by Bill Madden
First published 2021
Two ordinary guys find themselves running a failing professional football team in the 1980s, when pro football dominates the American sports landscape. They face a league more popular and powerful than any other, where established forces control the game. The new owners challenge the existing order with an unconventional game plan, but success seems impossible. The odds work against them at every turn. Their biggest obstacle becomes The System itself, the entrenched powers that determine outcomes in ways fans never see. As they fight to save their team, they discover that the games may not be as fair as they appear. Someone or something pulls the strings behind the scenes. Their struggle becomes more than saving a franchise. It becomes a battle against forces that decide which teams win and lose, regardless of talent or effort on the field.
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, business, contemporary, sports, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, underdog
Period: 1980s
582 pages · Paperback · Beadcraft Books