Pigskin Books
@pigskinbooks.bsky.social
A website dedicated to football books (link below). Join the discussion. 🏈📚
https://pigskinbooks.com
https://pigskinbooks.com
There are plenty more books to read about on the site! Follow me @Pigskin_Books for more.
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December 12, 2025 at 1:00 PM
There are plenty more books to read about on the site! Follow me @Pigskin_Books for more.
Like/Repost the quote below if you can:
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Those two anchor the list, click the link to see three others that capture the culture, history, and contradictions of Eagles football: pigskinbooks.com/2023/02/02/...
And, Eagles fans, tell me what I've missed!
And, Eagles fans, tell me what I've missed!
Top five: books for Philadelphia Eagles fans
The five best books for Philadelphia Eagles fans.
pigskinbooks.com
December 12, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Those two anchor the list, click the link to see three others that capture the culture, history, and contradictions of Eagles football: pigskinbooks.com/2023/02/02/...
And, Eagles fans, tell me what I've missed!
And, Eagles fans, tell me what I've missed!
Another essential pick: Matthew Algeo’s Last Team Standing (2006), winner of @FootballHistory’s Nelson Ross Award. It’s the story of the wartime “Steagles” and one of the NFL’s strangest seasons.
Review:
pigskinbooks.com/2023/02/03/...
Review:
pigskinbooks.com/2023/02/03/...
Last Team Standing by Matthew Algeo, review
The story of the Steelers and Eagles 1943 merger during the NFL’s wartime player shortage.
pigskinbooks.com
December 12, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Another essential pick: Matthew Algeo’s Last Team Standing (2006), winner of @FootballHistory’s Nelson Ross Award. It’s the story of the wartime “Steagles” and one of the NFL’s strangest seasons.
Review:
pigskinbooks.com/2023/02/03/...
Review:
pigskinbooks.com/2023/02/03/...
One is Mark Bowden’s Bringing the Heat, an electrifying inside look at the Buddy Ryan. (I got a very kind email from Mark this summer saying how glad he was that the book is still remembered, though he's written better known titles since.)
Review:
pigskinbooks.com/2018/10/31/...
Review:
pigskinbooks.com/2018/10/31/...
Review: Bringing the Heat, Mark Bowden
Mark Bowden spends a year following the 1992 Philadelphia Eagles.
pigskinbooks.com
December 12, 2025 at 1:00 PM
One is Mark Bowden’s Bringing the Heat, an electrifying inside look at the Buddy Ryan. (I got a very kind email from Mark this summer saying how glad he was that the book is still remembered, though he's written better known titles since.)
Review:
pigskinbooks.com/2018/10/31/...
Review:
pigskinbooks.com/2018/10/31/...
Eagles books are surprisingly thin on the shelf. Beyond the “101 Things Every Fan Should Know”-type titles, there isn’t a huge library of deep dives, but that just makes the truly substantial ones stand out.
December 12, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Eagles books are surprisingly thin on the shelf. Beyond the “101 Things Every Fan Should Know”-type titles, there isn’t a huge library of deep dives, but that just makes the truly substantial ones stand out.
There are plenty more books to read about on the site! Follow me @Pigskin_Books for more.
Like/Repost the quote below if you can:
Like/Repost the quote below if you can:
December 11, 2025 at 3:02 PM
There are plenty more books to read about on the site! Follow me @Pigskin_Books for more.
Like/Repost the quote below if you can:
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🎄 These are top-tier Christmas presents for any football fan.
📚 Full write-ups + buying links:
pigskinbooks.com/2025/08/27/...
📚 Full write-ups + buying links:
pigskinbooks.com/2025/08/27/...
Top five: football books for Fall 2025
Top Five football books for Fall 2025: smart, readable picks spanning quarterbacks, team history, and league business, with brief blurbs and release dates.
pigskinbooks.com
December 11, 2025 at 3:02 PM
🎄 These are top-tier Christmas presents for any football fan.
📚 Full write-ups + buying links:
pigskinbooks.com/2025/08/27/...
📚 Full write-ups + buying links:
pigskinbooks.com/2025/08/27/...
🎁 Honorable mentions:
• The Official History of the Seattle Seahawks: a rich coffee-table book.
• The Team That History Forgot: the ’60s Chiefs’ legacy.
• Turf Wars: DeMaurice Smith on labor deals
• More QB reads: Marinovich (Todd Marinovich) and Eckie (Chris Serb).
• The Official History of the Seattle Seahawks: a rich coffee-table book.
• The Team That History Forgot: the ’60s Chiefs’ legacy.
• Turf Wars: DeMaurice Smith on labor deals
• More QB reads: Marinovich (Todd Marinovich) and Eckie (Chris Serb).
December 11, 2025 at 3:02 PM
🎁 Honorable mentions:
• The Official History of the Seattle Seahawks: a rich coffee-table book.
