The Last Headbangers: NFL Football In The Rowdy, Reckless '70s: The Era That Created Modern Sports (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
An interesting look at the NFL in the 1970s, despite some superfluous time-jumping back to the early days of the league. Set mainly around the four teams that dominated play in this era -- Steelers, Raiders, Dolphins, Cowboys -- the author presents Pittsburgh as a kind of antagonist and Oakland as the antagonist. One can appreciate Cook's unabashed look into the pro game as it matured from a drugs-and-thugs circus where players rammed their heads into concrete in order to fit into helmets, hitchhiked to games, and pushed the boundaries of legalized violence. The book illustrates how intense rivalries, the beauty of the NFL on television, and the hunger of a bruised American culture turned the game into a new national pastime. This is similar to the movie book Easy Riders and Raging Bulls, whose premise is that the Golden Age of Hollywood was the period between Easy Rider and Star Wars. In this book the Golden Age of pro football was in between 1972's Immaculate Reception and the emergence of the 49ers in 1981. It's all about the magic moment: When there's enough money for excess but before the soul-crushing bean counters take over. It's mostly about the reckless disregard for health and safety, which is quite entertaining from the comfort of my couch, as long as I don't think too much about the toll it took.
What do You think about The Last Headbangers: NFL Football In The Rowdy, Reckless '70s: The Era That Created Modern Sports (2013)?
good book about a great era of pro football. any fan of steelers or raiders will enjoy this book.
—starriexan
Really interesting book. Loved reading about how things used to be done in the 60,70's etc.
—enlinhayla
