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  • The League

  • How Five Rivals Created the NFL and Launched a Sports Empire
  • By: John Eisenberg
  • Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May
  • Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (24 ratings)
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The League cover art

The League

By: John Eisenberg
Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May
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Summary

The epic tale of the five owners who shepherded the NFL through its tumultuous early decades and built the most popular sport in America

The National Football League is a towering, distinctly American colossus spewing out $14 billion in annual revenue. But it was not always a success. In The League, John Eisenberg focuses on the pioneering sportsmen who kept the league alive in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, when its challenges were many and its survival was not guaranteed. At the time, college football, baseball, boxing, and horseracing dominated America's sports scene. Art Rooney, George Halas, Tim Mara, George Preston Marshall, and Bert Bell believed in pro football when few others did and ultimately succeeded only because at critical junctures each sacrificed the short-term success of his team for the longer-term good of the league. At once a history of a sport and a remarkable story of business ingenuity, The League is an essential listen for any fan of our true national pastime.

©2018 John Eisenberg (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"John Eisenberg tells the fascinating account of how five owners, including the Bears's George Halas, cut through their disputes and differences to work together to form the foundations of the league."—Chicago Tribune
"The pluck-and-luck tale of the creation and stabilization of the league is a small but exemplary chapter in American capitalism and popular culture."—Wall Street Journal

"[A] deeply researched, surprise-on-every-page, and altogether marvelous new book"—Weekly Standard

What listeners say about The League

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Thoroughly fascinating

People often think they know the history of the league. This book really takes you to those early years and builds the bridge between those times and the modern day, enabling you to see the influences of these men, still in existence. Excellent book.

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Great review of NFL history

Great review of NFL history. I really enjoyed listening to the main protagonist’s and there was some new information that I did not know. Well worth reading

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Brilliant interesting and entertaining NFL history

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the NFL and it’s history. Very thorough coverage of events and issues. Easy to listen to for long periods.

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Outstanding

A well researched, well written enthralling account of the early days of the NFL and the 5 hugely important pioneers who created the league that is now a multi billion sports powerhouse and the number one league in America. Giving fascinating background information on these men and what motivated them, plus providing a thorough history of their decisions and debates and how these impacted on football and American society as a whole it is gripping throughout on what at first glance might appear to be dry subject. I have read a great deal about the early years of the NFL, but learned so much more from this audiobook and was entertained from start to finish. The only slight criticism I have is of the narrator as he tends to over annunciate words which is a little strange at first but i soon began to ignore it as the subject matter was so interesting. I would recommend this Audiobook to any serious fan of the NFL

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Interesting book

Was a good listen, however the performance wasn't great, quite slow and monotone... Interesting subject matter though, lots of insight I never had before!

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