New e-book tries to clarify how the NFL actually does and doesn’t work

In his new e-book, Playmakers, Mike Florio units out to pierce readers’ misconceptions about how the NFL actually does and doesn’t work.

Over the past 20 years, Mike Florio has distinguished himself as one of the outstanding names in NFL evaluation. By his weblog ProFootballTalk, and as an analyst on NBC’s Sunday Night time Soccer. there’s hardly something that has occurred within the league within the final twenty years that he has not commented upon.

Now, Florio has written his first e-book, Playmakers: How the NFL Really Works (And Doesn’t), making an attempt to make sense of the shifts and adjustments within the NFL throughout that interval, providing a capsule historical past of the league because the flip of the century. Nonetheless, whereas the e-book does certainly cowl these transformative moments, it fails to supply the required perspective that might make it an insightful work.

The e-book is cut up into 10 sections, every that includes about 10 chapters. The sections all cowl broad matters from “The Draft” to “House owners,” from “Wholesome and Security” to “Off-Area Participant Misconduct.” Within the chapters, which give attention to people or particular occasions, Florio’s expertise as a blogger and radio host is clear. Almost each single one in all them is three pages lengthy, prizing brevity and quick-hitting takes over depth. Additionally, the writing itself feels nearly adversarial, with every web page full of argumentative statements. Nonetheless, it isn’t all the time clear simply what readers are to be satisfied of.

Playmakers is a e-book the place trite statements like “The truth that a Tom Brady turned buried so deep within the [NFL Draft] course of reveals that in the end nobody actually is aware of what they’re getting when it’s time to place names on draft playing cards” are delivered as if they’re revelations. Who doesn’t know this? Take this excerpt from the introduction:

“We’ve turn into conditioned through the years to suppose it’s glitz and it’s glamour and it’s riches and it’s luxurious and it’s no matter else is sweet and enviable to play within the NFL. It’s not. It’s ache and it’s agony and it’s surgical procedures and it’s strain and it’s stress and it’s everybody you realize wanting a few of what you’ve, and it’s a far cry from the enjoyable, thrilling life {that a} resentful nation of followers believes to be.”

I have no idea anybody who nonetheless believes these items. In a post-Kaepernick, post-Ray Rice, post-League of Denial world, these beliefs concerning the NFL being a glamorous or comparatively ethical enterprise have lengthy been untenable. It merely looks like Florio is late to the get together, sharing opinions that will have been provocative a decade in the past, however really feel staid and commonsense now.

The e-book does operate as a tribute to the NFL’s elasticity. It’s too massive to fail. As he writes, “The sport is a multibillion-dollar enterprise that continues to thrive in lots of respects due to itself, and in lots of extra regardless of itself.” The league “by no means appears to be very removed from precise or potential scandals” however continues “making an increasing number of cash” regardless. On the entire, such scandals, regardless of their prevalence and seriousness, “by no means appear to do a lot harm to the ever-rising backside line.”

It’s a bleak assertion that’s actually appropriate, nevertheless it’s additionally one which Florio appears ill-equipped to discover or take to its logical conclusion. He analyzes the NFL’s points by means of an amoral lens, caring in the end about how they have an effect on the league. Whereas he purportedly does this to critique the league, or present the problems inherent to it, it in the end means he performs the identical job he seems to criticize.

Authorities oversight could also be what the NFL fears most

There are some fascinating statements close to the top of the e-book about how what the NFL fears most is governmental oversight. Florio seems to consider that such oversight and regulation is just not sure, however it’s possible, particularly with playing establishing a stronger foothold nationwide. As he appears to see it, the wrestle to keep away from this would be the defining story of the subsequent a number of years within the NFL.

If the NFL needs to stave it off, they should do a greater job of implementing guidelines and rising accountability. Nonetheless, as he acknowledges, the NFL has traditionally been “much more reactive than proactive,” a problem that has triggered and exacerbated a lot of the issues detailed all through the e-book. Can the NFL break that behavior?

In a method, Playmakers compares unfavorably to Ben Detrick and Andrew Kuo’s much more enjoyable The Joy of Basketball. Each books try and make sense of their respective sport’s latest previous, although structurally, Florio’s e-book is organized topically fairly than alphabetically. Nonetheless, whereas The Pleasure of Basketball clearly relishes the NBA and the sport of basketball, possessing a transparent viewpoint that may assist solid well-known gamers and groups in new lights, Playmakers lacks that distinctiveness and that delight. Frequent are chapters the place Florio merely recounts an occasion or matter of dialog from years previous, however with out providing any new insights or opinions on it, prompting this reader to marvel what they had been imagined to take from it.

Playmakers is a disappointing e-book that accommodates numerous info and a handful of sturdy opinions however by no means provides as much as something stable. Although it gives a broad have a look at the NFL of the final 20 years, it’s missing in depth. Maybe there are soccer followers who will get pleasure from reliving these previous twenty years with Florio, or extra informal followers who need to familiarize themselves with the league that may discover this convenient, however on the entire, it doesn’t appear clear who this e-book is for. There are numerous higher books on the trendy NFL and whereas Playmakers might cowl extra matters than most, the most effective of its opponents make up for this by that includes stronger analysis, better depth, and higher prose.