PhD Football

PhD Football

Author: Michael Lowry

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2015-04-20

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 9781511802192

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

During the past few decades, dating back to the 1970s, success on the offensive side of the football has been predicated on a handful of fundamental and foundational concepts. As the years have passed, more emphasis and weight has been placed on the passing game through a variety of advanced strategies. The past 30 to 40 years have been witness to an array of innovative offensive methodologies affording the world of football a diverse spectrum of approaches comprised of various brands, styles, and trademarks when discussing football offense. Throughout the 1970s we saw the universal implementation of traditional option and veer offenses, all leveraging powerful ground attacks with the passing game acting in a supporting, ancillary role. In the 1980s, the Pro-I offense was used on a widespread basis while the west-coast offense was introduced with tremendous efficacy and popularity. By the end of the decade, numerous one-back systems were implemented at all levels of football. As the decade of the 1990s opened, the run-and-shoot offense surfaced, producing some of the most prolific quarterbacks, backs, and receivers in the history of the game. And, in the past 15-20 years, shovel-pass, zone-read, and hurry-up systems of offensive football have become ubiquitous standards throughout all tiers of the game. Whatever style of offense coaches and teams utilize and implement, a handful of key building blocks remain the foundational base for any successful football program. Further, a core nucleus of underlying concepts underpin the ability of a coaching staff when designing, teaching, implementing, and assessing today's complex and sophisticated offensive structures. These building blocks and concepts have remained consistent throughout the decades, from three-back power sets to spread formations, from triple-option schemes of the 1970s to contemporary zone-read schemes, and from ball-control west-coast offense systems to today's no-huddle hurry-up brand. No matter the official brand, title, style, or type of offensive system implemented, success on the offensive side of the ball manifests through a rigid football paradigm involving a tightly defined ideology of gridiron concepts and structures.


Book Synopsis PhD Football by : Michael Lowry

Download or read book PhD Football written by Michael Lowry and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2015-04-20 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the past few decades, dating back to the 1970s, success on the offensive side of the football has been predicated on a handful of fundamental and foundational concepts. As the years have passed, more emphasis and weight has been placed on the passing game through a variety of advanced strategies. The past 30 to 40 years have been witness to an array of innovative offensive methodologies affording the world of football a diverse spectrum of approaches comprised of various brands, styles, and trademarks when discussing football offense. Throughout the 1970s we saw the universal implementation of traditional option and veer offenses, all leveraging powerful ground attacks with the passing game acting in a supporting, ancillary role. In the 1980s, the Pro-I offense was used on a widespread basis while the west-coast offense was introduced with tremendous efficacy and popularity. By the end of the decade, numerous one-back systems were implemented at all levels of football. As the decade of the 1990s opened, the run-and-shoot offense surfaced, producing some of the most prolific quarterbacks, backs, and receivers in the history of the game. And, in the past 15-20 years, shovel-pass, zone-read, and hurry-up systems of offensive football have become ubiquitous standards throughout all tiers of the game. Whatever style of offense coaches and teams utilize and implement, a handful of key building blocks remain the foundational base for any successful football program. Further, a core nucleus of underlying concepts underpin the ability of a coaching staff when designing, teaching, implementing, and assessing today's complex and sophisticated offensive structures. These building blocks and concepts have remained consistent throughout the decades, from three-back power sets to spread formations, from triple-option schemes of the 1970s to contemporary zone-read schemes, and from ball-control west-coast offense systems to today's no-huddle hurry-up brand. No matter the official brand, title, style, or type of offensive system implemented, success on the offensive side of the ball manifests through a rigid football paradigm involving a tightly defined ideology of gridiron concepts and structures.