• The Team That History Forgot: the ’60s Chiefs’ legacy.
• Turf Wars: DeMaurice Smith on labor deals
• More QB reads: Marinovich (Todd Marinovich) and Eckie (Chris Serb).
• The Official History of the Seattle Seahawks: a rich coffee-table book.
• The Team That History Forgot: the ’60s Chiefs’ legacy.
• Turf Wars: DeMaurice Smith on labor deals
• More QB reads: Marinovich (Todd Marinovich) and Eckie (Chris Serb).
5️⃣ Every Day Is Sunday by @el_belson
A backroom view of the Goodell era’s growth machine, and the power brokers (Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft) who re-shaped the NFL.
Best for: Sports-business readers and media-rights obsessives.
A backroom view of the Goodell era’s growth machine, and the power brokers (Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft) who re-shaped the NFL.
Best for: Sports-business readers and media-rights obsessives.
December 11, 2025 at 3:02 PM
5️⃣ Every Day Is Sunday by @el_belson
A backroom view of the Goodell era’s growth machine, and the power brokers (Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft) who re-shaped the NFL.
Best for: Sports-business readers and media-rights obsessives.
A backroom view of the Goodell era’s growth machine, and the power brokers (Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft) who re-shaped the NFL.
Best for: Sports-business readers and media-rights obsessives.
4️⃣ A Big Mess in Texas by @FlemFile
The 1952 Dallas Texans: empty payrolls, games relocated, chaos everywhere, before re-birth as the Baltimore Colts. A “this can’t be real” history showing how fragile the NFL once was.
Best for: Lovers of tall tales and oddball football lore.
The 1952 Dallas Texans: empty payrolls, games relocated, chaos everywhere, before re-birth as the Baltimore Colts. A “this can’t be real” history showing how fragile the NFL once was.
Best for: Lovers of tall tales and oddball football lore.
December 11, 2025 at 3:02 PM
4️⃣ A Big Mess in Texas by @FlemFile
The 1952 Dallas Texans: empty payrolls, games relocated, chaos everywhere, before re-birth as the Baltimore Colts. A “this can’t be real” history showing how fragile the NFL once was.
Best for: Lovers of tall tales and oddball football lore.
The 1952 Dallas Texans: empty payrolls, games relocated, chaos everywhere, before re-birth as the Baltimore Colts. A “this can’t be real” history showing how fragile the NFL once was.
Best for: Lovers of tall tales and oddball football lore.
3️⃣ Brady vs Belichick by @GaryMyersNY
A favourite bar-stool argument - coach or QB? - told through the Patriots' dynasty. Cuts past hot takes to examine how power, culture, and decision-making create dynasties.
Best for: Pats fans (and haters), and roster-building nerds.
A favourite bar-stool argument - coach or QB? - told through the Patriots' dynasty. Cuts past hot takes to examine how power, culture, and decision-making create dynasties.
Best for: Pats fans (and haters), and roster-building nerds.
December 11, 2025 at 3:02 PM
3️⃣ Brady vs Belichick by @GaryMyersNY
A favourite bar-stool argument - coach or QB? - told through the Patriots' dynasty. Cuts past hot takes to examine how power, culture, and decision-making create dynasties.
Best for: Pats fans (and haters), and roster-building nerds.
A favourite bar-stool argument - coach or QB? - told through the Patriots' dynasty. Cuts past hot takes to examine how power, culture, and decision-making create dynasties.
Best for: Pats fans (and haters), and roster-building nerds.
2️⃣ Sanctioned Savagery by Michael Oriard
Former player–turned–academic traces football’s long relationship with violence and asks where the sport finds itself after the concussion crisis.
Best for: Thoughtful fans, history buffs, and those curious about the sport’s morals.
Former player–turned–academic traces football’s long relationship with violence and asks where the sport finds itself after the concussion crisis.
Best for: Thoughtful fans, history buffs, and those curious about the sport’s morals.
December 11, 2025 at 3:02 PM
2️⃣ Sanctioned Savagery by Michael Oriard
Former player–turned–academic traces football’s long relationship with violence and asks where the sport finds itself after the concussion crisis.
Best for: Thoughtful fans, history buffs, and those curious about the sport’s morals.
Former player–turned–academic traces football’s long relationship with violence and asks where the sport finds itself after the concussion crisis.
Best for: Thoughtful fans, history buffs, and those curious about the sport’s morals.
1️⃣ American Kings, by @SethWickersham
From high-school lights to the NFL, Wickersham maps how quarterbacks become icons, and the weight of expectation that results. Packed with deep reporting and real emotional weight.
Best for: Fans of big-canvas football storytelling.
From high-school lights to the NFL, Wickersham maps how quarterbacks become icons, and the weight of expectation that results. Packed with deep reporting and real emotional weight.
