The epic tale from the five owners who shepherded the NFL through its tumultuous early decades and built typically the most popular sport in America

The National Football Little league is a towering, distinctly American colossus spewing out $14 billion in annual revenue. But it was not constantly a success. In The Group, John Eisenberg focuses on the pioneering sportsmen who kept the group alive in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s,when its difficulties were many and its own survival was not guaranteed. At the time, university football, baseball, boxing, and horseracing dominated America’s sports scene. Art Rooney, George Halas, Tim Mara, George Preston Marshall, and Bert Bell believed in pro football when few others did and ultimately been successful only because at critical junctures each sacrificed the short-term achievement of his team for the longer-term great of the league.

At once a brief history of the sport and a remarkable tale of business ingenuity, The Little league is an essential browse for any fan of our true country wide pastime.