PhD Football

PhD Football

Author: Michael Lowry

Publisher:

Published: 2020-01-21

Total Pages: 476

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Football Analytics revolution is here! Football Analytics will help you and your football program win more games and experience more success! Instantly learn how to apply football analytics to assist you with your football coaching decision-making processes. Topics covered in this book include: 1) The Football Analytics Revolution. 2) Current football trends and comparative analytics. 3) How to understand football statistics and analytics. 4) Comprehending statistical correlation for football analytics. 5) Evaluating play-calling tendencies and probabilities. 6) Multi-dimensional analytics and cross-referencing processes. 7) How to source data and develop an informational coaching database. 8) Gaming-winning fourth-down decisions (when do you go for it?). 9) Calculating expected point values for coaching decisions. 10) The math of icing the kicker. 11) Foundational football analytics and standard deviation. 12) Kicking game metrics and analytics (when to punt and when to kick the field goal). 13) Critical offensive ratios defining football analytics. 14) In-game football metrics and measures for analytics. 15) Defensive metrics and predictors for analytics. 16) Possession metrics and analytics. 17) Goal-Line dynamics and analytics. 18) Two-Point conversions and P.A.T.s. Included for you are numerous analytics examples using actual data from recent pro and college football seasons and teams! In addition, each chapter comes with fun quizzes so you can track your progress as you read! It's not if analytics become an essential part of the football program, it's when, and here's the breaking news - the when is right now!If you are a football coach, this book is written and presented to help you, your staff, and your program win more games! If you are a football fan, this book is written and presented to help you understand the game of football from a different perspective. In essence, you can become a super fan, a football genius, a football statistics mastermind, and a football analytics guru! How can analytics help you and your football program? Find out now!


Book Synopsis PhD Football by : Michael Lowry

Download or read book PhD Football written by Michael Lowry and published by . This book was released on 2020-01-21 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Football Analytics revolution is here! Football Analytics will help you and your football program win more games and experience more success! Instantly learn how to apply football analytics to assist you with your football coaching decision-making processes. Topics covered in this book include: 1) The Football Analytics Revolution. 2) Current football trends and comparative analytics. 3) How to understand football statistics and analytics. 4) Comprehending statistical correlation for football analytics. 5) Evaluating play-calling tendencies and probabilities. 6) Multi-dimensional analytics and cross-referencing processes. 7) How to source data and develop an informational coaching database. 8) Gaming-winning fourth-down decisions (when do you go for it?). 9) Calculating expected point values for coaching decisions. 10) The math of icing the kicker. 11) Foundational football analytics and standard deviation. 12) Kicking game metrics and analytics (when to punt and when to kick the field goal). 13) Critical offensive ratios defining football analytics. 14) In-game football metrics and measures for analytics. 15) Defensive metrics and predictors for analytics. 16) Possession metrics and analytics. 17) Goal-Line dynamics and analytics. 18) Two-Point conversions and P.A.T.s. Included for you are numerous analytics examples using actual data from recent pro and college football seasons and teams! In addition, each chapter comes with fun quizzes so you can track your progress as you read! It's not if analytics become an essential part of the football program, it's when, and here's the breaking news - the when is right now!If you are a football coach, this book is written and presented to help you, your staff, and your program win more games! If you are a football fan, this book is written and presented to help you understand the game of football from a different perspective. In essence, you can become a super fan, a football genius, a football statistics mastermind, and a football analytics guru! How can analytics help you and your football program? Find out now!


Mind and Matter

Mind and Matter

Author: John Urschel

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2020-05-12

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 0735224889

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A New York Times bestseller John Urschel, mathematician and former offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, tells the story of a life balanced between two passions For John Urschel, what began as an insatiable appetite for puzzles as a child developed into mastery of the elegant systems and rules of mathematics. By the time he was thirteen, Urschel was auditing a college-level calculus course. But when he joined his high school football team, a new interest began to eclipse the thrill he felt in the classroom. Football challenged Urschel in an entirely different way, and he became addicted to the physical contact of the sport. After he accepted a scholarship to play at Penn State, his love of math was rekindled. As a Nittany Lion, he refused to sacrifice one passion for the other. Against the odds, Urschel found a way to manage his double life as a scholar and an athlete. While he was an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, he simultaneously pursued his PhD in mathematics at MIT. Weaving together two separate narratives, Urschel relives for us the most pivotal moments of his bifurcated life. He explains why, after Penn State was sanctioned for the acts of former coach Jerry Sandusky, he declined offers from prestigious universities and refused to abandon his team. He describes his parents’ different influences and their profound effect on him, and he opens up about the correlation between football and CTE and the risks he took for the game he loves. Equally at home discussing Georg Cantor’s work on infinities and Bill Belichick’s playbook, Urschel reveals how each challenge—whether on the field or in the classroom—has brought him closer to understanding the two different halves of his own life, and how reason and emotion, the mind and the body, are always working together. “So often, people want to divide the world into two,” he observes. “Matter and energy. Wave and particle. Athlete and mathematician. Why can’t something (or someone) be both?”


