Product Description
The NFL has never been hotter--witness the $21.4 billion it will rake in on the TV-rights deals now in place (not to mention its own network), the proliferation of football news and information and the game's booming popularity among sports fans, including the 23 millioin who read SPORTS ILLUSTRATED every week. These 320 pages capture, in breathtaking words and pictures, the essence of America's game: the players and performances, the crucial moments and classic matchups, the enduring dynastics and unique characters that have made pro football the new national pastime. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Awsome
This is a remarkable book with lots of pictures.Great for hardcore football fans.Geaux Saints

Great gift idea
Got this as a present for my husband.The book has lots of great photos and interesting information on many players throughout football history. Great for any NFL fan.

Great gift
Bought this for my brother as a Christmas gift. He and I are both into sports, so when I received it, I thought it was so great I wanted one for myself. Lots of information, great file photos.

Sports Illustrated:The Football Book
My son loves this book.He saw it elsewhere but I got a better deal for it from Amazon.I am very happy with this purchase.

Value for the money
This made a great gift! This book is quite large - filled with wonderful photos - and packed with information all things football.It is rather large to take to bed to relax with, in my opinion, but is better suited to view/read sitting in your lounger. I'd buy this book for anyone that loves football....truly value for the money. Great coffee table book. ... Read more

Product Description
Continuing its series of spectacular coffee-table books for the holiday season, Sports Illustrated presents The College Football Book, the ultimate gift for America's most passionate fans.

SI launched this series in 2005 with The Football Book, devoted to the professional game. A New York Times best-seller that year, the book has taken root as a perennial, selling more than 200,000 copies to date. Now the editors of Sports Illustrated return to the gridiron, this time to serve the most avid football fans of all.

With the best words and pictures SI has to offer, The College Football Book, brings to life the game's unparalleled excitement and pageantry, its legendary players, historic teams and epic rivalries.

In 288 pages of the greatest photography and writing available anywhere, The College Football Book spans the sport's history, from its infancy in the 1800s right up to the postseason showdowns of 2008. The book is packed with stunning pictures, award-winning stories, original stats, decade-by-decade all-star teams and iconic artifacts photographed exclusively for this book at the College Football Hall of Fame--the same exciting mix of elements that makes each book in the SI series a must-have for sports fan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Great book for all College Football Fans
This book is so amazing!My wife and I are huge college football fans and I was excited when I first heard about this book because of our love for college football.We knew it would be a great addition to our coffee table books and it is a great book to have on the table during the fall because of all the rich history of college football that is in the book.I would highly recommend buying this book if you are a huge college football fan and enjoy learning about the early years of college football and how it has transformed into the sport it is today.

gift
Purchased as gift for grandson.

Sports Illustrated publications are a wonderful way to motivate both children and adults.

Great
Great service
Book was new
Lower cost than borders even with shipping
Order and had within 6 days

Great service

College football fans should love it
This coffee-table book is a more-or-less pictorial history of college football, and contains many great full-color pics along with info and stories, and should make a great gift for a college football fan! While not the comprehensive history of college football such as say Ken Burn's is for baseball it contains many great full-page pictures from the last 100 years.In addition it includes summaries by decade of the great college football teams, epic games, "all-decade team,"Heisman winners, and innovative figures of the decade (although I'd personally say listing the conference Commissioner who created the "BCS" is a suspect honor...).

Also listed are fun "Campus Culture" tidbits by decade including major books, movies, news stories of the day, and other - everything from "the foxtrot" and Thomas Edison in the early part of the century to "facebook" and the O.J. verdict in the latter part.But the book is mainly devoted to college football - throughout the book are also featured great pieces on such legendary figures as Bear Bryant, Ernie "The Express" Davis, Dick Butkus, Knute Rocke, and stories such as the "U," the Flutie-comeback game, and more. In addition to pictures also featured are many classic game-program covers; one other creative feature is a large illustrated foldout of the "all-century" team - greatest players/coaches.

Overall, a very enjoyable collection of pics and information. One thing I found quirky - the book lists the national champs from each decade up to 30's, when they then are replaced by the Heisman award trophy winners. I suppose SI couldn't fit both on one page so just they stopped listing the national champs - but it seems strange they consider the individual award more important than team championships (in any event a listing of national champs can easily be found on-line, if one cares to, in tandem with reading this book). Overall, this book will provide college football or American sports fan plenty of enjoyment, and lives up to its title of "THE College Football Book!"

Great Product
My son loved the book, but for the same price I found it in BJs and could have saved on the shipping. ... Read more

Product Description
On the heels of the successful Sports Illustrated 50th Anniversary Book comes a spectacular celebration of professional football that will be treasured by fans of America+s Game. With the same kind of unforgettable photographs and award-winning writing that made the SI+s 50th Anniversary Book a best-seller,this lavish coffee-table volume brings to life the bone-rattling action of NFL football and the extraordinary athletes who have made it America+s true national pastime. In 256 oversized pages, The Football Book commemorates the dynasties and the dominating players, the crucial plays and classic games, the personalities and performances that propelled the NFL during SI+s first 50 years of publication, from a marginal, ragtag league to the biggest game in town. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Football Book
This is a great book for any football fan! Lots of info and awesome pictures! Highly Recommend

Good book - lots of photos!
My nephew is looking forward to reading this before bed each night.Thank you.

