ALL ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL

by James Buckley Jr.

Raise your hand if your favorite “team” is your fantasy football squad. In recent years, few developments have had as big an impact on football as the rise of fantasy sports. Weekly players number in the millions. A daily version of the game is causing controversy (and making millions!). Fans, players, reporters, and more all watch NFL games in a very different way than before. Here’s an inside look at the phenomenon of fantasy football, written by a longtime NFL expert on the topic and former editor of the NFL.com Fantasy Football Preview. Professional football is clearly the most popular and successful sports league in American history. Rather than focus on the star players or big games, this series takes a broader, deeper look at the sport off the field. The insider experience of the authors reveals the secrets that make the NFL No. 1. Just because you know who won the Super Bowl doesn’t mean you know ALL ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL. The National Football League is by far Americas most popular and successful sports league. Fans know who won the Super Bowl and who the top players are, but do they know how the league is run? How games get on TV? How the draft works? This series, written by longtime pro football journalists, takes an inside look behind the scenes of pro football, opening up new ways to enjoy the game (or even consider careers off the field). Bonus volumes on the state of high school and college football help readers get perspective on the roles of those levels of the sport on the NFL itself. For NFL fans, for sports fans, for business students, this series scores a touchdown! Each title in the ALL ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL series includes color photos throughout, and back matter including an index and further reading lists for books and internet resources. Key Icons appear throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities, and expand their viewpoints through our content rich nonfiction books. Key Icons in this series are: Words to Understand shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are set in boldfaced color type in that chapter, so that readers are able to reference back to the definitions, building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Sidebars are highlighted graphics with content-rich material within that allows readers to build knowledge and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Text-Dependent Questions are placed at the end of each chapter referring back to subjects covered within. They challenge the reader’s comprehension of the material they have just read, while sending the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects are provided at the end of each chapter as well and give readers suggestions for projects that encourage deeper research and a

by Ted Brock

How do you get your pro football news? The answer might depend on how old you are! Millions of fans follow the league and its players with devotion and dedication, but how they do that has changed enormously. Inside, see how technology has had an impact on how football is presented and coveredfrom the early days of TV to satellite broadcasts to the creation of the Internet to todays mobile-focused media. The NFL and the world of information have changed at the same time. Inside, a longtime football writer examines this ever-changing issue. Professional football is clearly the most popular and successful sports league in American history. Rather than focus on the star players or big games, this series takes a broader, deeper look at the sport off the field. The insider experience of the authors reveals the secrets that make the NFL No. 1. Just because you know who won the Super Bowl doesnt mean you know ALL ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL.

by Brian C. Peterson

“Pro football player arrested on assault charge” . . . “Top running back caught with drugs” . . . “An all-pro quarterback named man of the year by community group.” Headlines like the first two are seemingly all-too-common, but why not more of the third? Intense media scrutiny of pro football reveals all the flaws and faults of the games players. But are those players the tiny minority or the norm? Has NFL lawlessness increased? Or has society become less accepting of “boys being boys”? And what of the hundreds of players who do not get in trouble? Are they being unfairly implicated? How the NFL interacts with societyand how the NFL treats lawbreakersis a huge issue, but a longtime football writer takes a broad look at the issue and tries to answer some of those questions. Professional football is clearly the most popular and successful sports league in American history. Rather than focus on the star players or big games, this series takes a broader, deeper look at the sport off the field. The insider experience of the authors reveals the secrets that make the NFL No. 1. Just because you know who won the Super Bowl doesnt mean you know ALL ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL.

by Ted Brock

Pro football in America is a $10 billion business, with more people employed to run the game and its business than actually play the game on the field. From the commissioner down to the locker-room staff, everyone in the NFL is trying to make it succeed. In this book, a longtime football writer takes an inside look at the people who make the game go off the field, from the New York City headquarters to a teams front office to the companies that rely on the leagues popularity. On or off the field, football is a team sport . . . and that team has all-stars. Professional football is clearly the most popular and successful sports league in American history. Rather than focus on the star players or big games, this series takes a broader, deeper look at the sport off the field. The insider experience of the authors reveals the secrets that make the NFL No. 1. Just because you know who won the Super Bowl doesnt mean you know ALL ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL.

by Jim Gigliotti

Not only is a stadium full of fans watching your every move, so are dozens of reporters and cameras and millions of people watching on TV. Thats to say nothing of the owners who are paying you to lead your team to victory. A pro football coach lives under intense scrutiny, as he tries to use his expertise and leadership to create winners. Inside, a longtime football writer examines how coaches from yesterday and today did their jobs, taking you inside the huddle, the locker room, and the coaches office. Professional football is clearly the most popular and successful sports league in American history. Rather than focus on the star players or big games, this series takes a broader, deeper look at the sport off the field. The insider experience of the authors reveals the secrets that make the NFL No. 1. Just because you know who won the Super Bowl doesnt mean you know ALL ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL.

by Jim Gigliotti

“With the first selection in the draft . . .” With those words each spring, the NFL commissioner makes a dream come true for one young man. Today, that dream-come-true moment is watched more closely than ever, and has been talked about, analyzed, and dissected for months leading up to it, and to the hundreds of draft picks that follow. The annual selection of college players by the NFL has turned into a year-round extravaganza of stats, stories, and predictions. A veteran football journalist is the ringmaster of reporting for this circus, which connects money, media, and miracles. Professional football is clearly the most popular and successful sports league in American history. Rather than focus on the star players or big games, this series takes a broader, deeper look at the sport off the field. The insider experience of the authors reveals the secrets that make the NFL No. 1. Just because you know who won the Super Bowl doesnt mean you know ALL ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL.