclerosing cholangitis, a rare and deadly liver disease. The cause of it was unknown and so was the cure. The hardships he went through, the unrealized hope for a liver transplant that would never come, how he knew, deep inside, that he was going to die. Despite that, he kept going until he no longer could. He contacted old teammates and friends. He faced everything as he always did, with pride and determination. He died of bile duct cancer in 1999.
Pearlman claims his portrait of Payton is not meant to be exploitative, and that the 678 interviews he conducted were a reflection of his desire to tell a fascinating life story well. The end result: He came to love Payton, not for his insecurities and shortcomings, but for his sheer humanity. “I love what he overcame, I love what he accomplished, I love what he symbolized, and I love the nooks and crannies and complexities,” Pearlman concludes in the book’s final paragraph.
He had a reputation for being kind-hearted and caring and knew the names of ballboys and team interns ¬– and even where they went to school. The NFL has honored his memory by naming its annual player community service award the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
Off the field at his best, Walter understood celebrity and embraced its demands, going beyond mere autograph-signing to introduce himself to people on the street with a warm, “Hi, I’m Walter – Walter Payton.” He would lend support to those players who were unlikely to make the roster, giving them a kind word or a reassuring pep talk. He also spent many a day visiting children in hospitals and for the most part did it without publicity.
This is an extremely detailed and well researched book. Potential readers… regardless of their (fan) team affiliation should not hold it against the author for telling the truth. The writing style… even when describing Payton’s deep foibles is never done in a malicious “Hollywood” gossip column manner. Yes, Payton used drugs and committed adultery. He was not the perfect father or husband the media portrayed. But in that regard, he is no different from most professional athletes and indeed no different from most people.
April 22, 2016
This book has had a huge impact on who I want to be when I grow up. Walter Payton has done so many things that he knows will benefit him and get him closer to his dreams. This book, and Mr. Payton, has told me that things don't become easy but do become possible. I rate this book a five star and recommend it to everyone.
October 31, 2011
This book was honest and real. Everyone has darkness and secrets, while this book opened my eyes to one of my favorite sports stars, it also made me respect him a bit more because he wasn't perfect. He struggled deeply but it still one of my hero's!
August 17, 2025
3.45/5
Not sure if I have felt more spilt over a novel before. I loved the majority of the stories and random things about Walter Payton that I had never heard. He was a freak of an athlete and it was fascinating hearing about his background and life. But I did not like the author’s writing: he was super cheesy, tried to be clever but came across as trying too hard, and overall interpreted Walter Payton’s life in ways that didn’t make much sense to me. The author clearly did his homework and I appreciate that but took too many liberties.
Would recommend to anyone who is wanting to hear some fun stories about a legendary NFL player but make sure to skim the parts that are dull.
Not sure if I have felt more spilt over a novel before. I loved the majority of the stories and random things about Walter Payton that I had never heard. He was a freak of an athlete and it was fascinating hearing about his background and life. But I did not like the author’s writing: he was super cheesy, tried to be clever but came across as trying too hard, and overall interpreted Walter Payton’s life in ways that didn’t make much sense to me. The author clearly did his homework and I appreciate that but took too many liberties.
Would recommend to anyone who is wanting to hear some fun stories about a legendary NFL player but make sure to skim the parts that are dull.
November 29, 2023
There may not be a better source of information about the greatest running back of all time according to Bears fans and many others. Sad to read about struggles he faced and certain decisions he faced in life, but I now know more about the legendary football player my dad and the generation before me grew up watching.
January 7, 2025
I was eleven years old watching the 85-86 Bears destroy the Patriots in Super Bowl XX. Even as a fledgling sports fan, I knew I witnessed something special. That team was loaded, and their leader was one of the greatest running backs of all time. Despite being on the downside of his outstanding career, Walter Payton immediately became my favorite player. I didn't know at the time that for years, he toiled on putrid teams like OJ before him and Barry after him. I'm glad he at least won a ring, even though he didn't score a touchdown in the big game. This book exposes the man behind the myth, and like so many heroes, Payton didn't always live up to the hype. Who really could? I prefer to remember his greatness on the football field.
April 5, 2018
a raw, incredibly honest look at one of the greatest football players of all-time who died way too soon. while not as scandalous as his other books, it was so beautiful at the end
September 29, 2013
Rating:
4 1/2 of 5 stars (excellent)
Review:
Having seen Walter Payton play football in his prime and admiring what he did on the field, I was interested in reading this biography written by a well-known and respected writer for Sports Illustrated. It turns out there was a lot more to the man than the image that was portrayed as the hard-working football player and dedicated Christian and family man.
The research and detail in this book was very good. Pearlman talked to many of Payton’s teammates in high school and college. The section on Payton’s time at Jackson State was quite impressive in its detail – such as the details of some of the practices endured by the players. When he turns pro with the Chicago Bears, the ups and downs of not only Payton but the entire team is well researched as well. The reader learns why Payton struggled at times because the Bears team was not very good.
What makes the book even better, however, is Pearlman’s account of Payton’s life off the field, both during his youth and his adulthood. Very often biographies of professional athletes will reveal unknown characteristics about the athlete that most fans did not know existed. This is no exception. The best way to describe this aspect of the book is conflicting. Payton is trying to live the proper Christian life, but has many sessions of infidelity, including fathering a child with someone other than his wife. He is at times portrayed as an egomaniac, but yet will always visit sick children in hospitals when called upon. He is often portrayed as a great team player, yet is shown to be sulking about individual slights, whether real or perceived. The best story of that was during Super Bowl XX, when he was livid that William “Refrigerator” Perry, a defensive lineman, was given the ball to score the last touchdown of that game instead of him.
This is a well researched, well written biography of the running back who many believe to be the greatest to ever play in the NFL.
Did I skim?
No.
Did I learn something new?
Yes. The most interesting (or shocking, depending on your viewpoint) was the revelation of Payton’s infidelity and hard-partying lifestyle well after his playing days were over. It is not all that shocking when any athlete lives like that while playing and especially when on the road, but that Payton did this while being portrayed as an ideal family man was quite eye-opening.
Pace of the book:
Excellent. The transitions between football and off-the-field portions were smooth and the book was told in chronological order.
Positives:
The research and detail are the outstanding aspects of this book, but in addition, I believed the manner in which Pearlman presented topics that could be controversial or troubling, such as Payton’s cheating, the way in which he treated his assistants, or his drug and alcohol use, was done with sensitivity and in a non-judgmental manner.
Negatives:
There weren’t any glaring negatives about the book. The closest I could come to one was that at times, the reader could believe that the author is bashing Payton too much on his lifestyle choices, especially concerning the lack of time he spent with his son born out of wedlock. However, once the reader finishes the book and everything is covered, this turns out to be simply another chapter in a complicated life of a complicated man.
Do I recommend?
Yes, for any football fan or reader who enjoys biographies.
4 1/2 of 5 stars (excellent)
Review:
Having seen Walter Payton play football in his prime and admiring what he did on the field, I was interested in reading this biography written by a well-known and respected writer for Sports Illustrated. It turns out there was a lot more to the man than the image that was portrayed as the hard-working football player and dedicated Christian and family man.
The research and detail in this book was very good. Pearlman talked to many of Payton’s teammates in high school and college. The section on Payton’s time at Jackson State was quite impressive in its detail – such as the details of some of the practices endured by the players. When he turns pro with the Chicago Bears, the ups and downs of not only Payton but the entire team is well researched as well. The reader learns why Payton struggled at times because the Bears team was not very good.
What makes the book even better, however, is Pearlman’s account of Payton’s life off the field, both during his youth and his adulthood. Very often biographies of professional athletes will reveal unknown characteristics about the athlete that most fans did not know existed. This is no exception. The best way to describe this aspect of the book is conflicting. Payton is trying to live the proper Christian life, but has many sessions of infidelity, including fathering a child with someone other than his wife. He is at times portrayed as an egomaniac, but yet will always visit sick children in hospitals when called upon. He is often portrayed as a great team player, yet is shown to be sulking about individual slights, whether real or perceived. The best story of that was during Super Bowl XX, when he was livid that William “Refrigerator” Perry, a defensive lineman, was given the ball to score the last touchdown of that game instead of him.
This is a well researched, well written biography of the running back who many believe to be the greatest to ever play in the NFL.
Did I skim?
No.
Did I learn something new?
Yes. The most interesting (or shocking, depending on your viewpoint) was the revelation of Payton’s infidelity and hard-partying lifestyle well after his playing days were over. It is not all that shocking when any athlete lives like that while playing and especially when on the road, but that Payton did this while being portrayed as an ideal family man was quite eye-opening.
Pace of the book:
Excellent. The transitions between football and off-the-field portions were smooth and the book was told in chronological order.
Positives:
The research and detail are the outstanding aspects of this book, but in addition, I believed the manner in which Pearlman presented topics that could be controversial or troubling, such as Payton’s cheating, the way in which he treated his assistants, or his drug and alcohol use, was done with sensitivity and in a non-judgmental manner.
Negatives:
There weren’t any glaring negatives about the book. The closest I could come to one was that at times, the reader could believe that the author is bashing Payton too much on his lifestyle choices, especially concerning the lack of time he spent with his son born out of wedlock. However, once the reader finishes the book and everything is covered, this turns out to be simply another chapter in a complicated life of a complicated man.