A great book for anybody...
This is a great book and will be handed down over the generations for others to read...

Ex-college football player loved it
Last night my family opened Christmas gifts. My niece's new husband played college football and now does substitute coaching at a small college where he is a zoology professor. He spend a good half hour looking through his new gift book and was delighted. Excellent gift!

The Man They Left Out
The most exciting runner of all time was Hugh McElhenny. They left him out. If you've never heard of him, check out some of those old grainy black-and-white films of the 1950s. He played for the 49ers. The first time he touched the ball in the NFL was a kickoff he ran back for a TD. In one season, he averaged over 8 yards per carry. That's not a typo. And that's in the NFL, not college. He did similarly amazing things in college at the U of Washington. He's a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, but they left him out. In the pantheon of most exciting football players of all time - that's most EXCITING, not necessarily the ranked best - it might look something like this:

1) McElhenny
2) Gale Sayers
3) Barry Sanders
4) Roger Staubach
5) John Elway
6) Jim Brown

Sure, Montana's not on here, but that's because he wasn't really that exciting. He was like a machine. Great, sure, but machines aren't exciting. Joe wasn't exciting.
McElhenny was. He was the King, but they left him out.
... Read more

Product Description
This is a follow-up to the popular first book in the series, "Sports Investing: Profiting from Point Spreads," which remains a top-selling book in its sports gambling category.This book focuses on specific college football betting systems and strategies.The book remains true to the philosophy of contrarian value in sports investing.In particular, the authors reveal betting systems and parameters that they have used to successfully navigate the college football sports marketplace. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Easy to read, went 25-5 first 4 College Football Saturdays
The results speak for themselves. Using the "Bet Against the Public" betting strategy, I went 25-5 in the first 4 weekends of college football. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking to make money at sports betting while having fun watching the games.

College Football -- handicapper's edge
I like the fact that the author doesn't hype his work.I believe that this "sports investing" value approach can help cappers get an edge.I think it is best used in combination with other handicapping methods as well.Although the edge is slight, the historical numbers DO show a statistically significant bias that backs the approaches.Even so, I'm liking the 6-0 start to the 2010 season for one of the author's college football approaches.

I hope the authors keep up the good work and I look forward to a Major League Baseball version of their research.

Contrarian Betting Systems for College Football
I enjoyed Fabrizio's first book, "Sports Investing: Profiting from Point Spreads" - which gives a good overview of applying contrarian methods to the sports betting world.The first book is fairly general but does a good job of helping readers apply systematic methods.In particular, the author advocates objective approaches that make sense, such as: "betting percentages" (to find value and bet against the general public) and "line movement setups" (that indicate the direction of syndicate/big bettors).

http://www.amazon.com/Sports-Investing-Profiting-Spreads-Marketplace/dp/160970004X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1283008305&sr=8-1

This follow-up book on "College Football Betting Systems," is fairly thin, but it takes the first book a step further.It focuses on college football data - and in particular, shows parameters such as specific point spreads and betting percentages ranges that have helped the author and his team achieve decent results.

Sports bettors looking for a get-rich-quick method will be disappointed.However, those looking for a solid approach that can be used both "stand-alone" -- or as part of additional handicapping methods -- will find a lot of useful and practical betting info.Dan Fab and his team have put themselves out there with published data, methods, and picks for years -- and have produced generally profitable results, even after vig. ... Read more

Product Description

Whether it’s smashing a home run, heaving a touchdown pass, or scoring the game-winning goal, fans love watching their favorite stars. With incredible photos and lists of stats, fans will love seeing the world’s best athletes and their amazing achievements up close.

... Read more

Product Description
Touchdown! Teams across the nation have all strived to reach the Super Bowl and football glory. Read about all of the greats and the history of your favorite pro football teams. ... Read more

Product Description
Renowned YA author Alden R. Carter offers up this laugh-out-loud, slice-of-high-school-life short-story collection, a Booklist Top 10 Sports Book of the Year for Youth.On "Jersey Day" the artsy academic girl wonders suspiciously which football player could have possibly put his invitational jersey on her desk. In "The Briefcase" the new kid reaps the consequences when his parents force him to carry an expensive briefcase with him to school. In "Elvis" a brainy girl with this unfortunate nickname receives social aid from an unlikely benefactor--the school's football star. In these laugh-out-loud pieces, Alden R. Carter tells the stories of students from one end of the social spectrum to the other. Jock to loner, academic snob to outcast, Carter explores and shatters the sterotypes behind the relationships, friendships, rumors, peer pressure, sports, bullies, and other assorted forms of mental anguish that come with high school. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Love, Football, And Other Contact Sports
I bought this book for my 7th grade classroom library after hearing about it at a conference. Before the day was over, I had many kids asking to sign it out and I haven't seen it back since I brought it in! A huge and hysterical hit! ... Read more

Product Description
The modern game of football is filled with plays and formations with names like the Counter Trey, the Wildcat, the Zone Blitz and the Cover Two. They have become part of the sport's vernacular, and yet for many fans they remain just names, often confusing ones. To rectify that, Tim Layden has drilled deep into the core of the game to reveal not only how these chalkboard X's and O's really work on the field, but also where they came from and who dreamed them up.

