Cover via Amazon

The sting is beginning to wear off from the heartbreaking Super Bowl loss of my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers – but that game is likely to haunt Steeler fans for a while.

Continuing my attempt at topical or themed reading, I decided to read an appropriate book in the two weeks leading up to Super Bowl XLV.

And one that was in the TBR pile fit perfectly: The Ones Who Hit the Hardest: The Steelers, the Cowboys, the ’70s, and the Fight for America’s Soul.

Steeler fans, those intersted in the history of the NFL and those with a connection to Pittsburgh will want to check this one out.

While at times the differing threads sit awkwardly together, and it is certainly a Steeler focused perspective, but I found it be an engaging and interesting read.

This was a perfect book to read during Super Bowl week. As the title indicates, the book weaves in threads of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys and the history of the industrial labor movement to capture the NFL in the ’70s.

For me the three threads varied in interest. Not surprisingly, I found the history of the Steelers absolutely fascinating. The authors do a great job revealing exactly how the Steelers ended up building the incredible dynasty of the 70′s by following Chuck Noll‘s careful plan (build through the draft, mold new players to the system, etc.). They also offer insights into the lives and personalities of the players and their relationship with each other and coach Noll.

It was interesting to learn about the background and personalities of Hall of Fame players like Mean Joe Green, Jack Lambert, Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris. It was also interesting to read about how all these larger than life personalities came together – or didn’t at times – to play as a team.

You learn how Noll basically let Greene do what he wanted since he inspired and motivated the entire defense (not to mention struck fear into opponents). But when it came to the offensive side of the ball Noll struggled to trust Bradshaw and frequently lost his temper with the young QB. It really wasn’t until they won their first Super Bowl that Bradshaw had the confidence he needed.

While the labor history sections were interesting at times, and they provided a better understanding of the city of Pittsburgh and Steeler fans, it didn’t always seem to be going anywhere. At the end you felt like you knew more but were less clear how it all related.

The Cowboys section was equally interesting in terms of owners, players and coaches – the personalities and histories – but it just wasn’t as well developed and flushed out as the sections on the Steelers. The Cowboys were obviously a rival for the Steelers and they reflected a totally different mindset and culture so it makes sense to contrast the two teams and the authors succeed in highlighting the contrasting styles and teams. But it is clearly a Steeler focused book – which is fine with me but worth noting.

This is one of those books where the whole almost seems more than the parts. Not every section works, and all the threads are not neatly wrapped up by the end, but the stories along the way are so interesting that you don’t mind.

In the end what you get is a snapshot history of the NFL in the 1970s through the lens of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys with the labor movement of the steel mills as a background. For Steeler fans I think this is a must read – although those with a strong knowledge of the team in the 70s might already be aware of much of the history.

Anyone interested in the NFL or sports history, however, would find this a fascinating read.

For those that love the game and not just their chose teams this is a great time of year; full of days on end of football.  But with this enjoyment comes the bittersweet recognition that the season is coming to a close – there are only so many games left and then the dreaded off-season.

If you are a football fan there is a resource that might help you get through the off-season and come out even more knowledgeable about the game you love. Football: An Encyclopedia of Popular Culture edited by Edward J. Rielly is a treasure trove of information for fans and history/culture lovers alike:

Football. Far more than a game, America’s favorite spectator sport is an intrinsic part of the nation’s popular culture—a proving ground for high school athletes, a springboard for stars, a multimillion-dollar business, and a vast entertainment enterprise. Football: An Encyclopedia of Popular Culture provides a detailed look at America’s pastime through the lens of pop culture, a fascinating A-to-Z inventory of how certain aspects of the game affect and reflect broader society.

From African Americans in football to the meaning of Zero in the sport, this volume profiles players and personalities, teams and events, games and football concepts, and sociological and technological changes in the sport. The goal is not to name every Hall of Famer or to retell the game’s entire history, but to give a clear and detailed account of where, in football history, the importance of people and events extends beyond the playing field. Its wide-ranging entries examine such names as Joe Montana and Byron “Whizzer” White and phenomena from concussions, mascots, team names, and literature to U.S. presidents and football’s presence in television commercials. The encyclopedia covers all levels of play—professional, collegiate, high school, and youth—offering a from-the-ground-up, gridiron look at the game of football within the matrix of American culture.

Just to give you an example, I looked up “Bowl Games” and spent an enjoyable few minutes reading about the history of college bowl games. I learned things I didn’t know about the early history of the Tournament of Roses which eventually featured a game in a new bowl shaped stadium and thus led to the Rose Bowl and the the term Bowl Games.

As a University of Michigan fan suffer these last few years it was nice to read that the very first game featured the University of Michigan versus Stanford. The Wolverines built a 49-0 lead and the game was actually called six minutes early as Stanford had had enough and asked for mercy!

After that I kept on reading as the very next entry was Bradshaw, Terry Paxton (b. 1948) and being a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan I wanted to read about the winner of four of their six Super Bowls.

Another Super Bowl QB, and Michigan alum, was next with Brady, Thomas Edward, Jr. (b 1977) and so I kept on reading about his exploits. Along the way you learn about the controversial tuck rule and Brady’s time in the spotlight thanks to off field issues.

Also as a Steeler fan, I am approaching this weekend with much trepidation. The defending Super Bowl champions are in danger of not making the playoffs. Thanks to an ugly five game slide to team like the Kansas City Chiefs, Oaklnad Raiders, and Cleveland Browns the Steelers need to win Sunday and have help. This is increasingly unlikely as many of the teams they need to win will have nothing significant to play for having wrapped up a spot in the playoffs.

The Steelers are seeking to grab one of the two remaining “Wild Card” spots. And if you look this up, you will learn what the term means but also that five Wild Card teams have gone on to win the Super Bowl (including the Steelers in 2005). This is what give players and fans hope: just get in and who knows what can happen.

In just a few minutes of browsing and reading I learned things I hadn’t know and was reminded of things I had forgotten. Football: An Encyclopedia of Popular Culture is a great resource for football fans or those interested in the intersection of popular culture and the game. It would also be a handy reference guide for those who would like to learn more about the game and its history.

I am sure I will be spending more time reading it as the dark night of the soul know as the football off-season approaches.