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

Publisher's 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 a great book. loved it completely.

had a great time reading it. Had some history I was unaware of in the NFL. if you're a football fan of must-read.

Great listen.

Very good historical account of the early days of the NFL. Highly recommended for fans of the game.

loved it

love the history of the NFL definitely worth checking out of you are interested in how it all started.

Must for NFL fans

Great historical tale of how not only League was shaped but also how the Rules of the Sport were shaped for the better. A must for any NFL fan, especially fans of the Bears, Eagles, Giants, Redskins, and Steelers.

Veeck as in Wreck

The book is fascinating. It is a wonderful listen. However, the narrator needs to be able to know how to pronounce names correctly, please

Great history of the NFL

If you are interested in the story of the NFL, you will enjoy this book.

Almost a miracle

That five very different men could continue to be intensely competitive yet have the wisdom and foresight to put league above team is almost a miracle. They could not have known what they were creating. Without their unselfishness this would not have happened. As a Catholic, I was also impressed that three of them were devout Catholics. I am also impressed that the families of those three continue to own those teams today! A very great book!

Great read about NFL's birth

I read this book after reading Eisenberg's other piece 'The Ten Gallon War' but I would suggest reading this one first as it chronologically fits better and you'll then know the players in that one referenced outside the state of Texas that influenced that sports conflict.

This book really shows how the NFL, from its birth, has always been about collective success and survival. Some of that out of necessity, some of it out of trying to maintain competition balance. I always wondered why MLB seems to be everyone out for themselves from players to even owners amongst themselves whereas the NFL has never seemed to have that problem & has seen collective success over time develop long before the salary cap/CBA came to be. This book really illustrates how, despite the different personalities who came together to form the league, that cohesion was always the focus even in the midst of some owners hurting their own team's opportunities in favor of others. George Halas remains the central figure not only as the Bears' owner but the guiding force behind that cohesion & collective effort. I truly want to read a biography about him now having finished this.

If you're looking for a book about how it takes different personalities for a team to succeed, this is a very nice read as well as a historical look at one of the greatest American sports.

ANY FAN WOULD LOVE THIS

This book is one that awakened my hunger to learn about football it should do the same for you .
The narration is perfect and the level of detail is good enough to make it seem like. you know the people involved.
The 5 owners focused om made the NFL what it is. Well worth the credit or the price.

Cool sports history

Definitely a fun read for any fan. Lots of great characterizations of football personalities and insight into key business moves/decisions.