Book Synopsis Mind and Matter by : John Urschel

Download or read book Mind and Matter written by John Urschel and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-05-12 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times bestseller John Urschel, mathematician and former offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, tells the story of a life balanced between two passions For John Urschel, what began as an insatiable appetite for puzzles as a child developed into mastery of the elegant systems and rules of mathematics. By the time he was thirteen, Urschel was auditing a college-level calculus course. But when he joined his high school football team, a new interest began to eclipse the thrill he felt in the classroom. Football challenged Urschel in an entirely different way, and he became addicted to the physical contact of the sport. After he accepted a scholarship to play at Penn State, his love of math was rekindled. As a Nittany Lion, he refused to sacrifice one passion for the other. Against the odds, Urschel found a way to manage his double life as a scholar and an athlete. While he was an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, he simultaneously pursued his PhD in mathematics at MIT. Weaving together two separate narratives, Urschel relives for us the most pivotal moments of his bifurcated life. He explains why, after Penn State was sanctioned for the acts of former coach Jerry Sandusky, he declined offers from prestigious universities and refused to abandon his team. He describes his parents’ different influences and their profound effect on him, and he opens up about the correlation between football and CTE and the risks he took for the game he loves. Equally at home discussing Georg Cantor’s work on infinities and Bill Belichick’s playbook, Urschel reveals how each challenge—whether on the field or in the classroom—has brought him closer to understanding the two different halves of his own life, and how reason and emotion, the mind and the body, are always working together. “So often, people want to divide the world into two,” he observes. “Matter and energy. Wave and particle. Athlete and mathematician. Why can’t something (or someone) be both?”


PhD Football

PhD Football

Author: Michael Lowry

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2015-05-01

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 9781511974295

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The scouting and game-preparation processes are conceivably the least exposed and least understood phases of the aggregate football program as it pertains to the general knowledge of the public and the average football aficionado. Supposition and conjecture suggest and imply few individuals, including the most dedicated of football fans, are aware of the time commitment, involvement, depth, and detail comprising the processes of film study, tendency analysis, statistical comparisons, producing the scouting report, computer-software applications, complex digital and video mechanisms, and personnel evaluation. Suffice to say - scouting and game-preparation methods are central to the success of today's football program through the leveraging of innovative technologies, computer software, data analysis, and database management. The ability to appropriately evaluate personnel, assess play-calling tendencies, coordinate large databases of statistics, and analyze various football schemes are all central tenets of the scouting process.


Book Synopsis PhD Football by : Michael Lowry

Download or read book PhD Football written by Michael Lowry and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2015-05-01 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The scouting and game-preparation processes are conceivably the least exposed and least understood phases of the aggregate football program as it pertains to the general knowledge of the public and the average football aficionado. Supposition and conjecture suggest and imply few individuals, including the most dedicated of football fans, are aware of the time commitment, involvement, depth, and detail comprising the processes of film study, tendency analysis, statistical comparisons, producing the scouting report, computer-software applications, complex digital and video mechanisms, and personnel evaluation. Suffice to say - scouting and game-preparation methods are central to the success of today's football program through the leveraging of innovative technologies, computer software, data analysis, and database management. The ability to appropriately evaluate personnel, assess play-calling tendencies, coordinate large databases of statistics, and analyze various football schemes are all central tenets of the scouting process.


