A statistics-driven history of the Super Bowl celebrates the annual mega-event at the confluence of athletics, business, entertainment, and patriotism. Born of the 1966 merger between the National Football League and its younger rival, the American Football League, the inaugural inter-league championship game was thrown together in less than two months’ time. Differences in television network practices, rules, and even footballs used by each league made for a less polished event than originally envisioned by league commissioner Pete Rozelle, who wanted a dramatic spectacle involving balloons, doves, and two jetpack pilots symbolically shaking hands. But soon the Super Bowl became the biggest extravaganza in sports. The most watched television event every year since 1972, it has an estimated annual economic impact of $48 billion (including $6 billion of lost productivity the Monday afterwards). A former sports broadcasting executive, Deninger emphasizes the Super Bowl’s symbiotic relationship with television and shares revealing statistics. Acknowledging that event organizers and broadcasters haven’t always responded nimbly to controversies, such as players kneeling in protest or concerns about concussions, Deninger remains optimistic about the big game’s potential to unify Americans.
— Booklist
This entertaining history from Deninger, a former ESPN producer, traces how the Super Bowl became 'the largest shared American experience of the year.' He explains how the American Football League’s 1960 launch threatened the National Football League’s monopoly, motivating the latter to initiate a 1966 merger that stipulated a 'world championship game' between the top teams from each league. The Super Bowl got off to a shaky start, Deninger writes, noting that a third of the tickets went unsold at the first game in 1967, and that the NFL’s dominance over the AFL in the first two Super Bowls led the leagues to consider abandoning the matchups until the unexpected triumph of the Jets, an AFL team, at Super Bowl III. Elsewhere, Deninger discusses how the Super Bowl became an advertising bonanza and chronicles the evolution of the halftime show. He details mind-boggling statistics about the game (it provides a $41.9 billion annual boost to the national economy) and serves up plenty of amusing tidbits.... Football fans will find much to cheer for.
— Publishers Weekly
Dennis is a bona fide expert on anything and everything connected to the Super Bowl. He has tracked the impact of this colossal sporting event from the very start and has his finger on the pulse of what it will look like in the years to come. This book takes you behind the scenes to see what has made the game and all that surrounds the phenomenon it is today.
— Ian Eagle, CBS Sports commentator
Nobody is more qualified to discuss the Super Bowl and its influence on the American culture. Dennis combines a career as a TV professional with academia and “fandom” to cover all the bases! Bravo!
— Drew Esocoff, directed seven Super Bowl telecasts, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame 2022
If there was ever a topic worthy of complete inspection, the Super Bowl is it. From its history to every aspect of the spectacle, Dennis Deninger details every angle in a thorough and entertaining style.
— Fred Gaudelli, produced seven Super Bowl telecasts, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame 2020
The Super Bowl has grown to almost supernatural significance since it was first played before a less than capacity crowd in the Los Angeles Coliseum in January 1967. Dennis Deninger has done a marvelous job documenting what it has come to mean for all of us who love the sport of football. I highly recommend this book.
— Verne Lundquist, CBS Sports commentator, Sports Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award 2016, and former TV voice of the Dallas Cowboys
In a little over a half century, the Super Bowl has evolved from a game that didn’t sell out into a national holiday—by far the most-watched television program in the United States annually. Dennis Deninger takes the readers on a journey covering all aspects of the football game that changed America. . . championship prose at its finest!
— Kenny Albert, FOX/TNT/MSG/NBC sportscaster, author of A Mic for All Seasons
In the United States, the Super Bowl has become the preeminent sporting event, eclipsing even the World Cup and the Olympics. It captures the passion Americans have for their favorite teams in their favorite sport. The Football Game That Changed America is a captivating story of how the Super Bowl was created and how it grew into a colossal event that transcends sport. Dennis Deninger, an Emmy Award-winning television producer and professor of sport media, takes you behind the scenes to feel the power, the magic, and the magnetism of America’s premier sporting event. Don’t miss it!
— David Falk, legendary sports agent
It used to be “just” a game. It’s hard to remember that now. But thanks to this amazing book by Dennis Deninger, we all get to see exactly how that changed—thanks to Joe Namath, Vegas, all those commercials, your buddy who runs your Super Bowl pool, and the largest collection of TV cameras in America. Dennis is a great storyteller whose exceptional attention to detail weaves this improbable tale together in a way no one ever has. I’m so grateful he wrote this book!
— Jayson Stark, senior writer, The Athletic, Baseball Hall of Fame Career Excellence Award 2019
Some of the most entertaining and educational hours I spent at Syracuse University came in Professor Deninger’s classroom. His energy, passion, and deep knowledge of the material kept it fun—and memorable. Years later, I can still recite the stories of Johnny Unitas playing hero in “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” Rep. Hale Boggs cutting a deal to enable the NFL merger, and Joe Namath guaranteeing a win—and that was all before 1970! When it comes to the intersection of sports and business, there’s no one I’d rather learn from than Dennis Deninger.
— Drew Carter, TV voice of the Boston Celtics
From the network board room to the university lecture hall, Dennis’ experiences and relationships offer the perfect foundation for telling the story of America’s yearly greatest day in sports. Sure, there is the game, but going beyond the field of play and doing a deeper dive into the culture around the event before and after is where the true scope of the Super Bowl is revealed in this book.
— Rich Feinberg, Penske Entertainment senior vice president, Indianapolis Motor Speedway executive producer
Super Bowl. Such a simple name, that has grown to have complex qualities. It is the pinnacle of all things in sports, and while others try to create their own version, Dennis Deninger shows why the NFL will always be the envy of the athletic world.
— Rob Stone, FOX Sports host and commentator
The Super Bowl is so much more than a game. It’s a superlative. The biggest and most important version of anything you can name is that thing’s Super Bowl. Professor Deninger’s book explores how America’s unofficial holiday has combined sport, entertainment, business, and culture to influence and reflect the heart and soul of a nation.
— Frank Supovitz, former NFL senior vice president of events, president & CEO of Fast Traffic Events and Entertainment