Do I recommend?
Yes, for any football fan or reader who enjoys biographies.
September 20, 2024
Interesting, but also sad and depressing...
November 15, 2011
“Sweetness” (The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton) by Jeff Pearlman, published by Gotham Books.
Category – Sports/Biography
Walter Payton was born in segregated rural Mississippi. It is strange that football was really an afterthought. His brother Eddie was the football player, Walter played drums in the band. It was not until his junior year in High School that Walter grabbed a football and was on his way to making sports history.
Many big name colleges did everything to sign Walter but he decided to go to Jackson State College where his brother Eddie was a standout player. After completing college Walter entered the NFL draft. He was picked by the lowly Chicago Bears. Most of the players on the Bears team were never to be’s or has been’s. They relegated playing football secondary to having a good time. Walter quickly became a stand out for the Bears, even though losing came more often than winning. Payton was able to accumulate yardage when the offensive line did little to open up running room for him.
George Halas, the Bears owner, was known for his miserly ways and player’s salaries were low and the facilities were horrible. Walter, because he was the Chicago Bears did better than most when it came to pay checks. He was also adored by the Bears supporters and found that meals, drinks, and women were free. Payton, and this is not unusual, succumbed to the temptation of being a super star. Although he was married and had several children (one out of wedlock) he was never truly a husband or father. It is ironic that he was awarded Chicago’s Father of the Year by the Illinois Fatherhood Institute.
Walter only got to the Super Bowl once and it was a disappointment to him. With all records he amassed he was unable to score a touchdown in his one Super Bowl appearance.
This is a well done biography that should be read by everyone, not just the sports fan. It is without a doubt and absolute must for the Chicago Bear football fan. The story is told with compassion and honesty.
Category – Sports/Biography
Walter Payton was born in segregated rural Mississippi. It is strange that football was really an afterthought. His brother Eddie was the football player, Walter played drums in the band. It was not until his junior year in High School that Walter grabbed a football and was on his way to making sports history.
Many big name colleges did everything to sign Walter but he decided to go to Jackson State College where his brother Eddie was a standout player. After completing college Walter entered the NFL draft. He was picked by the lowly Chicago Bears. Most of the players on the Bears team were never to be’s or has been’s. They relegated playing football secondary to having a good time. Walter quickly became a stand out for the Bears, even though losing came more often than winning. Payton was able to accumulate yardage when the offensive line did little to open up running room for him.
George Halas, the Bears owner, was known for his miserly ways and player’s salaries were low and the facilities were horrible. Walter, because he was the Chicago Bears did better than most when it came to pay checks. He was also adored by the Bears supporters and found that meals, drinks, and women were free. Payton, and this is not unusual, succumbed to the temptation of being a super star. Although he was married and had several children (one out of wedlock) he was never truly a husband or father. It is ironic that he was awarded Chicago’s Father of the Year by the Illinois Fatherhood Institute.
Walter only got to the Super Bowl once and it was a disappointment to him. With all records he amassed he was unable to score a touchdown in his one Super Bowl appearance.
This is a well done biography that should be read by everyone, not just the sports fan. It is without a doubt and absolute must for the Chicago Bear football fan. The story is told with compassion and honesty.
February 17, 2013
Reading through the entirety of this book, along with many of the points being disputed by the family, it's hard to tell how accurate all these stories were. Like most contrasting stories, I'm sure the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
If you haven't read the book, Pearlman paints a picture of a flawed, insecure, somewhat selfish, and womanizing profile of one of the greatest athletes of our generation. With his shining, friendly and caring persona always being portrayed by the media, this is a side the general public has never heard of, and reserved for only a select few who knew Payton best (of which, Pearlman is convinced that wasn't many).
I could go on and on about this book, but I won't......cause it's late, and I'm tired....but reading that Payton was just as flawed as the rest of us (and more so, according to this book) throws a dose of reality at the reader, and looks to remind us that even the "greats" aren't perfect, and are susceptible to many of the faults that many of the shit bag athletes today have.
Regardless of these, Walter Payton has, and always will be my favorite athlete of all time, across all sports genres, not because of his records, but because of his tenacity to be the best if all time......the have been plenty of running backs that are faster (OJ and Sayers) stronger (Jim Brown), more elusive (B. sanders, Faulk).....but NONE put all that together and became the greatest football player of all time....with a combination of talent, drive, and character......even after the "above average" Emmit Smith broke his all time rushing record.......the majority of average, everyday fans continue to think that Payton still is the NFLs all time leader in rushing.....and that tells a story all in itself........
If you haven't read the book, Pearlman paints a picture of a flawed, insecure, somewhat selfish, and womanizing profile of one of the greatest athletes of our generation. With his shining, friendly and caring persona always being portrayed by the media, this is a side the general public has never heard of, and reserved for only a select few who knew Payton best (of which, Pearlman is convinced that wasn't many).
