New Books on the NFL

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More Than A Game: The Glorious Present and Uncertain Future of the NFL / by Brian Billick; with Michael McCambridge

Former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick explains the NFL from the top down, first detailing the increasingly complex infrastructure of each team's corporate makeup, the heavily weighted financial stipulations and the impending collective-bargaining crisis which threatens the game as we know it. He also explains player acquisition and salary cap designation in very easy-to-understand terms, detailing the inner-workings of the annual April draft, how each prospect is analyzed and evaluated and, additionally, how the free agency market has essentially made for a far more unpredictable scenario than other sports.

The Billion Dollar Game: The Improbable Collision of Culture, Commerce and Competition on Super Bowl Sunday / by Allen St. John

No one thought at the time of the Super Bowl's inagural game in 1967 that the January championship would become the equivalent of a national holiday--a billion dollar holiday at that. The "game" is now a two-week festival centered in the host city yet ongoing in locales the world over, rivaling the Olympics and World Cup in attention and global popularity. The 14-day build up attracts waves of media conglomerates, party groupies, corporate sponsors, industry bigwhigs and popular entertainers indicating that the actual Sunday event, as St. John so aptly states, has become largely overshadowed by this marketplace atmosphere which crudely detracts from the credibility of the game itself.

New Baseball Titles

The Baseball Economist: the Real Game Exposed / by J.C. Bradbury
Is it really just about the money? An economics professor and rabid MLB fan confronts the business side of baseball in a financial analysis of the big money sport. Bradbury dissects player salaries (who's overpaid, who isn't), stadium revenue (average hot dog intake) and salary caps within big market vs. small market franchises while admonishing factors influencing the game at large (i.e., steroid scandal, international players, trade deadlines, etc.).


Working at the Ballpark / by Tom Jones
It turns out there is an angel in the outfield . . . the turf monitor. From head of head office to soda vendor and from infielders to field treaters, Jones overhauls everyone involved in the life of a big league stadium examining each spectrum of the main event. For this book, Jones toured several different ballparks and interviewed over 50 individuals earning a living in Major League Baseball.


Far From Home: Latino Baseball Players in America / by Tim Wendel
With over 25 % of pro ballplayers from Latin countries, its obvious how the national pastime has expanded abroad--particularly in countries like Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Along with today's current stars, Wendel takes a look at the contributions of players like Roberto Clemente and Carlos Quintana as he reflects on the game's changing diaspora.

The 33-year-old Rookie: How I Finally Made it To the Big Leagues After Eleven Years in the Minors / by Chris Coste
This is the first-person account of one journeyman ballplayer achieving his dream after a decade spent in the minors. Chris Coste recounts his time traversing the bush leagues of America (Mexico in winter), detailing the often far-less-than-adequate living conditions and personal grind associated with a life devoted to the game.