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A review by blevins
The Last Headbangers: NFL Football in the Rowdy, Reckless '70s: the Era that Created Modern Sports by Kevin Cook
5.0
Let me previse this review by saying I've been a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers professional football team since the late 1970s and before I hit double digits age wise. So, any book that has them at the center of its story regarding the wild, violent era of the NFL that I loved as a kid? Well, I'm gonna be into that and that was the case with this book by Kevin Cook that follows a few of the decades top teams: Steelers, Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys [a bunch of wimps who I hated as a kid because all my friends in Oklahoma loved them] receiving the most attention.
The 1970s brand of pro-football was drastically different than today's. Legal steroids [!], open drug use, all kinds of on-field cheating, rugged style of playing and the kind of no-holds barred violence that would make current commissioner [or czar, or dictator] Roger Goodall suspend a huge chunk of some team's rosters. If the Raiders of the 1970s led by John Madden time travel into 2012--over half the team would be suspended immediately for all kinds of illegal, brutal shenanigans. In 1978 though, that was just the way the game was played--violent, ruthless, take no prisoner, manhood challenging and destructive. I have to say, maybe its politically incorrect of me and espousing a gladiatorial viewpoint, but I really, really miss the days when the grid-iron was pure violent mayhem.
Back to the book. Cook keeps his descriptions of game action brief, but still packs in all the humorous tales about games, teams, players, Super Bowls and yes, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Any fan of the Black and Gold needs to read this one as it chronicles the entire decade that saw the Steelers take four Super Bowls trophies back to the Iron City. The book is nostalgic, but it's not just praise from Cook as he points out the negative elements to the game and culture from the era. He doesn't concentrate on that, but it's in there. No, this is a celebration of the brand of football that will never be played again and to the men who played and coached during this unique time, before pro-football was civilized into the mainstream by trying to rid aspects that casual fans might find offensive. The 1970s? That was some serious football!
The 1970s brand of pro-football was drastically different than today's. Legal steroids [!], open drug use, all kinds of on-field cheating, rugged style of playing and the kind of no-holds barred violence that would make current commissioner [or czar, or dictator] Roger Goodall suspend a huge chunk of some team's rosters. If the Raiders of the 1970s led by John Madden time travel into 2012--over half the team would be suspended immediately for all kinds of illegal, brutal shenanigans. In 1978 though, that was just the way the game was played--violent, ruthless, take no prisoner, manhood challenging and destructive. I have to say, maybe its politically incorrect of me and espousing a gladiatorial viewpoint, but I really, really miss the days when the grid-iron was pure violent mayhem.
Back to the book. Cook keeps his descriptions of game action brief, but still packs in all the humorous tales about games, teams, players, Super Bowls and yes, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Any fan of the Black and Gold needs to read this one as it chronicles the entire decade that saw the Steelers take four Super Bowls trophies back to the Iron City. The book is nostalgic, but it's not just praise from Cook as he points out the negative elements to the game and culture from the era. He doesn't concentrate on that, but it's in there. No, this is a celebration of the brand of football that will never be played again and to the men who played and coached during this unique time, before pro-football was civilized into the mainstream by trying to rid aspects that casual fans might find offensive. The 1970s? That was some serious football!