At times it feels like the author is just repeating facts versus trying to make an argument or tell the history of the Super Bowl. A major component of the book that is really enjoyable is how the author delves into the political, economic, and entertainment value of the Super Bowl. Certain teams only got to join the NFL due to economics, and their interactions with politics. Entertainment was a big deal in terms of the half time show, and the author did a great job on expanding how half time has evolved. The last chapter in which the author describes what football might be like in 2066 is weird. I don't think we have enough information to be able to estimate what football will be like in 40ish years, but his ideas are overall interesting.

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?

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!!