Best for: Fans of big-canvas football storytelling.
December 11, 2025 at 3:02 PM
1️⃣ American Kings, by @SethWickersham
From high-school lights to the NFL, Wickersham maps how quarterbacks become icons, and the weight of expectation that results. Packed with deep reporting and real emotional weight.
Best for: Fans of big-canvas football storytelling.
From high-school lights to the NFL, Wickersham maps how quarterbacks become icons, and the weight of expectation that results. Packed with deep reporting and real emotional weight.
Best for: Fans of big-canvas football storytelling.
There are plenty more books to read about on the site! Follow me @Pigskin_Books for more.
Like/Repost the quote below if you can:
Like/Repost the quote below if you can:
October 4, 2025 at 12:56 PM
There are plenty more books to read about on the site! Follow me @Pigskin_Books for more.
Like/Repost the quote below if you can:
Like/Repost the quote below if you can:
Plus: his favorite football novels (A Fan’s Notes, End Zone), a forgotten gem from 1911, and the books he’d take to a desert island.
Read the full interview 👇
🔗 pigskinbooks.com/2025/10/04/...
Read the full interview 👇
🔗 pigskinbooks.com/2025/10/04/...
Michael Oriard: Football, violence and literature
Michael Oriard on football’s violence, artistry, and meaning - and why he still loves the game despite its unanswered concussion questions.
pigskinbooks.com
October 4, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Plus: his favorite football novels (A Fan’s Notes, End Zone), a forgotten gem from 1911, and the books he’d take to a desert island.
Read the full interview 👇
🔗 pigskinbooks.com/2025/10/04/...
Read the full interview 👇
🔗 pigskinbooks.com/2025/10/04/...
A former English professor, Oriard sees the game in narratives:
“Sports journalism and fiction both shape how people understand football.”
#SportsBooks #NFLBooks
“Sports journalism and fiction both shape how people understand football.”
#SportsBooks #NFLBooks
October 4, 2025 at 12:56 PM
A former English professor, Oriard sees the game in narratives:
“Sports journalism and fiction both shape how people understand football.”
#SportsBooks #NFLBooks
“Sports journalism and fiction both shape how people understand football.”
#SportsBooks #NFLBooks
He still watches, but with ambivalence:
“I suspend judgment in order to continue being a football fan.”
“I suspend judgment in order to continue being a football fan.”
October 4, 2025 at 12:56 PM
He still watches, but with ambivalence:
“I suspend judgment in order to continue being a football fan.”
“I suspend judgment in order to continue being a football fan.”
On why the game endures:
“At its heart is a tension between artistry and violence. The beauty of the catch and the hit that follows, that’s what makes football compelling.”
“At its heart is a tension between artistry and violence. The beauty of the catch and the hit that follows, that’s what makes football compelling.”
October 4, 2025 at 12:56 PM
On why the game endures:
“At its heart is a tension between artistry and violence. The beauty of the catch and the hit that follows, that’s what makes football compelling.”
“At its heart is a tension between artistry and violence. The beauty of the catch and the hit that follows, that’s what makes football compelling.”
Football, Oriard says, has never meant one thing to everyone:
“For immigrant kids in the 1920s or for Black kids after integration, it was a way out and a way up. Now the stakes are higher.”
#FootballCulture
“For immigrant kids in the 1920s or for Black kids after integration, it was a way out and a way up. Now the stakes are higher.”
#FootballCulture
October 4, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Football, Oriard says, has never meant one thing to everyone:
“For immigrant kids in the 1920s or for Black kids after integration, it was a way out and a way up. Now the stakes are higher.”
#FootballCulture
“For immigrant kids in the 1920s or for Black kids after integration, it was a way out and a way up. Now the stakes are higher.”
#FootballCulture
He worries most about the youngest players: “If I were a parent today with young boys who wanted to play, I’d be extremely anxious.”
The NFL, he notes, is now promoting flag football as a safer path into the game.
The NFL, he notes, is now promoting flag football as a safer path into the game.
October 4, 2025 at 12:56 PM
He worries most about the youngest players: “If I were a parent today with young boys who wanted to play, I’d be extremely anxious.”
The NFL, he notes, is now promoting flag football as a safer path into the game.
The NFL, he notes, is now promoting flag football as a safer path into the game.
Oriard said his new book grew from unfinished business:
“I wrote Brand NFL before the concussion crisis began. The danger then was to players’ bodies, now it’s to their brains.”
“I wrote Brand NFL before the concussion crisis began. The danger then was to players’ bodies, now it’s to their brains.”
October 4, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Oriard said his new book grew from unfinished business:
“I wrote Brand NFL before the concussion crisis began. The danger then was to players’ bodies, now it’s to their brains.”
“I wrote Brand NFL before the concussion crisis began. The danger then was to players’ bodies, now it’s to their brains.”