Bigger Than the Game

Bo, Boz, the Punky QB, and How the '80s Created the Celebrity Athlete

Nonfiction, Sports, History, Reference, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Popular Culture
Cover of the book Bigger Than the Game by Michael Weinreb, Penguin Publishing Group
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Author: Michael Weinreb ISBN: 9781101458921
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group Publication: August 5, 2010
Imprint: Avery Language: English
Author: Michael Weinreb
ISBN: 9781101458921
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication: August 5, 2010
Imprint: Avery
Language: English

A mesmerizing look at the year when American athletics went corporate, villains replaced heroes, and sports stars became superstars.

Greed and excess defined the 1980s, and the sports world was no exception. Shifting from the love of the game to the love of money, athletes made the transition from representing honor and humility to becoming brash and branded. Capturing the stories of headliners who capitalized on this trend, Bigger Than the Game charts the rise (and sometimes spectacular fall) of four athletes over the span of one of the most dramatic eras in sports.

Meticulously researched, with stirring, you-are-there reporting, Bigger Than the Game assembles a cast that includes Jim McMahon, who took the Chicago Bears to Super Bowl glory despite his penchant for partying and his aversion to following the game plan; Brian Boswoth, the university of Oklahoma linebacker who mugged for the cameras while calling the NCAA a communist organization; Bo Jackson, who pursued promising careers in both pro football and baseball; and Len Bias, poised to ensure the Boston Celtics' dominance but died of a cocaine overdose just one day after the draft. Also packed with portraits of folk heroes such as "Refrigerator" Perry and Michael Jordan, Bigger Than the Game offers a riveting ride for every sports fan.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A mesmerizing look at the year when American athletics went corporate, villains replaced heroes, and sports stars became superstars.

Greed and excess defined the 1980s, and the sports world was no exception. Shifting from the love of the game to the love of money, athletes made the transition from representing honor and humility to becoming brash and branded. Capturing the stories of headliners who capitalized on this trend, Bigger Than the Game charts the rise (and sometimes spectacular fall) of four athletes over the span of one of the most dramatic eras in sports.

Meticulously researched, with stirring, you-are-there reporting, Bigger Than the Game assembles a cast that includes Jim McMahon, who took the Chicago Bears to Super Bowl glory despite his penchant for partying and his aversion to following the game plan; Brian Boswoth, the university of Oklahoma linebacker who mugged for the cameras while calling the NCAA a communist organization; Bo Jackson, who pursued promising careers in both pro football and baseball; and Len Bias, poised to ensure the Boston Celtics' dominance but died of a cocaine overdose just one day after the draft. Also packed with portraits of folk heroes such as "Refrigerator" Perry and Michael Jordan, Bigger Than the Game offers a riveting ride for every sports fan.

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