An interesting, informative book about how the Super Bowl developed from just another game to the iconic sporting event of the year in the U.S.

Besides the football portions and, essentially, a history of the game, the author addresses a number of related issues such as gambling, halftime entertainment, national anthem singers, advertising, even the economic impact on the host city and nationwide.

Lots of interesting information about things I never knew. How, during the first Super Bowl, because the NFL and AFL used different footballs during the season, the offense for each team used a different brand of football during the game. Who knew?

An interesting book and one I'd highly recommend to any football fan.

Thanks to Rowan Littlefield and NetGalley for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What I thought I was going to get: a breakdown of every Super Bowl and how, slowly but surely, the game became an unofficial national holiday. And that’s exactly what the beginning of the book was like. It did discuss the history of the NFL leading up to and including the first three Super Bowls. And then the book diverged into looking into every business aspect of the league: the television rights and how Fox upended the status quo, the carrying of the Draft on ESPN which opened up the door for more NFL highlights shows like SportsCenter. the illegal and now legal gambling allowed on NFL games, the halftime show, the sponsorships and advertising elements. All of these things have contributed to making Super Bowl Sunday a major event in America. There’s even a section about international games and the interest in other countries hosting games. (I’m gearing up for a Green Bay Packers game in Brazil on September 6, the first time an NFL game has been played in that country.)

It was an interesting book but also rather dry. There were some nuggets about the games that I did not know, simply because I do not study games and even if I watch them, I don’t remember specifics afterwards. And who ever heard of writing a book on the Super Bowl and not mention the 1972 Dolphins, the only undefeated professional sports team in our nation’s history?

As a football fan, I generally tune in to all or part of the game after all my black and gold has 6 rings. To those of us watching at home, it is the next game in our team's path to glory but under the hood it is much more as this book explains. Reading about day one of the super bowl;s history felt a little odd because those teams don't resemble the modern NFL. Naively, I thought the Super Bowl began with Lambeau and the Pack but gave no thought to what cam before. This book gives you the before and the after that first game of the modern Super Bowl era. While the book contains a lot of history, I found the impact today to be more impactful. I knew the Super Bowl was big business as my city has hosted many a playoff game and I for one would love to see a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh. If you know your history or have read this book then you know cold weather Super Bowls are no longer unheard of. I knew before reading that the Super Bowl united us post 9/11 and that not even Covid could stop it but still that pales to describe the impact. The book does a fabulous job of explaining that impact and more importantly how something so beloved came to be. Many of the teams in the beginning of the book until we got the Chicago Bears were unfamiliar but their contribution must never be forgotten.
As we enter another year and start talking about the next Super Bowl, I wonder which story will grow to possibly become another chapter in this book. The books is so well researched with so many stories about so many people from Lambeau to Swift and everything in between.
This book is well worth reading for football fans. With foot ball possibly becoming a part of the Olympics the impact of the sport can't be ignored. I will end with one final thought, perhaps it will be our year to return to the game that changed it all. #Stairwayto7
Thanks to NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I am the biggest football fan and this was a great look behind the scenes of America’s favourite pastime!

It was pretty good. Honestly, it was a little dry for my taste. There was a lot of attention paid to non-football matters--how much the TV rights go for, a history of "The Star Spangled Banner" and "America the Beautiful" being played at the game, how the NFL's view of race has changed. Deninger did a lot of research and came up with some nuggets I didn't know. I follow football pretty closely, so I give him credit for uncovering some info I didn't know. There were spots were I skimmed, however.

Netgalley provided me with a free e-galley of this book in return for an honest review.

While I remember the first Super Bowl, not many who currently follow the annual classic are so fortunate. In this presentation, all of the ins and o0uts of what it took t start the biggest sports event is flushed out. Great Read!!