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Playmakers. Mike Florio

 

 


 

Play Makers.   Mike Florio.

How the NFL Really Works (and doesn’t)

Mike Florio has put together a descriptive compilation of his many National Football League thoughts, observations and experiences.      Inside, the football fan will be introduced to ten different sections including topics such as the draft, the owners, health & safety, free agency and perhaps the most interesting part about the future of the league as we may know it.  

Each chapter within the sections averages about three pages in length.   Those sections contain no fewer than 10 chapters.    Florio, who owns and operates the Pro Football Talk website, keeps the topics within a twenty-year timeline since that is when he started covering the league in earnest.   Even within that time-frame there is no shortage of complex intricoes and issues. 

The sections are well written, dutifully researched and also provide the authors opinions and premises.   Florio also adds his trademark sarcasm and humor to many sections as well.  While the author, a West Virginia native and resident, clearly enjoys observing, following, spectating myriad leagues actions and transactions, he certainly does not agree with all of their decisions.    There is criticism about the front office efforts, attitude and willingness to change.    Yes, even this former attorney of 18 years takes his shots at the often-embattled league commissioner, Roger Goodell.   It does not take the reader long to realize Florio’s legal acumen when explaining the unending legal challenges that the league endures on a daily basis.    This is particularly evident in the sections pertaining to health & safety, free agency and player misconduct. 

Florio often provides his take and possible solutions to a variety of topics.   An example might be as simple as changing the way a tied game at end of regulation should be handled.     He has thoughts about changing some in-game rules such as eliminating the change of possession when an offensive player fumbles the ball out of the end zone.    Many chapters within the future section are written with the idea that the NFL should be more aggressive capitalizing on the ever-growing sports betting industry.    In his mind, everything can be up for grabs so why not have the NFL get more involved to continue their hold on the mighty dollar and their very well-known image.  

The book is lengthy and filled with many short chapters (more than 100).    While each section is interesting and relevant to the book topic, it can be a lot to process and remember.      Owners of the book may be willing to spend time referencing topics and chapters from time to time.   Others will not have that luxury and risk forgetting some of the keen insight offered.  

Does Florio contradict himself about the NFL team ownership policy?   On one hand the problem with a corporate owned team (Green Bay Packers) is that if the bottom line is looking good, they may get complacent in making necessary changes to get or remain competitive.     Later in the book, Florio suggests that owning NFL franchises may become (if not already) too expensive and time consuming for even billionaires any longer.    The argument could be made that professional sport franchise owners may be equally satisfied if their team is turning a profit regardless of annual team outcomes—see Pittsburgh Pirates in MLB.  

Nonetheless, this is propitious for football fans to read because of the various topics that exist particularly with a slant to the burgeoning growth of sports betting in the United States.    The book serves as a reminder that professional sports, particularly the NFL, are established for entertainment purposes including the gambling edge.   Florio has been writing about NFL over the past score and follows the league as closely as any other analyst.    This opus allows the reader to be regaled by his thoughts, insight and vision for the game’s recent past and future.  The NFL definitely works but as the author suggests it is far from perfect.    

 

  • You might like to read this book if you are a fan of reading Mike Florio literature.  
  • You might like to read this book if you are a fan of perusing and observing Pro Football Talk.
  • You might like to read this book if you enjoy watching and reading about NFL topics and games.
  • You might like to read this book if you are interested in gleaning how sports gambling impacts the sports future.  

 

Read more about the author on Twitter:   https://twitter.com/MikeFlorioPFT

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