The Athletic – författare

A masterful ode to America’s game—and an unforgettable portrait of its greatest legends written by America’s best sportswriters.

It is a question that has bedeviled football fans for generations: Who’s the best? Of the more than 25,000 men who have suited up during the NFL’s century of existence, which ones stood head and shoulders above all others?

At The Athletic, home to the best newsroom in sports, this question would become a labor of love for dozens of the best football writers on the planet, including Mike Sando and Dan Pompei. Over the course of 100 riveting profiles based on many hundreds of interviews with players, coaches, broadcasters, and others, this is a penetrating look at the greatest players to ever don cleats and pads, as well as a view from the trenches of the harsh realities of a brutal game. 100 photographs throughout the text offer testament to both the glory and the physical toll of football.

Among them:

Walter Payton, who once played with a 104-degree fever—and broke the single game rushing record with 275 yards

Jim Otto, the legendary offensive lineman who paid the ultimate price, suffering 35 concussions and undergoing a total of 74 surgeries

Johnny Unitas, who began his career playing quarterback, safety, and punter in a semi-pro league for $6 a game

Brett Favre whose very first NFL pass was a pick-six, and Tom Brady, whose very first college pass was also a pick-six

Bronco Nagurski, who had a size 22 neck, and moonlighted as a professional wrestler—during football season

Grambling State, the tiny historically Black university that produced three of the greatest players of the 1960’s

The equipment manager who would order 4 different sizes of thigh pad: “Small, Medium, Large, and Earl Campbell"

Chuck Bednarik, who once tore his bicep muscle from the bone, fastened it back in place with athletic tape, and returned to the game—an exhibition game

Where are these legends as well as today's stars—Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Julio Jones, Aaron Donald, and others--ranked? You'll find out here, among players from 1920 to the present day, from the Patriots in the east to the 49ers in the west, featuring names like “Night Train,” “Iron Mike” “Bulldog,” and “Crazylegs,” The Football 100 shares stunning new stories you’ve never heard before, and resurrects the legacies of unfairly forgotten greats. Deeply reported, beautifully written, and sure to spark heated debate among football fans of all stripes, this book sets a new standard for writing about the game.

From The Athletic, powerhouse of sports reporting, comes the definitive story of the greatest football players of all time.

It is a question that has bedeviled football fans for generations: Who’s the best? Of the more than 25,000 men who have suited up during the NFL’s century of existence, which ones stood head and shoulders above all others?

AtThe Athletic, home to the best newsroom in sports, this question would become a labor of love for dozens of the best football writers on the planet, including Mike Sando and Dan Pompei. Over the course of 100 riveting profiles—each drawing upon unparalleled access and superlative storytelling to offer intimate perspective on what made the greatest players tick—these writers reveal their findings. In the process, they also uncover the history of football.

In the early days of the NFL, the game bore little resemblance to the product we see today. Points were scarce, the forward pass was an exotic strategic curiosity, and most players played all 60 minutes—both sides of the ball. It was on the shoulders of the many greats who starred in the League over the last century that the game of football blossomed. Each profile inThe Football 100uses the vivid narrative storytelling for which The Athletic is known to bring to life extraordinary athletic talents, tactical geniuses who changed the way the game is played, and legendary, outsized personalities. Based on many hundreds of interviews with players, coaches, broadcasters, and others, this is a penetrating look at the greatest players to ever don cleats and pads, as well as a view from the trenches of the harsh realities of a brutal game.

Deeply reported, beautifully written, and sure to spark heated debate among football fans of all stripes, The Football 100 sets a new standard for writing about the game.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

In the wake of The Athletic's popular Football 100, Basketball 100, and Soccer 100, the world's leading authority on sports reporting presents The Hockey 100the comprehensive ranking and in-depth stories behind the 100 most accomplished hockey players to ever slap the puck.

Ice hockey is a sport like no other. It requires its players to master the majestic finesse of figure skating, the brutal hits of football, the goaltending and defensive demands of soccer, andsomehow, occasionallythe thrilling bloodied noses of an MMA fight. Not to mention, in lieu of an inflated ball, the game is played with a rock-hard puck flying at averages above 90 miles per hour that is frozen solid before the match.

A sport this unique attracts an equally fascinating cadre of charactersand now, the world-class sports journalists at The Athletic offer their definitive ranking of the 100 greatest of these singular athletes.

*; Hall of Famer Rob Blake nearly missed out on his hockey career because he was too busy priming tobacco on a local farm in Ontario.

*; Alexander Mogilny, the first Soviet player to be recruited to a US team during an era where the USSR blocked its players from being exported, needed to sneak off to Sweden to discuss his prospectscausing two hockey club executives to go into hiding after they became convinced they were being followed and their calls traced.

*; Amidst an Olympic gold medal win and multiple record-breaking seasons, legendary goaltender Carey Price's descent into alcoholism nearly cost him everything.

*; Despite breaking the same leg on two separate occasions, Serge Savard went on to win the Stanley Cup seven times.

With 100 original profiles of modern hockey's brightest stars, you'll learn everything about the historic greats all the way to Ovechkin, Lemieux, and Gretsky.

Written with the deep love for the game that wins awards for The Athletic's journalists, The Hockey 100 is the ultimate book for ice hockey's tens of millions of fans worldwide.