These playbook schemes, many of them illuminated by diagrams, bear the insignia of some of the game's great innovators, men like Vince Lombardi, Don Coryell, Tom Osborne, Bill Walsh, Tony Dungy and Buddy Ryan. But football has also been radically altered by the ingenious work of men with more obscure names, like Tiger Ellison, Emory Bellard and Mouse Davis.

In Blood, Sweat and Chalk, Layden takes readers into the meeting rooms-and in some cases the living rooms-where the game's most significant ideas were hatched. He goes to the coaches and to the players who inspired them, and lets them tell their stories. In candid conversations with some of football's most intriguing characters, Layden provides a fascinating guide to the game, helpingfans to better see the subtleties of America's favorite sport.

The game of football is cyclical. Coaches today are getting too much credit for formations and offenses that were dreamed up years ago. Tim Layden does a wonderful job of tracing the origin of those ideas in Blood, Sweat and Chalk.
- Urban Meyer, Head Football Coach, University of Florida

Tim Layden explores the minds and ambitions of the game's formative thinkers. Serious students of football must have this on their bookshelves!
- Steve Sabol, President, NFL Films

Blood, Sweat and Chalk is a must-read for all football aficionados. I, of course, especially enjoyed reading about the great Don Coryell, a true innovator in the game we all love. His ideas changed football-and this book shows you how.
- Dan Fouts, Hall of Fame Quarterback, San Diego Chargers

Tim has created a playbook that's instructional, a history book that's fascinating and a football bible that's a must-read for anybody who loves the game. All in one.
- Dan Patrick, Host, NBC's Football Night in America

Tim Layden does a great job telling the story of the people and the ideas that had a major impact on the game of football as we know it.
- Mack Brown, Head Football Coach, University of Texas

This is one of the most important sports books of our generation-and a lot of fun too. The formations and philosophies that win Super Bowls and national titles are made crystal clear. If you live for fall weekends, this is your book.
- Peter King, Author, Monday Morning Quarterback ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

This is a History Book and not a Playbook
I saw a chalkboard on the cover photo and the words "Ultimate Playbook" in the title so I was expecting a book about play design.Instead, I found this book to be about the providence of important football plays.Each chapter is focused on a particular football play or formation but the book is light on play design and heavy on names and places.If the publisher were to take the words "The Ultimate Football Playbook" out of the title then it would be pretty much as advertised.I am fascinated by football and read through the book regardless.It was interesting but definitely a bait and switch situation.

Disappointed
I purchased this book after Peter King plugged it in his weekly MMQB column.King also works for SI and he said something to the affect that this book greatly improved his knowledge of the NFL.This coming from a guy who has been paid to cover football for nearly 30 years.I figured if Peter King could learn some newthings, it must be a worthwhile read.I think Peter King must have been throwing bones to his fellow writer.This makes me distrust Peter King's opinions.
The book does give some fair biographical information on some of the coaches who pioneered or re-discovered some of the formations and plays in football history.Some of the personal connections are explored, such as Bill Walsh's connection to Paul Brown.But the descriptions of the formation's and philosophies of the various offenses and defenses are cursory at best.Usually a single play is diagrammed from each formation.... the signature play I suppose.But I wanted to know more about the other plays run from each formation and how the opposing defense (or offense) is kept off-balance.
I also wanted to know more about the blocking assignments from the various formations.For example, I noticed from watching Florida's games the last few years that on almost every play the offensive lineman never fire out of their blocks and attempt to drive their defender backwards on running plays.Rather, they would get into a pass-blocking stance without forming a pocket.They would remain at the line of scrimmage and attempt to cut off the defender in front of them whichever way he wanted to go.It is almost a zone-blocking scheme without the movement.Then the QB makes the decision to run, pitch or throw depending on what the defenders do.It really appears to be quite a different blocking scheme for the offensive line and I was really hoping to get a better explanation of what their thinking was.But it was not to be.The spread offense was made to sound almost the same as the run and shoot.But I believe the spread is vastly different in many ways.
If you've watched pre-game shows or listened closely to analysts such as Ron Jaworski or Chris Collinsworth you won't learn anything new from this book.T

Great Book--Needs and Index
"Blood, Sweat, and Chalk" is an excellent book for anyone who wants to learn the history of football formations, plays, and defenses. The coaching network and idea sharing by coaches conducted through the years is also an enjoyable read. The dustcover of the book plots the network of coaches who have influenced others along the way. My only complaint: no index, so it is impossible to find all of the references to a particular person in the book.

The Whole is Less than the Sum of the Parts
Tim Leyden is a good story teller or, more accurately, a good anecdote teller.Each anecdote on its own serves to illuminate a part of the story.But in the end, a long compilation of anecdotes is not a story and the book is choppy and tedious.It is not the "Ultimate Football Playbook" that Sports Illustrated claims it to be.

What is particularly annoying is that the book is bogged down by a compilation of minutia or trivia.It's chock full of names -- quarterbacks, running backs, and assistant coaches who are mere bit players or stage hands in the history of the game.My own theory is that if everyone whose name is in the book buys a copy for himself, his children, his parents, and his best friends then Leyden's a rich man.But if you're not part of that crowd, then I don't think you will be engaged by it.(And, if you are in that crowd, you've probably already been given a copy.)Read a chapter of it and you're fine.But read three chapters in succession and you're confused.The actual book would be more effective if it served as the end notes to the real "Ultimate Football Playbook" that waits to be written.

