American Essays

What if Babe Ruth had not been sold to the Yankees in 1920 and instead played his entire career in Boston? What if Muhammad Ali had lost or quit in his first fight against Sonny Liston? What if the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants had never moved to the West Coast? What if Vince Lombardi had become head coach of his hometown Giants instead of heading to Green Bay? How would sports history, and our perception of it, be different today?

Traveling to 20 towns in 20 weeks, author Theron Hopkins examines the magic of high school football in America. He finds that, in a world of spectacle and drama, the Friday night lights are not the most important part of what makes high school football so loved by those who play it, coach it, and watch it.

Auburn Tigers football legends recall their greatest moments - newly updated to include the Tigers' recent BCS championship. What creates a championship team? Spirit, determination, and a legacy that refuses to die. Game of My Life: Auburn Tigers is a collection of the greatest Tigers moments from past and present as seen through the eyes of the players themselves. In this vivid collection of sports moments, Mark Murphy has brought together passionate Auburn football players to share their fondest experiences and memories.

Relive the greatest moments in Colts football—newly updated! With roots that go back to 1913, the Indianapolis Colts are one of the most storied franchises in the NFL. But the real legacy of achievement began in 1984 when the Colts arrived in Indianapolis after a midnight escape from Baltimore.

Even in their worst of seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles maintained their tradition of toughness, thanks to great players - from legends like Chuck Bednarik and Steve Van Buren to modern-day heroes. In Tales from the Philadelphia Eagles Sideline, veteran football writer Gordon Forbes profiles the individuals who have thrilled Philadelphia fans since the team’s inception in 1933 through Andy Reid’s last championship contenders during his 14 years as head coach.

What started with a bunch of gangly teens playing ball on a plowed wheat field has become one of the most exciting powerhouses in college football history. Fans of this raucous and indomitable team get to relive all the great moments with this revised edition of Tales from the Virginia Tech Sideline. Virginia Tech alum and former editor of the Hokie Huddler Chris Colston shares the school’s greatest football stories and anecdotes. From the days of Miles Stadium to Beamerball, fans will recapture all the excitement of the most well known games.

Step onto the gridiron with the greatest legends from Miami Dolphins football - newly updated! This unique and humorous look at life with the Dolphins brings fans onto the field and into the locker room through the eyes of Garo Yepremian, one of Miami’s most recognizable figures. From kicking in his first professional football game to being named “Kicker of the Decade”, Yepremian relives the Dolphins epic 1972 season and so much more.

From junior high football games to the Sugar Bowl with a national championship up for grabs, Mike Liner has seen it all in football. President and CEO of a bank by day, Liner has been a Texas football official on Fridays and Saturdays for the past 35 years. It’s Not All Black and White offers a view of college football seen through a different set of eyes, the eyes of an official. Liner takes listeners through the story of his ascension up the officiating hierarchy and describes the bumps in the road he encountered along the way.

Since their founding in 1919, the Chicago Bears have carried the hearts and souls of football fans throughout the country. Now supporters of one of the NFL’s most storied franchises will go into the locker room and onto the turf with over 20 Bears legends in Game of My Life: Chicago Bears. In this newly revised edition, sportswriter Lew Freedman opens the doors to players’ private remembrances of how it was and how they reacted to the spotlight. Big touchdowns, career-making moments, and championship glory.

A collection of the best stories about Oregon Ducks football - updated through the 2011 Championship game. Tales from the Oregon Ducks Sideline takes the listener on a fun-filled trip through Oregon’s gridiron history. Author Brian Libby brings Duck fans out to the 50 yard line and into the locker room as he tells colorful tales about the Oregon football program, from its start in 1894 to today, culminating in the hard-fought BCS Championship game against Auburn in January 2011.

The pro football season of 1963 was dominated by the unexpected. In April, months prior to the beginning of play, it was revealed that two All-Star players, Paul Hornung and Alex Karras, were gambling on the sport and would be suspended from play for at least a year. Even worse, in May, one of the league’s bigger-than-life personalities, Big Daddy Lipscomb, was found dead, with police saying he perished from a heroin overdose, something those who knew him best still dispute.

Penn State fans will finally get the chance to walk onto the field with their favorite Nittany Lions in Game of My Life Penn State Nittany Lions. In this newly updated edition, Penn State alum Jordan Hyman asks over 20 of the school’s greatest football legends to share their favorite memories and most poignant moments while wearing the white and blue. A must-listen for any Nittany Lions fan.

This newly revised edition of Tales from the Wisconsin Badgers Sideline weaves together a series of anecdotes, personal recollections, and research to bring listeners a taste of the stories that make Badgers football so interesting. There are the Heisman Trophies hard-earned by running backs Alan Ameche and Ron Dayne, the tumult of a 23-game winless streak broken with a victory over archrival Iowa in 1969, the bizarre tale of "Kangaroo Kicker" Pat O’Dea, and so much more. Without a doubt, Tales from the Wisconsin Badgers Sideline is a must-have for any Wisconsin fan!

No single element has the power to absolutely define the lasting enchantment of Oklahoma football. Decades of great successes and occasional heartbreak have spawned generations of faithful disciples, who treat fall Saturdays like sacred holidays dedicated to their heroes donning the crimson and cream. Tales from the Oklahoma Sooner Sideline provides a glimpse, with a behind-the-scenes perspective, into the traditions surrounding Oklahoma football.

In Against Football Steve Almond details why, after 40 years as a fan, he can no longer watch the game he still loves. Using a synthesis of memoir, reportage, and cultural critique, Almond asks a series of provocative questions: Does our addiction to football foster a tolerance for violence, greed, racism, and homophobia? What does it mean that our society has transmuted the intuitive physical joys of childhood--run, leap, throw, tackle--into a billion-dollar industry?

Since the creation of the Minnesota Vikings in 1960, this football team has been more than just another franchise. To the fans who love them, and the haters who can’t help but admire them, the Minnesota Vikings are an unstoppable force in the NFL. In this heartwarming and inspirational book, Jim Bruton takes a look beyond the game and examines what the Minnesota Vikings have meant to fans and communities across the country.

Ohio coaching legend Paul Brown said he wanted to create "the New York Yankees of pro football" when he assembled the Cleveland Browns from scratch in 1946. Despite his ambition, not even the future Hall of Fame coach could have foreseen ten league championship appearances and seven titles in the team's first ten years.

Catching up with the greatest Aggies players - newly updated! Since the beginning of A & M football, in 1894, the Aggies have produced some of the greatest athletes to ever come out of Texas. Legendary players have plowed their way to greatness while carving their names into the heart of Texas fans under the Aggies banner. But what happened to these juggernauts after the final score was tallied and the game was over? The answer can only be found in this newly updated edition of Texas A & M Where Have You Gone?

A continuing and ongoing drama, LSU football has been marked by a string of improbable victories and sometimes valiant defeas. Game Of My Life LSU Tigers is the chronicle of over 30 of the greatest players as they tell the story of the game that meant it all. Marty Mul has compiled the vivid and poignant single-game stories from three dozen of the most remembered Tiger games of the last eight decades. Readers will relive the fingertip catches, the bone-crunching hits, and epic touchdowns through the eyes - and from the memories - of the LSU players themselves.

In the 1970s, Joe DeLamielleure led a Buffalo Bills offensive line affectionately called the Electric Company, because they turned the power up. A starter from the first game of his rookie season in 1973, DeLamielleure led the way to the first 2,000-yard season in NFL history.