From furthering your skills to understanding the psychological games at play and even the history of the great players in the sport, these are the 8 books that every American Football player should read.
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#1 Three Stages by Ben Bryant
In my own first book, Three Stages, I chronicle my adventures playing for both George Allen and Don Coryell before they became famous.
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Contributors: Ben Bryant from Ben Bryant Production Services
#2 What It Takes to Be #1 by Vince Lombardi
From the legendary Green Bay Packers coach. He won the first two Super Bowls, and it’s his name on the Super Bowl Trophy. It easily can be googled. To me, it’s mandatory reading, not only for football… but for life. It presents the winning mentality it takes to take on this game of life with gusto, integrity, and heart.
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Contributors: Brian Shell from PassionHero
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Good
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Best of luck!
#3 Paper Lion by George Plimpton
A regular human being as a quarterback at the Detroit Lions’ training camp. This one is the beginning of Alex Karras’ rise to movie stardom.
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Contributors: Ben Bryant from Ben Bryant Production Services
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Read this years ago. Good.
#4 North Dallas Forty a novel by Peter Gent
A different “inside” view of the pro football scene also extremely funny.
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Contributors: Ben Bryant from Ben Bryant Production Services
#5 Instant Replay: The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer
This one is a documentary and gets into the real nitty-gritty of the game.
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Contributors: Ben Bryant from Ben Bryant Production Services
#6 Semi-Tough: A novel by Dan Jenkins
Truly one of the funniest books ever written on the sport, filled with insights into the culture of the NFL.
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Contributors: Ben Bryant from Ben Bryant Production Services
#7 Against Football by Steve Almond
In Against Football, New York Times bestselling author Steve Almond details why, after forty years as a fan, he can no longer watch the game he still loves. Using a synthesis of memoir, reportage, and cultural critique, Almond steps back from the seductive din of the gridiron to ask a series of provocative questions:
- What does it mean that our society has transmuted the intuitive physical joys of childhood—run, leap, throw, tackle—into a billion-dollar industry?
- How did a sport that causes brain damage become the leading signifier of our institutions of higher learning?
- Does our addiction to football foster a tolerance for violence, greed, racism, and homophobia?
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Contributors: Tansica Sun from Red Hen Press
#8 Sports Illustrated Football’s Greatest: Revised and Updated
Who's the greatest quarterback of all time? The most dominant linebackers? In 2012, Sports Illustrated sought to answer this question in Football's Greatest. In the past five years, new players have come on the scene, coaches have come and gone and great games have been played. Through it all, SI has been there, analyzing, tracking, photographing and reporting on every game as only SI can.
Now, in Football's Greatest: Revised and Updated, an all-new team of experts comes together to debate everything that makes football, football - whether it's the best players, the best on the defensive line, the cheerleaders, or the stadiums, our team of experts have ranked them. Additionally, for this revised and updated edition, we've added a Roundtable with the Stars that includes some of the most legendary NFL Hall of Famers discussing whom they consider to the greatest. We've also added two new categories to the rankings: Rivalries and Most Entertaining Players, that makes Football's Greatest: Revised and Updated an essential addition to any football fan's library.
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Contributors: Kourtney Sokmen from Meredith Special Interest Media/Books
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Wow…what a journey !
A classic. Wonderful stories that weave in great insights and humor. A delight for all.
Read this about a year ago, I believe. The best. I identified best with Bryant’s book.