To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the National Football League, retired history Professor Richard Crepeau’s book NFL Football: A History of America’s New National Pastime will be rereleased Monday in an expanded and updated edition.
The revised book, first published in 2014, will have an additional 40 pages of information with new illustrations and appendixes.
“The book is intended for the fan and students of the game who have an interest in the origins and development of this remarkable sport and business,” Crepeau says.
The new material centers on the past decade; terms of commissioners Roger Goodell and Paul Tagliabue; tensions over collusion, drug policies and revenue; the controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick and protests of police violence; and players retiring early over the threat to their long-term health benefits.
Crepeau also looks at the Super Bowl’s evolution into a national holiday.
“The NFL as of the end of the last Super Bowl is at the top of its power,” Crepeau says. “The future, like so much else, will depend heavily on the long-term impact of the COVID-19 crisis and the racial issues in sport and in society.”
The original publication looks at the forces that shaped the NFL, television contracts, labor issues, the addition of Monday Night Football, commissioner Pete Rozelle’s leadership, and other topics.
Crepeau retired from UCF five years ago after 44 years teaching in the Department of History.
The book, printed by the University of Illinois Press, also is available on Amazon.