I could go on and on about this book, but I won't......cause it's late, and I'm tired....but reading that Payton was just as flawed as the rest of us (and more so, according to this book) throws a dose of reality at the reader, and looks to remind us that even the "greats" aren't perfect, and are susceptible to many of the faults that many of the shit bag athletes today have.
Regardless of these, Walter Payton has, and always will be my favorite athlete of all time, across all sports genres, not because of his records, but because of his tenacity to be the best if all time......the have been plenty of running backs that are faster (OJ and Sayers) stronger (Jim Brown), more elusive (B. sanders, Faulk).....but NONE put all that together and became the greatest football player of all time....with a combination of talent, drive, and character......even after the "above average" Emmit Smith broke his all time rushing record.......the majority of average, everyday fans continue to think that Payton still is the NFLs all time leader in rushing.....and that tells a story all in itself........
January 16, 2019
I wanted to hate this book. I certainly wasn't going to buy it. I grew up with Walter Payton as my greatest hero. His portraits adorn my law office today. When this book came out, I read about the backlash against the book, about how it dug up dirt on my hero. But this Christmas, the book was given to my a friend who didn't know my revulsion to the book. So what do I do? Trash it?
No, I took it on vacation and started reading it, curious about just how distasteful it was. And to my surprise, it wasn't. The author, Pearlman, is clearly a fan just as myself. He saw the same wonderful things in the man as I saw when I was eight and watching Payton give his all every play. So I read through the whole thing, hating to put it down.
But ... Pearlman paints a whole picture. At times he told me things I don't think I needed to know, but overall, it made me understand Payton much more than I ever did. And even at that, he's hard to understand. Some contrasts in his behavior defy my amateur understanding of psychology. But as Pearlman stated at the end of the book, the most remarkable thing about Payton was despite all the turmoil going on inside him, he never lost sight of his responsibility towards fans. He didn't just indulge their requests, he went so far and beyond their expectations regularly. Pearlman includes many examples of this, and I cannot imagine how many other examples were left on the cutting room floor.
I'd encourage people to read this book. Having written one published book myself, I can appreciate to work and care Pearlman put into this publication. I regret resisting it for so long.
No, I took it on vacation and started reading it, curious about just how distasteful it was. And to my surprise, it wasn't. The author, Pearlman, is clearly a fan just as myself. He saw the same wonderful things in the man as I saw when I was eight and watching Payton give his all every play. So I read through the whole thing, hating to put it down.
But ... Pearlman paints a whole picture. At times he told me things I don't think I needed to know, but overall, it made me understand Payton much more than I ever did. And even at that, he's hard to understand. Some contrasts in his behavior defy my amateur understanding of psychology. But as Pearlman stated at the end of the book, the most remarkable thing about Payton was despite all the turmoil going on inside him, he never lost sight of his responsibility towards fans. He didn't just indulge their requests, he went so far and beyond their expectations regularly. Pearlman includes many examples of this, and I cannot imagine how many other examples were left on the cutting room floor.
I'd encourage people to read this book. Having written one published book myself, I can appreciate to work and care Pearlman put into this publication. I regret resisting it for so long.
March 20, 2012
i never try to expect too much out of a sports book -- but some proper grammar, an editor with a sense of spelling, and more dispassion would have been welcome... nevertheless, there's nothing in here that deserved excoriation from a content perspective -- as much as my wide-eyed 10 year old self would have hated to learn that my idol on the football field wasn't god reincarnate, my grown-up 37 year old self would have hated it much more if he had been...
walter payton, like many of us, was a complex person who happened to excel in a discipline that demanded a certain image... he cultivated the image and often lived the part -- but, again, like many of us, was fallible... is it nice to cheat on your wife? no, but if the marriage had disintegrated, there are lots of shades of grey in which both parties can make do... is it nice not to acknowledge a child born out of wedlock? no, but again, complex people have complex motives... none of this is an excuse -- all of it is a statement of the fact that walter payton was just flesh and blood like the rest of us...
i cried the day he died -- i remember what i was wearing, where i heard, what the light in the room was like, everything -- and i often mist up when reminded of his death... we all have childhood idols, and he was mine... when he died, i was forced to realize time moves on for all of us, and not for the first or last time... he deserved a better executed biography than this -- but for now, it's all we've got...
walter payton, like many of us, was a complex person who happened to excel in a discipline that demanded a certain image... he cultivated the image and often lived the part -- but, again, like many of us, was fallible... is it nice to cheat on your wife? no, but if the marriage had disintegrated, there are lots of shades of grey in which both parties can make do... is it nice not to acknowledge a child born out of wedlock? no, but again, complex people have complex motives... none of this is an excuse -- all of it is a statement of the fact that walter payton was just flesh and blood like the rest of us...
i cried the day he died -- i remember what i was wearing, where i heard, what the light in the room was like, everything -- and i often mist up when reminded of his death... we all have childhood idols, and he was mine... when he died, i was forced to realize time moves on for all of us, and not for the first or last time... he deserved a better executed biography than this -- but for now, it's all we've got...
