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Playmakers
- How the NFL Really Works (and Doesn't)
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Politics & Social Sciences, Social Sciences
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Publisher's Summary
The story of a modern NFL that can’t get out of its own way - and can’t stop making money.
For almost 20 years now, the NFL has been simultaneously an athletic, financial, and cultural powerhouse - and a league that can’t seem to go more than a few weeks without stumbling into a scandal. Whether it’s about domestic violence, performance-enhancing drugs, racism, or head trauma, the NFL always seems to be in some kind of trouble. Yet no matter the drama, the TV networks keep showing games, the revenue keeps going up, and the viewers keep tuning in.
How can a sports league - or any organization - operate this way? Why do the negative stories keep happening, and why don’t they ever seem to affect the bottom line? In this wide-ranging book, Mike Florio takes listeners from the boardroom to the locker room, from draft day to Super Bowl night, answering these questions and more, and showing what really goes on in the sport that America can’t seem to quit.
Known for his constant stream of new information and his incisive commentary, Florio delivers again in this book. With new insights and reporting on scandals past and present, this book is sure to be the talk of the league.
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What listeners say about Playmakers
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Performance
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- S Werley
- 03-22-22
Disappointed.
This book is probably best-suited for a new fan, who has only an elementary understanding of the game and recent history of it. I would not recommend this book for the serious fan. Are you really interested in hearing a six minute recap of the Donovan McNabb trade? How about twelve hours of similar dribble? I’m not sure what prompted Florio to write this book this way, but, after following his site for twenty years, I have a feeling he has a much better book in him, with in-depth behind-the-scenes essays in it. I really wanted to love this book. I don’t dislike it enough to request a credit refund; I just don’t love it.
1 person found this helpful
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- J.C.
- 03-21-22
Insightful and entertaining look into the NFL
An insightful and entertaining look into current matters in the NFL. Quick-paced and engaging, Playmakers covers a variety of relevant topics: the Draft; new and old penalties and rules; the treatment and development of players and coaches; off-field behavior of players, coaches, and owners; the impact that legalized gambling could have on the League; and more. Even if you have been following Florio for years, you are going to enjoy his astute (and humorous!) analysis of the matters the NFL has recently faced or will be facing in the near future.
1 person found this helpful
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- Dyan
- 03-20-22
Worth the time and money
Cool to hear some behind the scenes stories and confirmation of rumors we’ve heard over the years. I do not like this narrator though.
1 person found this helpful
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- Dennis
- 03-18-22
a great book very enjoyable reading
this book is very enjoyable loved it really insightful I recommend it highly you'll learn a lot
1 person found this helpful
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- Joe Dominey
- 03-17-22
very disappointed
if you have even a basic understanding of the game and do basic headline reading about the game you already know 90 percent of what is written.
this book is an utter waste of time for anyone who has a basic level of understanding of football.
the author's reaches of logic are ludicrous in many many instances. he constantly flip flops back and forth applying one set if rules to a situation, then a complete different set of rules to a similar situation, contradicting himself time after time.
how he got paid to wrote this book is beyond me.
he may be the biggest patriot apologist on the planet. he shows no journalistic integrity at all in his story telling.
example, in his telling patriots owner robert kraft stood up for the little guy in fighting charges, despite the fact he got caught going to a rub and tug place. i laughed out loud.
i only finished the book to see just how ridiculous the author would get. it was the only thing this book delivered.
1 person found this helpful
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- H. D. Espinosa
- 03-16-22
The last two decades of NFL revisited (and some insights/concerns for the future)
Playmakers is an enjoyable reading/listening that helps fans - die-hard or casual - remind the most notable happenings involving the NFL - on and off the field - in the last two decades or so. The (audio)book contains facts that, depending on the topic, also have personal opinions by the author, especially by the last chapter where there are ideas about the future of the league, and which is up to the reader/listener to decide whether or not to agree with it (I happen to agree with almost every one of his personal opinions, past, present, and future). I felt this book inclined to be more of a pro-player, pro-sport, and a bit of anti-ownership, anti-business effort. However, business practices are praised and players' behaviors are criticized when praise and criticism are due. There’s a little bias on it, but not heavily biased. All in all, it is a good listen worth of anybody's time.
1 person found this helpful
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- Elisheva
- 05-18-22
Should be read at PTA meetings
How the NFL "REALLY" works? Really? Bland, slow and if you remotely follow the NFL, you will know all this already. Sorry Mike, but I thought you would do a deep dive, but alas, its a shallow toe dip. Disappointing.
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- Kindle Customer
- 05-14-22
Not very illuminating
Florio is very basic. The speaker constantly mispronounces Belichick. The stories are basic and mostly boring.
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- Brandon
- 05-06-22
Meandering anecdotal history lesson
The book is a jumbled collection of NFL history viewed through the lens of his heavily biased opinion. Absolutely nothing new, interesting, or worthy of the time. If you are even remotely connected to NFL news, you’ve heard it all, and likely are able to identify the parts he conveniently ignores in an effort to paint inside the lines of his chosen narrative. Specifically, anything related to the Patriots reads as a pathetic revisionist history love letter. We get it, you’re a Patriots fan and nobody associated with that franchise ever did anything wrong… ever. EVER. Hard pass on this book unless you just found out football existed yesterday and want to get caught up to speed on all the scandals in 8 hours.
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- roger m pena
- 03-31-22
Disappointed!
This book is basically a story of all the events that have happened over the years in the NFL. No real insights to how the NFL works. If you follow the league you already know the stories. At the end of the book he gives some perspective on how the league may look moving forward, but nothing really insightful. Maybe by it if your curious about the history of events that have happened in the league over the years and you want to learn the stuff, but I don't recommend this book.