Football Science and Performance Coaching

Football Science and Performance Coaching

Author: Adam Owen

Publisher: Meyer & Meyer Sport

Published: 2023-09-01

Total Pages: 601

ISBN-13: 1782558934

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In recent decades, the sporting landscape has seen many changes, notably the inclusion and professionalization of sport science and coaching. With this change has come significant demand for applied research surrounding soccer science and performance coaching, leading to new theory and methodology across all aspects of the game. This book brings together the most fundamental components of soccer science and performance coaching through modern, integrated coaching science methods implemented by leading practitioners and researchers. The expertise included in this book provides a unique blend of modern, soccer-specific research trends with innovative coaching theory, implemented at an elite level, and enhances the knowledge of coaches and medical and performance specialists, all while advocating an applied alternative to the development of players. Within each of the main sections—Prepare, Perform, Recover—leaders in the fields of applied sport science, sport and exercise science, sport psychology, sport nutrition, and strength and conditioning outline the best coaching and training methods, making this book a must-have for coaches and trainers seeking to augment their own understanding of what is required to enhance player development.


Book Synopsis Football Science and Performance Coaching by : Adam Owen

Download or read book Football Science and Performance Coaching written by Adam Owen and published by Meyer & Meyer Sport. This book was released on 2023-09-01 with total page 601 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent decades, the sporting landscape has seen many changes, notably the inclusion and professionalization of sport science and coaching. With this change has come significant demand for applied research surrounding soccer science and performance coaching, leading to new theory and methodology across all aspects of the game. This book brings together the most fundamental components of soccer science and performance coaching through modern, integrated coaching science methods implemented by leading practitioners and researchers. The expertise included in this book provides a unique blend of modern, soccer-specific research trends with innovative coaching theory, implemented at an elite level, and enhances the knowledge of coaches and medical and performance specialists, all while advocating an applied alternative to the development of players. Within each of the main sections—Prepare, Perform, Recover—leaders in the fields of applied sport science, sport and exercise science, sport psychology, sport nutrition, and strength and conditioning outline the best coaching and training methods, making this book a must-have for coaches and trainers seeking to augment their own understanding of what is required to enhance player development.


PhD Football

PhD Football

Author: Michael Lowry

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2015-04-07

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 9781511614351

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The quarterback position is more important, crucial, and integral to the ultimate success of the football team than ever before. Although the quarterback position has always mandated intrinsic leadership and athletic qualities substantially differentiating the position from other athletes and positions on the football team, today's young quarterback must possess a broad and profound spectrum of skills to uniquely satisfy the requirements of the position; leadership, studiousness, concentration, focus, supreme athletic talent, running capacities, accuracy, efficiency, discipline, dedication, willpower, loyalty, humility, modesty, pride, ethics, morals, and trustworthiness are all traits and characteristics comprising the complete skill set of today's successful and championship-level quarterback. Today's versatile, intricate, and sophisticated offensive zone-read and passing schemes demand the quarterback to possess mobility, the ability to read and understand defensive fronts and coverages, combined with the traditional and conventional capacities to execute foundational drop-back and play-action schemes coupled with the ability to deliver accurate throws downfield. At its purest and most basic form, coaching and playing quarterback still revolves and centers around the passing game, especially with respect to the significant advancements made throughout the years with all aspects of football offense.


Book Synopsis PhD Football by : Michael Lowry

Download or read book PhD Football written by Michael Lowry and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2015-04-07 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The quarterback position is more important, crucial, and integral to the ultimate success of the football team than ever before. Although the quarterback position has always mandated intrinsic leadership and athletic qualities substantially differentiating the position from other athletes and positions on the football team, today's young quarterback must possess a broad and profound spectrum of skills to uniquely satisfy the requirements of the position; leadership, studiousness, concentration, focus, supreme athletic talent, running capacities, accuracy, efficiency, discipline, dedication, willpower, loyalty, humility, modesty, pride, ethics, morals, and trustworthiness are all traits and characteristics comprising the complete skill set of today's successful and championship-level quarterback. Today's versatile, intricate, and sophisticated offensive zone-read and passing schemes demand the quarterback to possess mobility, the ability to read and understand defensive fronts and coverages, combined with the traditional and conventional capacities to execute foundational drop-back and play-action schemes coupled with the ability to deliver accurate throws downfield. At its purest and most basic form, coaching and playing quarterback still revolves and centers around the passing game, especially with respect to the significant advancements made throughout the years with all aspects of football offense.