February 17, 2012
A better title might have been Sweetness: The Boring Sports Illustrated Version of Walter Payton's Life With An Unbelievably Detailed Focus On Mississippi High School Football, His Coaches' Irrelevant Life Stories, and Other Minutiae.
I love a good biography and I love football and I am a die-hard Chicago Bears fan, so this book should have been right up my alley. It was part what you would expect from a celebrity biography and partly an expose of Payton's shortcomings as a person, partner, parent, and athlete, none of which were shocking or brand-new information. Athletes cheat on their wives! Sometimes rich and famous people struggle with fame!
The parts that I liked were really good (Mississippi high school integration, his college decision-making process, the influence of his older brother throughout his life and career), but the rest was hard to read for a number of reasons. Payton was long ago revealed to be a flawed hero, so I would have liked to read more about his influence on the game and less about his personal demons as described by anonymous sources.
I love a good biography and I love football and I am a die-hard Chicago Bears fan, so this book should have been right up my alley. It was part what you would expect from a celebrity biography and partly an expose of Payton's shortcomings as a person, partner, parent, and athlete, none of which were shocking or brand-new information. Athletes cheat on their wives! Sometimes rich and famous people struggle with fame!
The parts that I liked were really good (Mississippi high school integration, his college decision-making process, the influence of his older brother throughout his life and career), but the rest was hard to read for a number of reasons. Payton was long ago revealed to be a flawed hero, so I would have liked to read more about his influence on the game and less about his personal demons as described by anonymous sources.
November 17, 2011
I enjoyed Sweetness--The Enigmatic Life Of Walter Payton a lot! It tells the story of the life of Walter Payton aka Sweetness, a football player. I especially liked hearing from all the players he played with and against as well as the details of his life off the field were fantastic and enjoyable. It must have taken a lot of research to write such a book. It seemed he left nothing out! If you are a football fan, I think you will love this book!
(Gerard's review)
(Gerard's review)
December 16, 2011
I should stop being surprised that biographies reveal pop culture and sports heroes as jerks. My admiration for Michael Jordan was sapped by "The Jordan Rules," and the same thing happened here. It's not that there isn't a lot to like and admire about Payton and it's not that I claim to be above "jerkhood" myself. It's just that Walter was not the "Man of the Year" that I thought he was.
April 12, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “ANOTHER BIOGRAPHY OF ONE OF THE NFL’S GREATS UPDATED WITH SOME BAD “GAME PLANS” IN LIFE”
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Any true NFL fan regardless of what team he roots for will acknowledge that Gale “Sweetness” Payton was one of the absolute greatest players in history. There’s no need to argue whether he was the absolute best or not… because there is simply no argument that he truly deserved the accolade of being a true superstar. The fact that the author Jeff Pearlman performs his usual precise… exhaustive… behind the scenes… “Detective” work… which included ***SIX-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-EIGHT*** interviews… would make it almost impossible to not turn up some “dirt”… or less than role-model-images of Payton. Besides the fact that Payton’s enormous non-stop-extra-marital sex romps can be deemed salacious… even in today’s scandalous times… either way the author has the responsibility to report them. The days of reporters traveling with teams on trains and sharing boozy, whore filled nights with Babe Ruth… and not reporting them are as far gone as the American League without designated hitters and football where the ref’s didn’t put a dress on the quarterback in terms of preventing real hitting.
More importantly to sports fans who have read other biographies of Payton, such as *NEVER DIE EASY*… which I thought was a tremendous book when published in 2000… though of course this book with the benefit of eleven more years passing… would have much more detail available… since I have found it’s human nature for people to speak more freely without having the biographical subject “looking” over your shoulder and also having the potential to confront an interviewee. But I find it pretty bold for the author to state in the prologue of this book: “WHY, HIS OWN AUTOBIOGRAPHY, NEVER DIE EASY, IS-BY THE ESTIMATES OF HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS-40 PERCENT FICTION.”
Note: Regarding the post-death biography scenario I listed above… I can’t wait to see a book of this type that may come out on Al Davis.