In 2010 the book should not have been released without an accompanying website or a DVD.Football is dynamic but the cute chalk board that begins each chapter is static and adds nothing.We're all used to seeing highlights, and the most effective way to elaborate the differences in the strategies and formations would be with video.

Great Read
Full disclosure: I was interviewed by Tim Layden and I am mentioned in the book.

Tim Layden really knows his football to begin with. To that knowledge he has added exhaustive research and his artistry with the written word, andhas produced an outstanding book.He manages successfully to achieve a delicate balance between entertaining and enlightening reading for the average football fan and a deep enough survey of major football innovations to interest more serious followers of the game.He has a unique ability to make the technical both understandable and interesting, without having to dumb things down.

I have been coaching since 1970, and following football since I was a little kid in the 1940s. I am a historian of the game with a rather extensive personal library of football books, and"Blood, Sweat and Chalk"will occupy a proud spot in it. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Trouble and struggle erupt on Mike's football team when Harry, his telepathic dog, is forced to remain home, unable to give the team his supernatural advice. Reprint. C. " ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

my 8 year old's favorite book
My 8 year old loves football. This is his favorite book. He read it completely in 1 day and has since read it a few more times.

A good story about winning, losing and cheating
I bought this just as my 6 year old son was getting into watching football on tv and pretending he was a football player. Harry the dog can talk to Mike the young boy via telepathy and ends up giving him the plays he overhears the other side planning to help the team win the first game. In the second game, Mike has to decide if he will use Harry's telepathic powers or go without. It's an enjoyable read aloud book with a lesson about how it's not really winning when someone cheats.

Great book for young sprts fan.
A great book for a young reader- our 6 year old sports fanatic, emergent reader, loved it.

Book review
We enjoy all Matt Christohers books at our house.GReat for boys who love sports but are not excited about reading.

1st grade football fanatic could not put the book down
My newly-reading first grader couldn't put the book down.He finished the 47 or so pages in no time.The vocabulary was challenging, the plot interesting and the illustrations "grown up."It would be interesting to boys and girls, football fans and non-fans alike.

If your child is not reading at the 1st grade level and able to decipher a few words like "triumphant" and "defenseman", I recommend Leonard Kessler's "Kick, Pass and Run."The difficult words are one's like "receiver" or "touchdown."Would work for a younger early reader.Note that it is easier, but still about 64 pages long. ... Read more

Product Description
Keith Stedman dropped the game-winning, undefeated-record-making pass that would have made him a hero instead of a loser.Still haunted by his gaffe, he's considering quitting football for good.His friends and family convince him to stick with it, but his troubles are far from over.Another player seems determined to do everything he can to keep the bad memory alive in the minds of his teammates-including Keith.Can Keith overcome his own obsession with the past and succeed in the present? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Excellent Book
My 5th grader (11 y/o) son and I both Matt Christopher books.We had embarked on a joint reading adventure to encourage him to read more and also to try and develop an enjoyment for reading.Matt Christopher books are very good for that.

Ryan's Review
Football Nightmare is about a kid who drops a pass and he doesn't want to play anymore because of that incomplete pass. So everyone always nags him and begs him to play, and he almost loses a couple of friends. He always runs into his coach and his coach always asks him to play. No matter what anyone says, he still does not want to play. In my opinion, it is not good, and I don't recommend this to anybody.There was not enough football in it so if you are looking for a football book, this is not cool, sporty, fun, or good it's BAD--trust me you will not like it.Well, I read it because I thought it was mainly about football, but it wasn't.

this book
MATT CHRISTOPHER: FOOTBALL NIGHTMARE was an interesting book. It shows Keith Stedman life and his life nightmare. Keith Stedman is a hero on the team, and his little sister really looks up to him, his family always encouraged and proud of him. Even though he is an awesome player on the team he drops a winning pass and just that little thing wants him to quit. That is when the story falls apart. His little sister and family very disappointed but still knows it is his decision. He gets help from everyone and everything ends up getting fixed...you will have to read the book to know what all happens.

Football Nightmare Review
Have your nightmares ever haunted you?Well, Keith Stedman in Football Nightmare by Matt Christopher lives a life-like nightmare.This book is about Keith's life on and off of the football field.Being discouraged by Larry Vincent a kid who wants the starting slot instead of him and encouraged by his family but especially his little sister Traci.Will Keith to play, or will he just try to forget about his whole football past.

ALL EYES ARE ON ME
"All eyes were on me. I fell to the ground with the football right beside me. I hated myself. This is a quote from Football Nightmare.

I liked this book. What I liked about the book is that Keith doesn't gives up. I can relate him, because I dropped a pass one time. I like Matt Christopher; he is a good writer. This is one of his best books. I also like Undercover Tailback and The Shortstop From Tokyo.


