From Sandlots to the Super Bowl: The National Football League
By Craig R. Coenen
Publisher: The University of Tennessee Press
Published In: Knoxville, TN, USA
Date: 2005
Pgs: 342

REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Summary:
This is the story of the growth of the National Football League from its humble beginnings as a semi-pro, club league into the largest spectator sport in the United States, from local and grassroots to national and international.

Genre:
nonfiction, sports, nfl, football, history

Why this book:
It’s football.

This Story is About:
Love of the game and where it came from.

Favorite Character:
The AAFC owners and franchisees who blew the door open on the idea of NFL expansion.

And any mention of persons associated with the Green Bay Packers. Go Pack Go!!!

Least Favorite Character:
NFL President Joe Carr. I dislike this guy. He blocked my beloved Green Bay Packers from getting a player named Heartley Anderson. He moved to revoke the Packers franchise temporarily due to a rules infraction that was being broken by most of the teams in the league. He did this at the urging of George Halas (spit, pitooey, evil eye sign), owner of the Chicago Bears. This was done so that the Bears would have time to sign Anderson. The Packers immediately applied for a refranchiseation. Carr held up the processing of that paperwork long enough for the Anderson deal with Chicago to be done. (spit, pitooey, evil eye sign) Bears.

Character I Most Identified With:
N/A

The Feel:
The feel of the story is very university treatise as opposed to a readable history of the early NFL. I love the deep perspective, makes me think of Ken Burns’ Baseball.

Favorite Scene:
When the AFL owners accepted a merger proposal from the NFL over Al Davis objections and Davis commented as he retired as AFL Commissioner, “Generals win wars. Politicians negotiate peace.” He believed that if the raiding of players who had played out their contract options with their current club had continued the AFL could have got the same merger deal without having to take on the financial implications foisted on them by the NFL.

Pacing:
The pacing is glacial. The repetition in the prose drags on the pace. The subject matter makes the day.

Plot Holes/Out of Character:
N/A

Last Page Sound:
N/A

Author Assessment:
The subject drew me in. The writing is good enough to keep me flipping pages.

Editorial Assessment:
The prose could have been tightened up. There was a lot of repetition paragraph to paragraph, between subjects, and introduction to body of each section.

Did the Book Cover Reflect the Story:
Leather helmeted football players in mid tackle reflects the history excellently.

Hmm Moments:
The President of the NFL Joe Carr’s collusion with the Chicago Bears in the Heartley Anderson episode.

The impact of the Depression on the teams and the failure of so many teams in those years, running high deficits continually.

Carr’s war on the small city franchises claimed all of them except Green Bay. Green Bay faced pressures continually into the 1930s to move to Milwaukee. To the point that between 1 and 3 home games every years were played in Milwaukee. They were even forced to play the 1939 championship game in Milwaukee. The Green Bay citizens resented the action and were vocal about their disappointment. National sportswriters pushed for the permanent relocation of the team. But local boosterism, protests, petitions, pledged money, and plans to expand City Fieldall served to show that Green Bay could support their team as well or better than any large city.

Bidwell’s association with Capone and one of the Maras being involved in bookmaking showed the questionable ethical paradigm that the league was dealing with.

The betting scandal involving a championship game between the Giants and the Bears.

The Miami Seahwaks of the AAFC becoming an early version of the Baltimore Colts. Interesting.

Knee Jerk Reaction:
glad I read it

Disposition of Book:
Irving Public Library

Why isn’t there a screenplay?
N/A

Casting call:
n/a

Would recommend to:
football fans who have a historical bent ( )