The National Football League is a towering, distinctly American colossus spewing out $13 billion in annual revenue. Yet its current dominance has obscured how professional football got its start.
In The League, John Eisenberg reveals that Art Rooney, George Halas, Tim Mara, George Preston Marshall, and Bert Bell took an immense risk by investing in the professional game. At that time the sport barely registered on the national scene, where college football, baseball, boxing, and horseracing dominated. The five owners succeeded only because at critical junctures in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s each sacrificed the short-term success of his team for the longer-term good of the League.
At once a history of a sport and a remarkable story of business ingenuity, The League is an essential read for any fan of our true national pastime.
PAT'S REVIEW
| For all of the football fans that believe the game starts with the Super Bowl this is the book that they need to read. To learn about Joe Carr the first commissioner who saw the growth of the league from the ’20s and ’30s. He created officials, he also created standard contracts for players, got a team in New York City and started to move other smaller teams to the larger cities knowing that the league would only succeed that way. You find out just who much power Halas, Preston Marshall, and Mara had early on. After his passing there was no guidance then they voted in Bert Bel former owner of the Eagles. Really the pro game started to change in the ’40s especially with the passing game where you could throw the anywhere behind the line of scrimmage. The college game you had to be five yards behind and they also did not have hash marks in the college game also. The author also takes you through some of the stars of the day Luckman, Baugh, Baugh is still the only player to be an All-Pro at three different positions in the same year, quarterback, defense back and punter. Even Don Hutson the split end for the Packer who had 99 touchdowns until Jerry Rice broke his record it stood for 44 years, his four receiving touchdowns in a quarter still stands. On defense, he played safety had 30 interceptions one season he had eight in a ten-game season. He also had 172 extra points and seven field goals. You will read about Red Grange, and many, many other players which made the league along with the owners. The book takes you up to when Pete Roselle takes over and you also get a look at the game which really changed everything for football, the 1958 championship which went into overtime and was televised. Though I already knew a lot of the early history I still enjoyed reading this book and the interviews with the family members are what took this book over the top. A very good book. I received this book Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us atwww.1rad-readerreviews.com |
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