Payton’s early life in Mississippi and high school and college ball brings very little surprises, but the total sham of a marriage with his wife was dissected in such detail… that the end result shows what kind of absolute phony fronts that many of our public figures fool us with. In addition to Walter’s constant philandering that would easily put him in the company of Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson… his use of drugs throughout his career and into retirement is pretty sad. From munching on pain pills like they were breath mints from never-ending “buckets”… to an almost endless supply of nitrous oxide. But then there was the other side of Walter the person… always having time to not just sign autographs for kids… but to actually kneel down and talk to them like there was nothing more important in the world. The contradictions as a player… trying to prove to the outside world that all he cared about was whether the Bears won or lost… when in reality he was extremely conscious of records he was approaching and complaining if he didn’t get enough carries. His seeming to care more about not scoring a touchdown in the Super Bowl… than actually being a part of a SUPER BOWL CHAMPION… which is supposed to be the greatest accomplishment in any NFL player’s career.
Among the many character-relationship sub-plots is Walter’s relationship with his brother Eddie who also played in the NFL. Their competiveness whether spoken or unspoken is in the air throughout the book and one of the great lines was when the author writes: “BUT TO BE ECLIPSED BY A SIBLING? LATER ON, WHEN BOTH MEN WERE PLAYING IN THE NFL, EDDIE WAS ASKED WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HAVE A BROTHER AS A STAR.“ “I DON’T KNOW,” HE REPLIED. “WHY DON’T YOU ASK WALTER.”
This is an extremely detailed and well researched book. Potential readers… regardless of their (fan) team affiliation should not hold it against the author for telling the truth. The writing style… even when describing Payton’s deep foibles is never done in a malicious “Hollywood” gossip column manner.
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Any true NFL fan regardless of what team he roots for will acknowledge that Gale “Sweetness” Payton was one of the absolute greatest players in history. There’s no need to argue whether he was the absolute best or not… because there is simply no argument that he truly deserved the accolade of being a true superstar. The fact that the author Jeff Pearlman performs his usual precise… exhaustive… behind the scenes… “Detective” work… which included ***SIX-HUNDRED-SEVENTY-EIGHT*** interviews… would make it almost impossible to not turn up some “dirt”… or less than role-model-images of Payton. Besides the fact that Payton’s enormous non-stop-extra-marital sex romps can be deemed salacious… even in today’s scandalous times… either way the author has the responsibility to report them. The days of reporters traveling with teams on trains and sharing boozy, whore filled nights with Babe Ruth… and not reporting them are as far gone as the American League without designated hitters and football where the ref’s didn’t put a dress on the quarterback in terms of preventing real hitting.
More importantly to sports fans who have read other biographies of Payton, such as *NEVER DIE EASY*… which I thought was a tremendous book when published in 2000… though of course this book with the benefit of eleven more years passing… would have much more detail available… since I have found it’s human nature for people to speak more freely without having the biographical subject “looking” over your shoulder and also having the potential to confront an interviewee. But I find it pretty bold for the author to state in the prologue of this book: “WHY, HIS OWN AUTOBIOGRAPHY, NEVER DIE EASY, IS-BY THE ESTIMATES OF HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS-40 PERCENT FICTION.”
Note: Regarding the post-death biography scenario I listed above… I can’t wait to see a book of this type that may come out on Al Davis.
Payton’s early life in Mississippi and high school and college ball brings very little surprises, but the total sham of a marriage with his wife was dissected in such detail… that the end result shows what kind of absolute phony fronts that many of our public figures fool us with. In addition to Walter’s constant philandering that would easily put him in the company of Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson… his use of drugs throughout his career and into retirement is pretty sad. From munching on pain pills like they were breath mints from never-ending “buckets”… to an almost endless supply of nitrous oxide. But then there was the other side of Walter the person… always having time to not just sign autographs for kids… but to actually kneel down and talk to them like there was nothing more important in the world. The contradictions as a player… trying to prove to the outside world that all he cared about was whether the Bears won or lost… when in reality he was extremely conscious of records he was approaching and complaining if he didn’t get enough carries. His seeming to care more about not scoring a touchdown in the Super Bowl… than actually being a part of a SUPER BOWL CHAMPION… which is supposed to be the greatest accomplishment in any NFL player’s career.
Among the many character-relationship sub-plots is Walter’s relationship with his brother Eddie who also played in the NFL. Their competiveness whether spoken or unspoken is in the air throughout the book and one of the great lines was when the author writes: “BUT TO BE ECLIPSED BY A SIBLING? LATER ON, WHEN BOTH MEN WERE PLAYING IN THE NFL, EDDIE WAS ASKED WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HAVE A BROTHER AS A STAR.“ “I DON’T KNOW,” HE REPLIED. “WHY DON’T YOU ASK WALTER.”
This is an extremely detailed and well researched book. Potential readers… regardless of their (fan) team affiliation should not hold it against the author for telling the truth. The writing style… even when describing Payton’s deep foibles is never done in a malicious “Hollywood” gossip column manner.
