Football In America: Game of the Century

Rating:
Summary: Oates' Subjectivity Makes for a Tiresome Read
Review: Bob Oates' history of American football should be retitled: Football in San Francisco. While Oates provides many interesting insights into the development of football, his perspective is so slanted towards the Forty-Niners that a naive reader would believe San Francisco was the New Jerusalem and Bill Walsh the second-coming of Christ. Walsh's coaching history, legacy and disciples are given extensive coverage. Even Steve Mariucci's name is mentioned three times, while Don Shula's name and Tom Landry's name appear once each. Joe Montana and Steve Young are mentioned on seemingly every page, while the likes of Staubach, Tarkenton, Marino, and Luckman are mentioned a total of six times. The great Walter Payton's name is mentioned only once; one is led to presume if he had only played in San Francisco he would have had a chapter devoted to him. Perhaps the most obvious instance of subjectivity appears in the last chapter when Oates proclaims the Forty-Niners as the team of the century (I suppose the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Dallas Cowboys didn't play in the same century). Oates has the gumption of listing San Francisco's 1982 Super Bowl victory as one of the eleven major milestones in NFL history! His justification is the Niners were "the first pro club dedicated to the pass--a key refinement that had eluded prior NFL teams." I can only assume Oates forgot about the San Diego Chargers under Don Coryell. In the 1981 season, the Forty-Niners passed for 3,766 yards on 517 attempts, while rushing for 1,941 yards on 560 attempts (for the math-impaired, that's 43 more rushing attempts). The '79 Chargers passed for 4,138 yards on 541 attempts, compared to 481 rushing attempts. In 1980 the Chargers passed for 4,741 yards on 594 attempts, compared to 545 rushing attempts. Oates' perspective is so skewed towards the Forty-Niners, the reading becomes tiresome and repetitive. If you are a San Francisco Forty-Niner fan, this book is a must read. If you are a fan of the sport of football, don't waste your money.

Rating:
Summary: Oates' Subjectivity Makes for a Tiresome Read
Review: Bob Oates' history of American football should be retitled: Football in San Francisco. While Oates provides many interesting insights into the development of football, his perspective is so slanted towards the Forty-Niners that a naive reader would believe San Francisco was the New Jerusalem and Bill Walsh the second-coming of Christ. Walsh's coaching history, legacy and disciples are given extensive coverage. Even Steve Mariucci's name is mentioned three times, while Don Shula's name and Tom Landry's name appear once each. Joe Montana and Steve Young are mentioned on seemingly every page, while the likes of Staubach, Tarkenton, Marino, and Luckman are mentioned a total of six times. The great Walter Payton's name is mentioned only once; one is led to presume if he had only played in San Francisco he would have had a chapter devoted to him. Perhaps the most obvious instance of subjectivity appears in the last chapter when Oates proclaims the Forty-Niners as the team of the century (I suppose the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Dallas Cowboys didn't play in the same century). Oates has the gumption of listing San Francisco's 1982 Super Bowl victory as one of the eleven major milestones in NFL history! His justification is the Niners were "the first pro club dedicated to the pass--a key refinement that had eluded prior NFL teams." I can only assume Oates forgot about the San Diego Chargers under Don Coryell. In the 1981 season, the Forty-Niners passed for 3,766 yards on 517 attempts, while rushing for 1,941 yards on 560 attempts (for the math-impaired, that's 43 more rushing attempts). The '79 Chargers passed for 4,138 yards on 541 attempts, compared to 481 rushing attempts. In 1980 the Chargers passed for 4,741 yards on 594 attempts, compared to 545 rushing attempts. Oates' perspective is so skewed towards the Forty-Niners, the reading becomes tiresome and repetitive. If you are a San Francisco Forty-Niner fan, this book is a must read. If you are a fan of the sport of football, don't waste your money.

Rating:
Summary: Football in America: Game of the Century
Review: This book is a must read for anyone with a serious interest in football. In a concise, well-written and clear presentation, Mr. Oates delivers the entire history of this truly American sport. To understand what is going on in today's game, one MUST understand what has come before and why. Mr. Oates answers these questions completely. This book should be on the bookshelves of coaches from high school to the pros. It also should be required reading for all players especially the professional. This book provides the reasons that they need to respect the game and always play at the highest level. Thank you, Mr. Oates, for this inspiring work.