Playing Through the Whistle: Steel, Football, and an American

Playing Through the Whistle: Steel, Football, and an American Town

From a Sports Illustrated senior writer, â€œa richly detailed history of Aliquippa footballÂ .Â .Â . A remarkable story of urban struggle and athletic prowessâ€ (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
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In the early twentieth century, down the Ohio River from Pittsburgh, the Jones & Laughlin Steel Company built one of the largest mills in the world and a town to go with it. Aliquippa was a beacon and a melting pot, pulling in thousands of families from Europe and the Jim Crow South. The J&L mill, though dirty and dangerous, offered a chance at a better life. It produced the steel that built American cities and won World War II and even became something of a workersâ€™ paradise. But then, in the 1980s, the steel industry cratered. The mill closed. Crime rose and crack hit big.
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But another industry grew in Aliquippa. The town didnâ€™t just make steel; it made elite football players, from Mike Ditka to Ty Law to Darrelle Revis. Few places churned out talent like Aliquippa, a town not far from the birthplace of professional football in western Pennsylvania. Despite its troublesâ€”maybe even because of themâ€”Aliquippa became legendary for producing football greatness. A masterpiece of narrative journalism, Playing Through the Whistle tells the remarkable story of Aliquippa and through it, the larger history of American industry, sports, and life. Like football, it will make you marvel, wince, cry, and cheer.
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â€œLooks at the struggling steel town of Aliquippa, Pa., through the prism of its high school football team. The author understands the Rust Belt particulars of the region better than most political professionals.â€ â€”The Wall Street Journal
Country USA
Manufacturer Atlantic Monthly Press
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2019-04-24
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Atlantic Monthly Press
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2019-04-24
Format	Kindle eBook

Playing Through the Whistle: Steel, Football, and an American Town