{"product_id":"bigger-than-the-game-bo-boz-the-punky-qb-and-how-the-80s-created-the-celebrity-athlete-paperback","title":"Bigger Than the Game: Bo, Boz, the Punky QB, and How the '80s Created the Celebrity Athlete - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMichael Weinreb\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA mesmerizing look at sports in the 1980s - when athletes became superstars, mavericks replaced heroes, and sports moved to the forefront of American culture. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the 1980s America sent to the White House an actor and ex-jock who fervently believed in the power of personal mythology, and Americans turned to sports to find their heroes. There was Bo Jackson, the man so strong he could break a baseball bat over his knee, the man whose athletic talents ran so deep that he starred in two sports while becoming a marketing pioneer. There was Jim McMahon, the Punky QB leading his Chicago Bears to Super Bowl glory while tending to his shades, his faux-hawk, and his can of beer. There was Brian Bosworth, terrorizing quarterbacks and averring that the NCAA stood for National Communists Against Athletes. And there was Len Bias, the best college basketball player in America and future of America's best pro team, off to celebrate his selection as the number two pick in the NBA Draft and the power and money that would soon be his. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eBigger Than the Game\u003c\/i\u003e, award-winning author Michael Weinreb explores the era when athletes evolved from humble and honest to brash and branded. Weinreb explains how these players lived their lives in America's living room, thanks to a new outfit called ESPN and the 24- hour news cycle that came of age in the (apostrophe?) 80s. They starred in music videos and in ad campaigns that promised they could do anything. They spurned their coaches, defied expectations, and were loved for it. In an era of Just Say No, they said yes to just about everything. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e An enthralling portrait of a fascinating period and its larger-than- life personalities, \u003ci\u003eBigger Than the Game\u003c\/i\u003e recounts how excess, media, and the lust for fame changed American sports forever.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMichael Weinreb's previous book \u003ci\u003eGame of Kings\u003c\/i\u003e won the Quill Award and was named one of the best books of the year by Amazon.com. He has been a regular contributor to \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNewsday\u003c\/i\u003e, and ESPN.com, as his work has been anthologized in \u003ci\u003eThe Best American Sports Writing\u003c\/i\u003e collection. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 368\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.78 x 7.66 x 5.75 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 02, 2011\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45906502254789,"sku":"9781592406371","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0757\/6718\/5605\/files\/Qq6KOSZrqA9781592406371.webp?v=1771979343","url":"https:\/\/selloorium.com\/products\/bigger-than-the-game-bo-boz-the-punky-qb-and-how-the-80s-created-the-celebrity-athlete-paperback","provider":"Selloorium","version":"1.0","type":"link"}