Football Fitness and Conditioning

Football Fitness and Conditioning

Author: Vladimir Vuksanovikj

Publisher: Vladimir Vuksanovikj

Published: 2023-11-07

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13: 6086670811

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book is intended for those who want to work on improving the fitness and conditioning of football players. The contents are written, above all, for the needs of the fitness coaches (strength and conditioning / performance coaches) in football/ soccer, but the needs of the head and assistant coaches have also been covered. This book is a particularly useful tool for coaches working with young categories of football players. The principles for fitness (and conditioning / performance) training are similar for different categories of players, professional (adults) / young players. The following contents, through examples and programmes, explain the principles of the processes of training and transformation of Human Motor Abilities (HMA), which are predominantly recognisable in the football game, and which affect the improvement of the general and specific fitness of football players. For us, as authors of this book, our goal is, through these contents, to enable the coaches to independently understand and set up transformation of Human Motor Abilities in the form of fitness and conditioning trainings. The trainings described are examples of good practice (based on science). After reading the contents of this book, the coach should be able to develop one’s own plan and programme for each kind of training. The future fitness and conditioning training plan should be a flexible plan and should follow the changes that occur in the players; it should be dynamic and adaptable according to the respective conditions. Topics covered: PRE-SEASON PLAN | TRANSFORMATION OF HUMAN MOTOR ABILITIES | TRAINING LOAD + DOSAGE MANAGEMENT | FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH/POWER TRAINING | PERFORMANCE MONITORING | OFF-SEASON- TRAININGS | REHABILITATION (INJURY PREVENTION)


Book Synopsis Football Fitness and Conditioning by : Vladimir Vuksanovikj

Download or read book Football Fitness and Conditioning written by Vladimir Vuksanovikj and published by Vladimir Vuksanovikj. This book was released on 2023-11-07 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is intended for those who want to work on improving the fitness and conditioning of football players. The contents are written, above all, for the needs of the fitness coaches (strength and conditioning / performance coaches) in football/ soccer, but the needs of the head and assistant coaches have also been covered. This book is a particularly useful tool for coaches working with young categories of football players. The principles for fitness (and conditioning / performance) training are similar for different categories of players, professional (adults) / young players. The following contents, through examples and programmes, explain the principles of the processes of training and transformation of Human Motor Abilities (HMA), which are predominantly recognisable in the football game, and which affect the improvement of the general and specific fitness of football players. For us, as authors of this book, our goal is, through these contents, to enable the coaches to independently understand and set up transformation of Human Motor Abilities in the form of fitness and conditioning trainings. The trainings described are examples of good practice (based on science). After reading the contents of this book, the coach should be able to develop one’s own plan and programme for each kind of training. The future fitness and conditioning training plan should be a flexible plan and should follow the changes that occur in the players; it should be dynamic and adaptable according to the respective conditions. Topics covered: PRE-SEASON PLAN | TRANSFORMATION OF HUMAN MOTOR ABILITIES | TRAINING LOAD + DOSAGE MANAGEMENT | FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH/POWER TRAINING | PERFORMANCE MONITORING | OFF-SEASON- TRAININGS | REHABILITATION (INJURY PREVENTION)


PhD Football: Defense

PhD Football: Defense

Author: Michael J. Lowry

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2015-05-20

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 9781512283365

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Defense wins championships! Defense is an integral key when formulating success for the football team and is one ingredient comprising a three-part recipe when actuating short- and long-term football success: 1)Offense. 2)Defense. 3)Special Teams. Of the three primary phases of football, defense is the most rudimentary in its design, approach, and strategy. Defense, quite simply, drills down to the core fundamentals and underlying concepts of football - hitting, tackling, aggressiveness, intensity, tenacity, and toughness. While there are specific alignments, fronts, coverages, shades, gaps, stunts, dogs, blitzes, and rotations a defensive staff can implement strategically, at its foundational level, defense is defined by speed, ferocity, violence, a willingness to hit the opponent, physical intimidation, flying to the ball, gang tackling, and getting after the opposition with an extreme level of intensity. Become a Football Defense EXPERT with PhD Football: Defense! Order your copy now!