December 18, 2025
Each year the NFL recognizes one player with the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. During and after his Hall of Fame career, Payton certainly exemplified service and charity to the community. Jeff Pearlman’s definitive biography recounts many tender and heartwarming stories about Payton never turning down an autograph request from a young fan or about him visiting with children who were suffering from debilitating and life-threatening aliments.
Payton could indeed be kind, gentle, comforting, and also overly giving with his time and sports memorabilia, which included lending out his Super Bowl ring and how it went missing. He also inspired countless others to pursue their dreams. However, as Pearlman also uncovers, Payton was much more complicated and perplexing than his public persona as a compassionate, charitable soul who many perceived as a model husband and father.
With plenty of humbling and exciting details, Pearlman chronicles Payton’s thirteen grueling season in the NFL. As one of the league’s marquee faces, Pearlman highlights the ferocity and resilience of Payton’s legendary running style. He was feared and admired for inflicting punishment on opponents. He never avoided contact and instead delivered vicious forearms and brutal elbows to the head and chest of tacklers. Even in an injury-prone position like running back, Payton constantly played hurt and in pain, yet he refused to sit out a play and missed only one game in his career.
His work ethic was unparalleled. The first to arrive at practice, he could be seen high-stepping through the stands after practice. In the off-season he trained by trudging up steep hills with weights tied to his waist and dragging behind him. In contrast to his remarkable athletic dedication, Pearlman details how his antics as a prankster were often annoying as was his moodiness and his stints of selfishness and whining when he was not the center of attention.
Pearlman balances how these unflattering attributes as a football player also manifested in his personal life. Payton may have remained married to his college sweetheart for twenty-three years until he succumbed in his valiant fight against liver cancer, yet he was never faithful nor overly present in the lives of his two children. His exploits included an out-of-wedlock son who he refused to acknowledge, and he had a bevy of women including a longtime mistress who he made false promises that he’d leave his wife for her.
So who was the real Walter Payton? Pearlman shares how most everyone he ever met attested to the great guy he was who cared deeply for others, even as many of them knew him to be a philanderer who was insecure and depressive. Apart from his stardom, maybe he was a lot like any human: seemingly perfect in many of his outward actions, but flawed with secrets that can be offputting.
Pearlman gives us a comprehensive study of Payton’s life in which he neither deifies his successes nor tarnishes him for his faults. Rather, he truly captures the enigma of a sports hero who conquered the gridiron, but faced challenges that no one is strong enough to conquer. Payton was beloved by legions of fans, yet he suffered with feeling unseen and underappreciated. Meanwhile, even lifelong friends and his closest teammates who loved and adored him also professed how he could also be frustrating, baffling, maddening, and disappointing to them at times.
Payton could indeed be kind, gentle, comforting, and also overly giving with his time and sports memorabilia, which included lending out his Super Bowl ring and how it went missing. He also inspired countless others to pursue their dreams. However, as Pearlman also uncovers, Payton was much more complicated and perplexing than his public persona as a compassionate, charitable soul who many perceived as a model husband and father.
With plenty of humbling and exciting details, Pearlman chronicles Payton’s thirteen grueling season in the NFL. As one of the league’s marquee faces, Pearlman highlights the ferocity and resilience of Payton’s legendary running style. He was feared and admired for inflicting punishment on opponents. He never avoided contact and instead delivered vicious forearms and brutal elbows to the head and chest of tacklers. Even in an injury-prone position like running back, Payton constantly played hurt and in pain, yet he refused to sit out a play and missed only one game in his career.
His work ethic was unparalleled. The first to arrive at practice, he could be seen high-stepping through the stands after practice. In the off-season he trained by trudging up steep hills with weights tied to his waist and dragging behind him. In contrast to his remarkable athletic dedication, Pearlman details how his antics as a prankster were often annoying as was his moodiness and his stints of selfishness and whining when he was not the center of attention.
Pearlman balances how these unflattering attributes as a football player also manifested in his personal life. Payton may have remained married to his college sweetheart for twenty-three years until he succumbed in his valiant fight against liver cancer, yet he was never faithful nor overly present in the lives of his two children. His exploits included an out-of-wedlock son who he refused to acknowledge, and he had a bevy of women including a longtime mistress who he made false promises that he’d leave his wife for her.
So who was the real Walter Payton? Pearlman shares how most everyone he ever met attested to the great guy he was who cared deeply for others, even as many of them knew him to be a philanderer who was insecure and depressive. Apart from his stardom, maybe he was a lot like any human: seemingly perfect in many of his outward actions, but flawed with secrets that can be offputting.