Wharton ... Read more

Product Description
From the award winning author of Fantasy Football Guidebook (and three other fantasy football books) comes the ultimate step by step guide to success; including methods of drafting, ranking players, creating cheat sheets and drafting like an expert. Finally, an easy to use and understand book, with tips on how to win your fantasy football league every year, is available at a great price. With over 200 winning ways, from how to pick a fantasy league to roster management tools, Fantasy Football Tips provides the key techniques to make you a consistent fantasy football owner. Written for all fantasy football players (whether a beginner or expert), Fantasy Football Tips is your ticket to this years League Championship. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Fantasy football
The Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win Through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting book is an excellent book to use in setting up your fantasy football team. It has helpful ideas for picking players and playing the game.

Another Winner from Hendricks
For the most part there are two kinds of Fantasy Football books out there.The first is the basic, introductory "draft RBs before kickers" kind of book.The second is the goofball theory book -- books that, while far from comprensive overall, describe in great detail the brilliant, wonderful theory that made the author the best fantasy football player in his league two years out of the last ten.The optimist in me thinks the authors of the latter group are people who got lucky, and haven't really subjected their theories to much scrutiny, whether by peer review, computer simulations, or just looking at data.The cynic in me thinks these authors are deliberately peddling crappy ideas, using their (cough) name to cash in without revealing any "real" secrets of the trade.The realist in me suspects that probably there's a some of both going on in most of those books.

In my view Sam Hendricks is the only author out there who is both writing at a high level, and writing honestly about his approach to winning at fantasy football.This book is a gold mine of information, containing valuable tips that you aren't going to see anywhere else.In addition, he isn't shy about calling out some of the nonsense that passes for accepted wisdom in fantasy football canon, and when he does, he backs it up with a solid logical argument.Tip #64, for example, blows away one of the central theses of Randy Giminez's "Dominate Fantasy Football" in less than 400 words, and after reading both, I'm basically ready to use Giminez for kindling.He's wrong, Hendricks is right, it's that simple.

I think a handful of his tips are questionable, but so many of them are so on the money that it makes this book worth far, far more than what he's charging for it.Sure, he could use some help in the editing department -- I grate my teeth every time I read "Jay Cutler or P. Manning", or "ARZ WR Larry Fitzgerald" in a paragraph of prose.Spell 'em out, bro, it doesn't cost you anything and, as you say often enough, consistency is a good thing.

Why this guy doesn't get more credit is beyond me, but a BIG part of me is glad that nobody's reading his stuff.The last thing I need is for my opponents to get better.

Now if he could just clean up his yearly Almanac....

A choice pick for those who love fantasy football
Fantasy football is a game of understanding the potential of players. "Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win Through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets, and Better Drafting" is a guide for those who want to improve their planning and choices when dealing with the game of fantasy football. With advice on better understanding football, seeing who is going to have the better season, and more, Sam Hendricks will give readers a leg up on their competition. "Fantasy Football Tips" is a choice pick for those who love fantasy football.

Outstanding!
Very insightful! There are hundreds of tips to improve your fantasy team at the draft, and techniques to ensure the strength of your team throughout the fantasy season. Sam has considered draft techniques that nobody else has thought of. And, his personal style makes it fun to read. Great book.

First the Fantasy Football Guidebook, now this little gem!
Sam Hendricks hits the bull's eye yet again with another great book not only on how to win at Fantasy Football, but how to better enjoy it as well.

Sam has competed in several high stakes leagues over the years including the World Championship of Fantasy Football and the Fantasy Football Players Championship.He shares the methods he himself has used to win since he began playing.Fantasy Football Tips is a quick and easy read, but it's comprehensive and detailed enough to guide you through the entire season.Sam's winning experience can be yours as he offers tips on drafting for your specific type of league and scoring system, techniques to help you pick the rookies destined to shine and how to spot the most likely breakout players.Sam even mentions weather and field conditions and how it will affect your team, something I rarely if ever thought about.There's also advice on trading and even an appendix with tools to help you stick with your plan on draft day.No FF player, veteran or novice should be without this book.Get it, read it, WIN!

... Read more

Product Description
Football may be sport, but the National Football League is at heart a business--how else to account for the stratospheric salaries of the players and coaches? Yet most people are unaware of how that business developed. This book details the growth of an industry that generates billions of dollars in revenue; explains the intricacies of the league's expansions and mergers, territories and relocations; the operation and organization of franchises; the role of stadiums and markets; and the effect of the NFL on domestic and foreign affairs. ... Read more

Product Description
Football is arguably one of the most important sports in the world, and the marketing of football has become an increasingly important issue, as clubs and product owners need to generate more revenue from the sport. In a wider context, football marketing has also become a benchmarking standard for other sports to learn from worldwide. The practices and processes of such an established industry are important lessons for those sports which are yet to maximise on their potential earnings, and provide interesting lessons in sports marketing in general.

Marketing and Football: an international approach is the first book to provide a comprehensive and entirely global approach to this subject. Written by an international team of contributors who are keen researchers in the field, it examines in two parts: the study of football marketing in Europe and the development of a marketing dedicated to football, with the question of the European example being used worldwide. A ground breaking text, it provides the reader with:

* Contributions from the UK, Norway, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Finland, Scotland, Brazil, Japan, USA, Canada, Argentina, Korea and Australia
* Interviews with professional sports marketers representing some of the biggest clubs worldwide: Juventus Turin, FC Barcelona, Milan AC, Inter Milan, AS Rome, Olympique Lyonnais, Vicenza, SE Palmeiras, Atletico Mineiro, Atletico PR

Marketing and Football: an international approach is a seminal text which will pave the way for future academics and practitioners to work, it is the first book to discuss and move towards a marketing dedicated to football.

