Turf Wars

The Fight for the Soul of America's Game

De: DeMaurice Smith

Narrado por: DeMaurice Smith

An NFL insider’s explosive account of the ruthless power struggles between owners and players over the future of football.

During his fourteen years as the head of the NFL Players Association, DeMaurice Smith was a front line advocate for football players through some of the most tumultuous crises in NFL history: Colin Kaepernick’s protests, Deflategate, a lockout, two collective bargaining agreements, and more. But after witnessing the league’s troubling response to discrimination and racial unrest, both within the league and beyond, Smith realized it was time to pull back the curtain and speak truth to power.

Drawing from his years of unprecedented access and unparalleled knowledge of America’s favorite sport, Smith documents his years leading the NFLPA and explains how the NFL distorts the truth, telling partial stories to insulate itself and grow its $20-billion-a-year brand—and the players’ battles to protect themselves.

From contract negotiations to battles over suspensions, Smith shows us how the union fought to protect players from the greed, racism, and dishonesty the league is built on. He also takes listeners inside closed-door meetings and unreported conversations and confrontations with the industry’s most powerful figures such as Robert Kraft, Jerry Jones, Tom Brady, and Roger Goodell.

Turf Wars puts every NFL crisis—both familiar and lesser known—within a broader cultural and historical context, framing the league’s extraordinary rise as a mirror to America’s own history. Revelatory and profound, Turf Wars is a book about the soul of football: its degradation, and how to save it.

©2025 DeMaurice Smith (P)2025 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A no-holds-barred look at [Smith’s] tenure at the helm of the labor union . . . Heartlessness was typical, in Smith’s telling, and caused him to view the ‘greedy billionaires’ running the league as ‘the same kinds of people who have traditionally accumulated power in the United States: rich, narcissistic, insecure.’ This insider account hits hard.”—Publishers Weekly

“Depicts an industry awash in bad blood . . . Smith took the job in what looked like a hopeful new era epitomized by Barack Obama’s presidency, but his ‘idealism’ was destroyed by his dealings with the powerful men who run the game. . . . Smith includes memorable glimpses of star players . . . [and] shares fascinating anecdotes about the intrigue surrounding union votes and how some influential players are increasingly susceptible to ‘the misinformation virus.’”—Kirkus Reviews

“With obvious appeal to football fans interested in a behind-the-scenes look at the battles between players and ownership, Smith’s story would benefit anyone looking to work (or play) in the professional sports arena.”—Booklist

Just the facts on the NFL

Turf Wars by De Smith is a journey behind the scenes of the NFL. It unfiltered, informative and important!

Intelligent, thrilling story.

Loved clear explanation of what is true about pro football. The good bad and ugly.