Professional football today is an $8 billion sports entertainment industry ― and the most popular spectator sport in America, with designs on expansion across the globe. In this astute field-level view of the National Football League since 1960, Michael Oriard looks closely at the development of the sport and at the image of the NFL and its unique place in American life. New to the paperback edition is Oriard’s analysis of the offseason labor negotiations and their potential effects on the future of the sport, and his account of how the NFL is dealing with the latest research on concussions and head injuries. “Oriard, a former pro player and current professor, makes the epic tale of the NFL’s touchdown drive from tainted image to powerhouse brand as intensely exciting as a Sunday game on a highlight reel.”—Robert Lipsyte, New York Times “ Brand NFL is the definitive account of America’s most compelling sport. Michael Oriard’s book is at once a powerful story and an erudite history, told by a writer whose authority is equaled by his flair.” — Sally Jenkins, Washington Post “ Brand NFL explains how [Oriard’s] old sport transformed within four decades from 'rinky-dink sideshow,' baseball’s thuggish kid brother, into arguably America’s favorite entertainment.”— Financial Times “Oriard speaks about football from a unique perspective: an academic who has plied his trade in the trenches. His new book, Brand NFL tackles the game’s racial politics, labor disputes, and big-bucks marketing campaigns with candor and pungent critiques.”— Chronicle of Higher Education “Detailed, compelling, and strangely fascinating. . . . This book’s signal contribution to our understanding of leisure, culture, and sport in America makes it highly recommended.”— Library Journal , starred review The evolution of football through media, money, and mass appeal In this astute field-level view of the National Football League since 1960, Michael Oriard looks closely at the development of the sport and at the image of the NFL and its unique place in American life. New to the paperback edition is Oriard's analysis of the offseason labor negotiations and their potential effects on the future of the sport, and his account of how the NFL is dealing with the latest research on concussions and head injuries. In this astute field-level view of the National Football League since 1960, Michael Oriard looks closely at the development of the sport and at the image of the NFL and its unique place in American life. New to the paperback edition is Oriard's analysis of the offseason labor negotiations and their potential effects on the future of the sport, and his account of how the NFL is dealing with the latest research on concussions and head injuries. Michael Oriard, a former professional football player, is Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Oregon State University. He is author of several books on football, most recently, Bowled Over: Big-Time College Football from the Sixties to the BCS Era . Used Book in Good Condition