* The first and only book ever published on the Marketing of Football
* Written by a team of international and well renowned contributors
* Every chapter includes an interview with a practitioner of football marketing, for insider insight ... Read more

Product Description
For more than 50 years, Sports Illustrated has been the gold standard of sports writing, and during that time, football—once a popular college pastime but only a rag-tag professional game—has moved to center stage, taking its unquestioned place as America’s most popular sport. This book brings together dozens of football classics from the pages of SI, featuring the work of such esteemed writers as John O’Hara and Jack Kerouac, Dan Jenkins and George Plimpton, Don DeLillo and John Undrwood and John Ed Bradley. And, of course, the collection includes many of the longtime favorites of SI readers: Frank Deford and Rick Reilly, Steve Rushin and Gary Smith, Peter King and Rick Telander and the inimitable Dr. Z, Paul Zimmerman.Covering more than half a century of the game at every level from high school to the Super Bowl, this volume will be indispensable reading for serious football fans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An excellent compendium or giftbook especially for thoughtful football fans
Edited by Sports Illustrated magazine's executive editor Rob Fleder, and with an introduction by popular football writer Peter King, Sports Illustrated: Great Football Writing compiles classic stories about football and football players from the pages of the venerable magazine, from the modern day to the 1950's. From "The Nightmare of Steroids" to "Where Have You Gone, Joe Namath?" to "All the Way with O.J." - an article about Simpson's stellar football performance from long before his arrest and trial for murder - the articles cover the both the highlights and the low points of America's long love affair with football. An excellent compendium or giftbook especially for thoughtful football fans, who enjoy pondering at length how the sport and its telling has gradually evolved with the decades.

A Hall-of-Fame Colection
There once was a time - it seems like a century ago - when SI really meant something in chronicling sports. But the magazine has sunk over the years to lazily give readers too many book excerpts and not enough good reporting. Is a lead article bashing A-Rod, that includes quotes by cowards who don't want to be named, really good journalism?

This outstanding collection of essays over the many years of the publication shows how sports writing can be equal parts art and history. In the first 50 or so pages, a reader learns about the first sports agent in the game, how a NFL franchise owner parlayed purchasing a team for a buck into stock worth almost $2 million, how the draw-play was invented, the grand history and sordid collapse of the Southwest Conference and the mystique of Lambeau Field.

The writers are a venerable who's who in American letters; David Halberstam, Jack Kerouac and George Plimpton. The sleeper in the bunch is Myron Cope, who was an outstanding sports writer before becoming the Super Fan-character on Pittsburgh Steelers radio broadcasts. Though not included in the collection, Cope's SI interview of Howard Cosell was the best feature I ever read on the man who "Told It Like It Is" well before Monday Night Football.

Great Football Writing is essential reading for people who enjoy the great mechanics of being told a story. And though the writers make the craft seem as easy as drawing up a last-second bomb to win the street-game, it takes a champion to professionally cover a champion. The collection is a classic.

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Product Description
The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Football is the most comprehensive and up-to-date football-specific training guide in the world today. It contains descriptions and photographs of over 80 of the most effective weight training, flexibility, and abdominal exercises used by athletes worldwide. This book features year-round football-specific weight-training programs guaranteed to improve your performance and get you results.

No other Football book to date has been so well designed, so easy to use, and so committed to weight training. This book will have players of all positions and skill levels increasing strength, agility, and power dramatically resulting in more touchdowns, crisper and harder tackles, and the flat-out domination of opponents all over the field.

Both beginners and advanced athletes and weight trainers can follow this book and utilize its programs. From recreational to professional, thousands of athletes all over the world are already benefiting from this book and its techniques, and now you can too!

As an added bonus, this book also contains links to free record keeping charts which normally sell separately for $20. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ok - very basic
Book is extremely basic. I have been training for over 20 years, maybe I expected to much? Still an ok book though for youth that need to understand the basics. Good book, just not for advanced levels or what I would call " The Ultimate Guide". ... Read more

Product Description
How to Play, Enjoy and Win your Fantasy Football League Every Year! A handy, concise and informative source book. Expertly organized and full of hard facts, helpful tips and valuable strategies. This guidebook is for the novice or the expert who wants to learn more about how to play and win fantasy football. It is your single source for every strategy, tip, rule or league variation available. It is the best book of its kind. Includes: - The history and administration of Fantasy Football - Types of leagues, scoring systems and drafts - How to rank players - Draft day tips, theories and advanced strategies - Roster Management skills (trades, add/drops, start/bench decisions) - Auction, Keeper and IDP leagues - Interview with Lenny Pappano (co-founder World Championship of Fantasy Football and draftsharks.com) - Psychology of Fantasy Football - Injuries - And much more! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Not a book for beginners!
Look, the author seems to really know his stuff, and from what I've scanned it looks like he's put it all in a pretty cogent format.But, and I suppose this is my fault, I bought this book because I wanted to *start* playing fantasy football.While the guide is, as it says, quite comprehensive, even for an experienced student like myself (I hold a doctorate) the sheer amount of detailed material squished in from cover to cover put me off even starting to read it.Maybe, someday, when I am an experienced fantasy football fanatic, I may want to read something this in depth.But I'm just looking to get started here, and Mr. Hendricks has written a textbook, not a fun guidebook.I'm going to return it and get Fantasy Football for Dummies, instead.I'm no dummy, but I can always count on the "For Dummies" format to make learning a new subject fun.If you want to know everything there is to know about fantasy football, this guide's for you. If you're just trying to grasp the basics you need to get started, I'd go for something a bit lighter.No offense, Mr. Hendricks -- I did keep your Fantasy Football Tips!Fantasy Football For Dummies (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies))