Book Synopsis PhD Football: Defense by : Michael J. Lowry

Download or read book PhD Football: Defense written by Michael J. Lowry and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2015-05-20 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Defense wins championships! Defense is an integral key when formulating success for the football team and is one ingredient comprising a three-part recipe when actuating short- and long-term football success: 1)Offense. 2)Defense. 3)Special Teams. Of the three primary phases of football, defense is the most rudimentary in its design, approach, and strategy. Defense, quite simply, drills down to the core fundamentals and underlying concepts of football - hitting, tackling, aggressiveness, intensity, tenacity, and toughness. While there are specific alignments, fronts, coverages, shades, gaps, stunts, dogs, blitzes, and rotations a defensive staff can implement strategically, at its foundational level, defense is defined by speed, ferocity, violence, a willingness to hit the opponent, physical intimidation, flying to the ball, gang tackling, and getting after the opposition with an extreme level of intensity. Become a Football Defense EXPERT with PhD Football: Defense! Order your copy now!


Women’s Football in a Global, Professional Era

Women’s Football in a Global, Professional Era

Author: Alex Culvin

Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing

Published: 2023-03-09

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 1800710542

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Women’s Football in a Global, Professional Era is an important addition to discussions on sport as work for women, and an essential reference point for students, researchers and sports professionals interested in the debates around the professionalisation of women’s football internationally.


Book Synopsis Women’s Football in a Global, Professional Era by : Alex Culvin

Download or read book Women’s Football in a Global, Professional Era written by Alex Culvin and published by Emerald Group Publishing. This book was released on 2023-03-09 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Women’s Football in a Global, Professional Era is an important addition to discussions on sport as work for women, and an essential reference point for students, researchers and sports professionals interested in the debates around the professionalisation of women’s football internationally.


Not for Long

Not for Long

Author: Robert W. Turner II

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-07-06

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 0190872853

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The NFL is the most popular professional sports league in the United States. Its athletes receive multimillion-dollar contracts and almost endless media attention. The league's most important game, the Super Bowl, is practically a national holiday. Making it to the NFL, however, is not about the promised land of fame and fortune. Robert W. Turner II draws on his personal experience as a former professional football player as well as interviews with more than 140 current and former NFL players to reveal what it means to be an athlete in the NFL and explain why so many players struggle with life after football. Without guaranteed contracts, the majority of players are forced out of the league after a few seasons. Over three-quarters of retirees experience bankruptcy or financial ruin, two-thirds live with chronic pain, and too many find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Robert W. Turner II argues that the fall from grace of so many players is no accident. The NFL, he contends, powerfully determines their experiences in and out of the league. The labor agreement provides little job security and few health and retirement benefits, and the owners refuse to share power with the players, making change difficult. And the process of becoming an elite football player--from high school to college and through the pros--leaves athletes with few marketable skills and little preparation for their first Sunday off the field. With compassion and objectivity, Not for Long reveals the life and mind of high school, college, and NFL athletes, shedding light on what might best help players transition successfully out of the sport.


Book Synopsis Not for Long by : Robert W. Turner II

Download or read book Not for Long written by Robert W. Turner II and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-07-06 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The NFL is the most popular professional sports league in the United States. Its athletes receive multimillion-dollar contracts and almost endless media attention. The league's most important game, the Super Bowl, is practically a national holiday. Making it to the NFL, however, is not about the promised land of fame and fortune. Robert W. Turner II draws on his personal experience as a former professional football player as well as interviews with more than 140 current and former NFL players to reveal what it means to be an athlete in the NFL and explain why so many players struggle with life after football. Without guaranteed contracts, the majority of players are forced out of the league after a few seasons. Over three-quarters of retirees experience bankruptcy or financial ruin, two-thirds live with chronic pain, and too many find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Robert W. Turner II argues that the fall from grace of so many players is no accident. The NFL, he contends, powerfully determines their experiences in and out of the league. The labor agreement provides little job security and few health and retirement benefits, and the owners refuse to share power with the players, making change difficult. And the process of becoming an elite football player--from high school to college and through the pros--leaves athletes with few marketable skills and little preparation for their first Sunday off the field. With compassion and objectivity, Not for Long reveals the life and mind of high school, college, and NFL athletes, shedding light on what might best help players transition successfully out of the sport.