Pearlman gives us a comprehensive study of Payton’s life in which he neither deifies his successes nor tarnishes him for his faults. Rather, he truly captures the enigma of a sports hero who conquered the gridiron, but faced challenges that no one is strong enough to conquer. Payton was beloved by legions of fans, yet he suffered with feeling unseen and underappreciated. Meanwhile, even lifelong friends and his closest teammates who loved and adored him also professed how he could also be frustrating, baffling, maddening, and disappointing to them at times.
September 22, 2019
As an avid fan of sports literature, and a very pleased reader of two of Mr. Pearlman's previous biographies ("Boys Will Be Boys" and "Showtime" respectively), I was avid to delve into the book he did on one of the truest sports icons and idols of my youth in the late Mr. Payton. His prose is nuanced and descriptive, intimate yet knowing. The laser focus he attributes to the multitudes of competitors in the aforementioned books, were dedicated to teams in an epoch of a dynasty. With one of the most beloved pigskin pugilists (departing our company so long and so suddenly), I relished the opportunity to learn about #34 through Pearlman’s perspective.
As impeccably as Walter Payton tried to keep his presence to the outside world of fans, reporters, fellow atheletes and such, his inevitable humanity provide leaps and bounds that rivaled his fabled jumps on the gridiron. The trappings of fame and success, and the universal insecurity that embeds a majority of masters of a craft are well depicted by Jeff in the well detailed "Sweetness." His neuroses, misadventures, foibles and failings are as key to unsheathing the shell of the aptly named enigma of Payton, and while the author’s intensive recounting of these unflattering incidents did invite controversy from many disenchanted admirers at the onset of the book’s release, it is illuminating reading made by respectful, honest writing, counterbalanced by the manifold deeds, charitable offerings, and doting reminiscences of the almost 700 people that Pearlman sought out in his 2-year project that “Sweetness” became.
If one can last to the Afterword, Mr. Pearlman clearly states his admiration, love, and reverence for Walter Payton. A hot button venture like his can be validated in best hope for its’ very inception (though sadly, Mr. Payton may take issue posthumously to having such veiled situations and personae made public through this well-penned tale). By book’s end, as a fellow wide-eyed acolyte to the wonder and charisma and majesty of the man called “Sweetness,” I could tell Mr. Pearlman’s stance (his true adoration of the subject) through every page that preceded his utterance some 200 pages later.
A man who is a mystery to some who would not want to believe so, in his warts and his goodness, is made less so with Jeff Pearlman’s take. The disciple of the “Never Die Easy” school of thought can now be known in grisly detail to have not lived easy even in the what should have been the height of his personal (and professional) glory. But that he resoundingly put his best foot forward to be selfless with strangers and friends and family at his base aspiration comes off seamlessly in this well penned reflection on a truly great Bear, Tiger, and in his contributions and contradictions, a human being above all trying in his bittersweet brevity in all facets to seek fulfillment in the ultimate enigma, life itself.
My thanks to Mr. Pearlman for this.
As impeccably as Walter Payton tried to keep his presence to the outside world of fans, reporters, fellow atheletes and such, his inevitable humanity provide leaps and bounds that rivaled his fabled jumps on the gridiron. The trappings of fame and success, and the universal insecurity that embeds a majority of masters of a craft are well depicted by Jeff in the well detailed "Sweetness." His neuroses, misadventures, foibles and failings are as key to unsheathing the shell of the aptly named enigma of Payton, and while the author’s intensive recounting of these unflattering incidents did invite controversy from many disenchanted admirers at the onset of the book’s release, it is illuminating reading made by respectful, honest writing, counterbalanced by the manifold deeds, charitable offerings, and doting reminiscences of the almost 700 people that Pearlman sought out in his 2-year project that “Sweetness” became.
If one can last to the Afterword, Mr. Pearlman clearly states his admiration, love, and reverence for Walter Payton. A hot button venture like his can be validated in best hope for its’ very inception (though sadly, Mr. Payton may take issue posthumously to having such veiled situations and personae made public through this well-penned tale). By book’s end, as a fellow wide-eyed acolyte to the wonder and charisma and majesty of the man called “Sweetness,” I could tell Mr. Pearlman’s stance (his true adoration of the subject) through every page that preceded his utterance some 200 pages later.
A man who is a mystery to some who would not want to believe so, in his warts and his goodness, is made less so with Jeff Pearlman’s take. The disciple of the “Never Die Easy” school of thought can now be known in grisly detail to have not lived easy even in the what should have been the height of his personal (and professional) glory. But that he resoundingly put his best foot forward to be selfless with strangers and friends and family at his base aspiration comes off seamlessly in this well penned reflection on a truly great Bear, Tiger, and in his contributions and contradictions, a human being above all trying in his bittersweet brevity in all facets to seek fulfillment in the ultimate enigma, life itself.
My thanks to Mr. Pearlman for this.
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