The perfect Fantasy Football book.
For years I have been looking for a "Comprehensive" book on fantasy football. This 400 page book has it all. It has a great layout starting with the basics, history and progression of the hobby and then it dives into the types of leagues and drafts. After that the meat of the book is about strategies and tips of what to do and not to do in drafts and managing your team week in and week out. The last few chapters cover injuries, refererence materials and drum roll.......an entire chapter on rules that other leagues use. That alone is a great reference for anyone in a FF league that is getting boring.

It is a well thought out and well written book that wastes no space with silly drawings or blank pages. It is jam packed with tons of stuff. I have a few other FF books but most are TOO basic with lots of empty space or ads for websites. This one is by far the best!

I only wish there was an index so that I could reference the topics more easily when I go back to it from time to time.

I bought the hardback for $24 and a quarter (amazon sell 10% off) and it is great, but another buddy of mine got the paperback for $17.95 (again 10% off) and it seems pretty neat so I might go with the paperback next time when I get it for a friend for Christmas or his Birthday. I guess it depends on what they like either HB or PB.

Probably the best fantasy football book yet written
I ordered this and his F.F. 2009 Almanac at the same time.The Almanac came first.That's about all that can said in its favour.So I was more than a little suprised at the quality of this book.It's comprehensive, well-organized, professionally laid out, reads very easily, and in multiple aspects has advice that is a level beyond the titles that will come up in the "People Who Bought This Book Also Bought..." windows.

Let's face it, the fantasy football canon doesn't need another "it's a good idea to wait until late to pick your kicker" kind of book.This one covers the bases of types of leagues, types of scoring systems, and so forth in a couple of chapters, and then gets on to the main entree.

His chapter on ranking players tells some hard truths and gives the reader a solid foundation for doing (or not doing) his or her own research.The rest of the book deals thoroughly with the strategy and tactics involved in being in a league, from the draft through to trades, choosing your lineup, and other areas, in greater detail than is offered in any other source.

Really, the only other book that has anything useful beyond what's here is Zarzycki's "Drafting to Win".Zarzycki has a couple of good ideas in his book, as well as a whole lot of terrible ones, and it has to be recognized that he has the most highly evolved understanding of how strategies have to be fluid during the course of the draft.But Hendricks has summarized Zarzycki's positive contributions in a few pages, which is probably as much as any fantasy football player needs to see.

All in all, a great book, and a stunningly good bargain at $19.95.

How to win at Fantasy Football
Here's a staggering number: 30,000,000 - that's how many users worldwide are estimated to have played fantasy football this year. So you can be forgiven if you didn't win your league, unless, of course, you were an owner in half a dozen leagues or more, in which case you have no excuse for not winning at least one.

The popularity of online fantasy sports continues to grow, especially for football.

And with that popularity the number of competitive leagues offering huge prizes is soaring as well - which explains why so many of us now watch the NFL with one eye on the big screen, one eye on the computer monitor, and one hand on the mouse, repeatedly clicking the refresh button even though our real-time stats load automatically.

Here's another staggering number: $150,000,000 - that's the estimated cost of Tom Brady's season-ending injury to owners playing for a share of $500,000,000 in fantasy prizes (Darren Rovell, cited in an article on nfl.fanhouse.com).

With that much on the line, fantasy owners need all the help they can get - especially owners who failed in their primary mission this season: winning.

So here is what you need to do now that the fantasy season is over, buy this book: Fantasy Football Guidebook: Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football, by Sam Hendricks.

And the emphasis here should really be on comprehensive - because that is exactly what the author provides, a complete and careful examination of fantasy football from its historical roots to drafting best-practices to dealing with Brady-like injuries to the psychology of the game.

Yes, that's right - the psychology of fantasy football.

And don't think for a moment that the psychology of fantasy football isn't a relevant topic - not when there are 30,000,000 owners worldwide.

In terms of qualifications, Sam Hendricks is a legendary figure in fantasy football, having won virtually everything there is to win over the past two decades. Hendricks frequently is invited to speak about fantasy football, offering seminars to people eager to learn firsthand time-tested strategies for winning on the virtual playing field, and he also participates yearly in the World Championship of Fantasy Football.

Hendricks says that playing fantasy football will make you a better NFL fan. I totally agree. And something else, too - using this guidebook that Hendricks created will make you a better fantasy football player.

Great Book For Any and All FF Owners, Regardless of Experience!
This is a super book.Sam's simplified tiering system makes ranking players easy for the beginner or the veteran.There are techniques for getting the best team on draft day and tips to guide you through the entire season.An added bonus are the detailed descriptions on the types of leagues that are out there and how all the scoring systems work.Get and read this book and you can be a champion in any league!

JK ... Read more

Product Description
Packed with expert advice and timely tips

The fun and easy way to guide your team to glory in fantasy football

Fantasy football can be an addictive hobby. But if you've never played before, how do you start? Have no fear! This friendly guide explains the game to you from start to finish -- from scouting and drafting your players to building your coaching skills to planning your strategy. And who knows, perhaps even to tasting victory in your league championship!


* Understand the basics of the game
*

Pick the league right for you
*

Assemble your dream team in the draft
*

Develop your in-season management skills
*

Know which quick fixes work and what common mistakes to avoid ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Fantasy Football for Dummies
It was a perfect gag gift for someone that came in last place in our fantasy football league!

3 1/2 Stars
Well I can honestly say I knew nothing about fantasy football before and in the first chapter alone I learned sooo much. I didn't realize there was so many different ways to play either. The main things I didn't like was how disorganized the material was. If you know nothing about FF (like me) the book instructs you to skip around chapters and come back. I don't like doing that and I really didn't see why it couldn't be set up like a normal front to back read and just let the more advanced players be the ones who skip around. Another thing was when it came time to look into joining a public league that he suggested there was information I needed to know that he never discussed. That kind of makes me nervous. A lot of important stuff (worth remembering) got buried in useless info as well. I can always skim back through the book if I need to, unless I get stuck during the draft (this is what I'm nervous about) where I just wont have enough time.

Great Book for 1st Timers
If like me you have never played Fantasy football before this book is a must.
It explains in clear easy to understand language the way to go about drafts, run your team etc.
Anyone who is playing on Yahoo will find it especially useful as it is written around the Yahoo format (other leagues are covered as well).
A good buy at the price & big help if you want to get maximum fun out of your 1st season.

Great Book
Great Book.Taught my husband a few things about Fantasy Football that he didn't know and he has been playing for years.A must have for any wife who wants to learn what occupies hours of their husband's time.

Your first choice!
If you are thinking about playing fantasy football or even if you played a little last year and want to improve those basic skills, get this book! It is a great introduction to fantasy football. It covers everything to get you started including where to play online and look online for information on players. Many of the tips are exactly what you need to draft, manage and improve your team for a winning season.

After reading Fantasy Football for Dummies, it is obvious that Martin Signore has played the game for many years and his love of the hobby shines through.Once again, the winning "dummies" format makes it easy. I am amazed at how much information he provides. Martin even discusses Auction leagues which many of todays FF books ignore. He hits all the right techniques and even includes some advanced draft strategies.

I usually find the "part of tens" pages in a dummies book tedious, but Martin has provided a great Top 10 list of mistakes to avoid and perhaps even more importantly ten fixes to make to your team after draft day. The draft is not the end but instead should be the starting point for a championship team. You should constantly try to improve your team through trades and/or the waiver wire. A great manager can always look back and point out a significant improvement during the season.

This is definitely the book of choice for anyone who wants an introduction to the greatest hobby of all time, Fantasy Football.

Sam Hendricks, author of "Fantasy Football Guidebook: Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football" and "Fantasy Football Almanac"
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Product Description
When inexperienced Phil Wayne takes over as coach of the Cayugans, Chip Chase figures that they're in for a losing season. But Phil surprises everyone by teaching the team a fantastic new play each week--plays that he later admits were mailed to him anonymously. Will Chip and his teammates discovery who the mystery coach is before the season ends?. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Sports books for kids
I'm a sports fan with kids -- and our family enjoyed this book.If you are looking for a fun book that is related to sports, take a look at this book.Good stuff to keep the children engaged.Great, creative, and fun ideas.Sports & reading -- are a great combination for children (especially young boys).Note, however, that my daughter enjoyed this as well!

Great for boys
I bought this for my sports-crazy godson to get him interested in reading, and it worked.Now all he wants to read are sports-related stories, but at least he's reading!

The Team That Couldn't Lose
I say this is a great book.It is about a kid who is on the last place team.And there is someone who is secretly sending them
plays. The main characters are Chip,Splash,turtle,and Daniel. The main reason I like this story is because I really like Football.

The Team That Couldn't Lose
I got this book for my 9 year old grandson who happens to be
dyslexic but is also an absolute fanatic about football!
He is reading it and loving it! I am THRILLED to have found these
books that are so enticing they will make even a struggling
reader want to read them. Thank YOU , Matt Christopher, for
understanding what will motivate a young boy to read!

Awesome!
The Team That Couldn't Lose by Matt Christopher is a very interesting book.The characters are Coach Kash, Chip Chase, and the rest of the Cayugans football team. Mr. McFall, an old player who played 60 years ago, has lost his old playbook because his wife sold it. A boy named Danny Livenmore bought it, and was sending plays to the Cayugans.
This book is a must read! It has a good author because he is a very young sports writer.He will probably have some good books in the future.
Matt Christopher is a former sports magazine seller. Also he worked at General Electric. And is a young sports writer for kids. Keep an eye out for more books by Matt Christopher. ... Read more