As the nights begin to cool and the leaves begin to fall, football fans everywhere celebrate the start of the season. Whether you cheer your team on Friday nights at the local football stadium, don your school’s colors and tailgate at your college alma mater, or settle in on the couch for Sunday pro football, here are eight football books that are sure to get you excited about this season.
1. Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
This classic football book celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. Also, the popular television show of the same name was based on Bissinger’s novel. Based on the true story of the Permian Panthers of Odessa, Texas, this story tells of racial and class tensions through the lens of high school football.
2. The Blind Side by Michael Lewis
Author Michael Lewis has a gift of telling the unseen part of a true story. He also has the gift of having his books made into award-winning movies like The Blind Side, Moneyball, and The Big Short. This tale of Michael Oher’s journey from poverty stricken youth to pro football player authentically portrays his struggle while also sharing a heartwarming family story.
3. Football Genius by Tim Green
Football Genius is the first book in Green’s Football Genius series. Green introduces us to his main character, Troy White, who has a special gift of knowing football plays before they happen. This is a book series written for upper middle grade readers and is perfect for football loving youth.
4. Shaken by Tim Tebow
Tebow’s newest book, Shaken, will be released in October 2016. For football fans searching for encouragement, this story of a football star’s struggle with professional failure while maintaining unshakable faith will offer hope and reassurance.
5. Counting the Days While My Mind Slips Away: A Love Letter to My Family by Ben Utecht
Because true fans of football love not only the game, but the players that sacrifice their bodies for our entertainment, books like Counting the Days While My Mind Slips Away are important. This book shares Utecht’s lifetime story from his early days of tossing the football in his yard to the present where brain injuries are causing severe memory loss. This book will hopefully motivate fans to support rules and regulations that provide more protection to players of contact sports.
6. In the End Zone: A Sports Romance by Nacole Mills
For readers that love romance novels and football, this is the book for you. In the End Zone is a great combination of sports and romance. This is a story of a marketing intern hired by a football team who falls for the star player. This is a fun and easy read to set the tone for football season.
7. America’s Game by Michael MacCambridge
This non-fiction book follows the history of football from post World War II leading up to the present. MacCambridge offers football fans an inside look at the world of pro football as a regional sport and America’s most popular and well-loved pastime.
8. War Room: The Legacy of Bill Belichick and the Art of Building the Perfect Team by Michael Holley
Holley offers an insider’s view of three NFL football teams in War Room. The reader is taken behind the scenes of the NFL draft and the process coaches like Belichick employ to build a winning team. Hardcore pro football fans will devour Holley’s revised edition.
Which books get you in the mood for football season?
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