The Opening Kickoff: The Tumultuous Birth of a Football Nation

The Opening Kickoff: The Tumultuous Birth of a Football Nation

A New York Times Bestseller and Boston Globe Bestseller!

Itâ‚¬s Americaâ‚¬s most popular sport, played by thousands, watched by millions, and generating billions in revenues every year. Itâ‚¬s also Americaâ‚¬s most controversial sport, haunted by the specter of life-threatening injuries and plagued by scandal, even among its most venerable personalities and institutions. At the college level, we often tie footballâ‚¬s tales of corruption and greed to its current popularity and revenue potential, and we have vague notions of a halcyon timeâ‚¬"before the new College Football Playoff, power conferences, and huge TV contracts. Perhaps we conjure images of young Ivy Leaguers playing a gentlemanâ‚¬s game, exemplifying the collegial in collegiate. What we donâ‚¬t imagine is a game described in 1905 as â‚¬Å“a social obsessionâ‚¬"this boy-killing, man-mutilating, education-prostituting, gladiatorial sport.â‚¬Â

In The Opening Kickoff, Dave Revsine tells the riveting story of the formative period of American football between 1890 and 1915. In just a quarter century football spread across the nation, captivating people from coast to coast. It was a time that saw the gameâ‚¬s meteoric rise, fueled by overflow crowds, breathless newspaper coverage, and newfound superstarsâ‚¬"including one of the most thrilling and mysterious the sport has ever seen. But it was also a period racked by controversy in academics, recruiting, and physical brutality that, in combination, threatened footballâ‚¬s very existence. A vivid storyteller, Revsine brings it all to life in this captivating narrative.
Country USA
Brand Lyons Press
Manufacturer Lyons Press
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 9780762791774
ReleaseDate 2014-07-29
UnitCount 1
UPCs 660813791771
EANs 9780762791774

Country	USA
Brand	Lyons Press
Manufacturer	Lyons Press
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	9780762791774
ReleaseDate	2014-07-29
UnitCount	1
UPCs	660813791771
EANs	9780762791774

The Opening Kickoff: The Tumultuous Birth of a Football Nation

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