Once in a Lifetime: The Incredible Story of the New York Cosmos

Girls, Greed, Goals, Superstars and Excess

Nonfiction, Sports, History, Football (Soccer), Americas, United States
Cover of the book Once in a Lifetime: The Incredible Story of the New York Cosmos by Gavin Newsham, Grove Atlantic
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gavin Newsham ISBN: 9781555848699
Publisher: Grove Atlantic Publication: December 1, 2007
Imprint: Grove Press Language: English
Author: Gavin Newsham
ISBN: 9781555848699
Publisher: Grove Atlantic
Publication: December 1, 2007
Imprint: Grove Press
Language: English

The “compelling . . . detailed and thoughtful account” of the rise and fall of the Cosmos, New York’s first superstar soccer team (Kirkus Reviews).

In the summer of 1977, soccer was poised to finally conquer America and the New York Cosmos were the premier sports team of the city. They boasted the greatest roster of the world’s best players—notably, Brazil’s international sensation Pelé—ever assembled for any sport. For a time, they were the darlings of the press. Their first game was televised in twenty-two different countries. They were favorites at Studio 54. They partied behind the velvet ropes with Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger. Less a growing sports phenom than a pop-culture happening, the hottest ticket in town drew the likes of Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand, Henry Kissinger, and Robert Redford. Warner Brothers chairman and Cosmos owner Steve Ross may not have known a goalkeeper from a zookeeper, but in a city awash in celebrity and decadence, Ross knew spectacle. He also knew how to make a dollar, and stars.

But as the Cosmos players soon became enmeshed in a world of millionaires, gangsters, groupies, glamour, power struggles, alcoholic excess, drugs, disco and very public fistfights, they were set for a heartbreaking and inevitable fall. “Colorful and keen . . . [and] detail-rich, this unlikely drama of a quintessentially American flirtation” (Publishers Weekly), “is a gripping evocation of a glorious but brief moment when the beautiful game had the US entranced” (Time Out London).

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

The “compelling . . . detailed and thoughtful account” of the rise and fall of the Cosmos, New York’s first superstar soccer team (Kirkus Reviews).

In the summer of 1977, soccer was poised to finally conquer America and the New York Cosmos were the premier sports team of the city. They boasted the greatest roster of the world’s best players—notably, Brazil’s international sensation Pelé—ever assembled for any sport. For a time, they were the darlings of the press. Their first game was televised in twenty-two different countries. They were favorites at Studio 54. They partied behind the velvet ropes with Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger. Less a growing sports phenom than a pop-culture happening, the hottest ticket in town drew the likes of Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand, Henry Kissinger, and Robert Redford. Warner Brothers chairman and Cosmos owner Steve Ross may not have known a goalkeeper from a zookeeper, but in a city awash in celebrity and decadence, Ross knew spectacle. He also knew how to make a dollar, and stars.

But as the Cosmos players soon became enmeshed in a world of millionaires, gangsters, groupies, glamour, power struggles, alcoholic excess, drugs, disco and very public fistfights, they were set for a heartbreaking and inevitable fall. “Colorful and keen . . . [and] detail-rich, this unlikely drama of a quintessentially American flirtation” (Publishers Weekly), “is a gripping evocation of a glorious but brief moment when the beautiful game had the US entranced” (Time Out London).

More books from Grove Atlantic

Cover of the book One Soldier's War by Gavin Newsham
Cover of the book Tokyo Cancelled by Gavin Newsham
Cover of the book The Next New World by Gavin Newsham
Cover of the book The Book of Dave by Gavin Newsham
Cover of the book A House Unlocked by Gavin Newsham
Cover of the book The Master and Margarita by Gavin Newsham
Cover of the book Just Before Dark by Gavin Newsham
Cover of the book The Hard Problem by Gavin Newsham
Cover of the book Northanger Abbey by Gavin Newsham
Cover of the book The Dressing Station by Gavin Newsham
Cover of the book The Spy's Son by Gavin Newsham
Cover of the book Playing Through the Whistle by Gavin Newsham
Cover of the book Hue 1968 by Gavin Newsham
Cover of the book The Dying Hours by Gavin Newsham
Cover of the book The Red Flag by Gavin Newsham
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy