America's Game : The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation

Rating:
Summary: Finally, a comprehensive history of our most popular sport.
Review: Considering the popularity of pro football in this country, the historical literature on the game has really been lacking, especially when compared to the thousands of works on baseball. Finally, McCambridge has crafted what should prove as the definitive history of the game, one that any fan of football should enjoy.

Although it's a 500-page book, the author's style makes this a pretty brisk read. While full of details, the book isn't overwhelmed by them, always giving the reader an excellent view of the big picture, and of the role that each person and event plays. It's clear that the author admires many of the people he talks about, but he still manages to present both praise and criticism, never letting his work become hagiographic. His treatment of the AFL-NFL relationship during the years before their merger is the best I've seen.

This is truly a book that's just been waiting to be written. Thankfully, McCambridge has done great justice to a subject ripe for examination. I think this should be necessary reading for anyone who considers themselves a serious fan.

Rating:
Summary: All the Right Pieces
Review: I concur with the previous reviewer that this is the best book on NFL history ever written. It has all the right pieces: good research with relevant detail, but no so much detail that it clutters the prose; excellent biographical sketches without being too laudatory; and an astute command of the development of the game via strategy and innovations. Most sports' histories get wrapped up in platitudes and overstatements; not here, it stays on track and cites the highs but doesnt ignore the warts and unseemly parts. It is fluid writing with a comfortable pace and well organized divisions by topic. An absolute must read for those who delight in the colorful history of America's favorite spectator sport.

Rating:
Summary: Panoramic View of America's New National Pasttime
Review: This book has received (and deservedly so) many accolades for its sweeping and exhaustive history not only of the sport so many americans love, but the people behind the sport. MacCambridge does a great job of bringing little (at least to younger fans) known giants to life, on both the player and management side. His chapters involving the AFL/NFL "war" for players, the fledgling AAFL of the late 40s and 50s, the dynastic Browns teams and many others of that era enrich the reader's knowledge of football. In addition, the book does a great job of illustrating the vision of people like Lamar Hunt who understood very early on not only the power of TV to show the game but the need for collective revenue sharing, that the sum must be greater than the parts (unlike baseball which still looks at the parts instead of the whole).

Other enjoyable portraits of Pete Rozelle, Tex Schramm and others leap off the page and make this book an easy and enjoyable read. My only criticism, and it's a mild one, is that the book almost begs to end about 100 pages sooner than it does. While MacCambridge essentially brings us to today, this part of NFL history is probably the LEAST in need of analysis or recitation right now. Better to have perhaps ended it with the passing of Roselle or the resolution of the USFL/NFL battle showing the league at the doorstep of complete TV domination.



Rating:
Summary: Man, this is one great book...
Review: This is simply the best sports book that I have ever read. It was extremely hard to stop reading and kept me up late too many times. This book is really an extremely interesting documentary on how the NFL was developed and became the nations favorite sport. The author provides incredible detail but the book never gets slow or bogged down. I found every tidbit of information very interesting like how many of the popular "terms" of today were actually developed.
This is the definitive inside story of how the NFL came to be the league that it is today and how incredible perserverance elevated an almost bankrupt league into the powerhouse that it is today.
Sports and football fans will absolutely love this book!

Rating:
Summary: Not Just for the Football Fan
Review: This is the best book you will ever find about professional football. For football fans and fanatics there are behind-the-scenes revelations, player recollections, and game day vingettes that make this book a page-turner.
For those less familiar with the game, this is a rich history of an organization that succeeded on principles often touted today; teamwork, fair play, and committment to the good of the whole. For someone interested in an inspirational book about leadership, the art of negotiation, and business strategy you will come away from this book richer in knowledge and with an awed appreciation for what it took to build the most successful franchise in America.

Rating:
Summary: The Big Picture!
Review: What a great read. Historical perspective on the owners, the coaches, players. The big games, the big personalities, the big challenges, and the ongoing march to do what's best for the league first, the teams second, and all boats will rise with the tide. Really enjoyed it.