{"product_id":"the-league-how-five-rivals-created-the-nfl-and-launched-a-sports-empire-9781541618640","title":"The League: How Five Rivals Created the NFL and Launched a Sports Empire","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe epic tale of the five owners who shepherded the NFL through its tumultuous early decades and built the most popular sport in America\u003c\/b\u003e The National Football League is a towering, distinctly American colossus spewing out $14 billion in annual revenue. But it was not always a success. In \u003ci\u003eThe League\u003c\/i\u003e, John Eisenberg focuses on the pioneering sportsmen who kept the league alive in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, when its challenges were many and its survival was not guaranteed. At the time, college football, baseball, boxing, and horseracing dominated America's sports scene. Art Rooney, George Halas, Tim Mara, George Preston Marshall, and Bert Bell believed in pro football when few others did and ultimately succeeded only because at critical junctures each sacrificed the short-term success of his team for the longer-term good of the league. At once a history of a sport and a remarkable story of business ingenuity, \u003ci\u003eThe League\u003c\/i\u003e is an essential read for any fan of our true national pastime. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Eisenberg\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of nine previous books, including \u003ci\u003eThat First Season\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eTen-Gallon War\u003c\/i\u003e, and a former sportswriter for the \u003ci\u003eBaltimore Sun\u003c\/i\u003e. He also has written for \u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSmithsonian Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e. Eisenberg lives in Baltimore, Maryland.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Basic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50611261767954,"sku":"9781541618640","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_65fb50ff-1fbb-40b7-8243-9482ec44c955.jpg?v=1732359818","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-league-how-five-rivals-created-the-nfl-and-launched-a-sports-empire-9781541618640","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}