Turf Wars

Turf Wars Synopsis

A scathing exposé of how NFL owners and coaches protect their brand by keeping secrets, manipulating the truth, and bullying their own workforce "The NFL isn't a break from the realities of America's ills. It's a reflection of them." The NFL Players Association has advocated for football players through some of the most tumultuous crises in league history. From the 2011 lockout to Colin Kaepernick's protests of police brutality, from the Covid pandemic to the league's response to the widespread uprisings after the police killing of George Floyd, players and owners have engaged in a series of legal and political battles.

With unprecedented access to players, coaches, and owners, Turf Wars explains how the National Football League manipulates its workforce, tells partial stories and protects its own brand at the expense of players and consumers. The book pulls back the curtain, revealing the real-life stories of how the league has gotten to where it is today, showcasing the personalities of a wide cast of the NFL's elite,-Tom Brady, Jerry Jones, Aaron Rodgers, Bill Belichick, commissioner Rodger Goodell-how their influence and decisions impact other players, and how the player's union's fight has evolved in the modern era.

Turf Wars tells the story of the NFL like you've never heard it before. It puts every crisis and its response in context, framing the league's sweeping history as a mirror of the history of America itself. This book is for anyone who loves football and wants to see it change for the better, but also for anyone interested in the influence of money, power, racism, misogyny, and the social change that fights against it.