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Hail Mary : the rise and fall of the National Women's Football League / Britni de la Cretaz & Lyndsey D'Arcangelo.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Bold Type Books, 2021Copyright date: ©2021Edition: First editionDescription: vii, 290 pages : illustrations ; 25 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781645036623
  • 1645036626
Subject(s):
Contents:
Introduction -- Part I : game day (1976) -- A heated contest -- A rivalry Is born -- Part II : history (1896-1970) -- The origins of women's football -- The "PT Barnum" of women's football -- Part III : the birth of the NWFL (1971-1974) -- The troopers' reign begins -- Dallas enters the fold : dandelions bloom -- The NWFL kicks off -- False start -- Part IV : the heyday of the NWFL (1975-1978) -- Troopers face their demons -- Down in Oklahoma -- Here come the Herricanes -- Media miscues -- Tales of redemption -- Part V : the downfall of the NWFL (1979-1988) -- Cracks in the foundation -- One last gasp -- Part VI : the legacy of the NWFL -- Unwitting activists -- Where does women's football go from here? -- Epilogue -- List of NWFL teams/divisions/years -- Acknowledgments.
Summary: "In the early 1970s, a businessman had a brilliant idea: why not start a women's football league? It was conceived as a gimmick and a publicity stunt to capitalize on the popularity of Second Wave Feminism and the passage of Title IX. He recruited women across the country; much to his surprise, he learned that women really wanted to play, and play hard. Hail Mary is the story of the unlikely rise of the National Women's Football League and the players who loved a game that society told them they shouldn't be playing. In fourteen cities around the country, these athletes broke new barriers and showed adoring crowds what women were capable of physically. Thousands of people came to watch-perhaps to gawk at first-but then, in the end, to cheer. Hail Mary is a rollicking chronicle of fearless women-players on the Detroit Demons, the Toledo Troopers, the LA Dandelions, and more-bringing us into the stadiums where they broke records, the small-town bars where they were recruited, and the backrooms where the league was conceived, and where it ended. Hail Mary is a celebration of women athletes and their fight on and off the field, and a powerful story of the league that changed their lives and the course of women's sports"-- Provided by publisher.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 796.3308 D331 Available 33111010750244
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The groundbreaking story of the National Women's Football League, and the players whose spirit, rivalries, and tenacity changed the legacy of women's sports forever.



In 1967, a Cleveland promoter recruited a group of women to compete as a traveling football troupe. It was conceived as a gimmick--in the vein of the Harlem Globetrotters--but the women who signed up really wanted to play. And they were determined to win.



Hail Mary chronicles the highs and lows of the National Women's Football League, which took root in nineteen cities across the US over the course of two decades. Drawing on new interviews with former players from the Detroit Demons, the Toledo Troopers, the LA Dandelions, and more, Hail Mary brings us into the stadiums where they broke records, the small-town lesbian bars where they were recruited, and the backrooms where the league was formed, championed, and eventually shuttered. In an era of vibrant second wave feminism and Title IX activism, the athletes of the National Women's Football League were boisterous pioneers on and off the field: you'll be rooting for them from start to finish.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- Part I : game day (1976) -- A heated contest -- A rivalry Is born -- Part II : history (1896-1970) -- The origins of women's football -- The "PT Barnum" of women's football -- Part III : the birth of the NWFL (1971-1974) -- The troopers' reign begins -- Dallas enters the fold : dandelions bloom -- The NWFL kicks off -- False start -- Part IV : the heyday of the NWFL (1975-1978) -- Troopers face their demons -- Down in Oklahoma -- Here come the Herricanes -- Media miscues -- Tales of redemption -- Part V : the downfall of the NWFL (1979-1988) -- Cracks in the foundation -- One last gasp -- Part VI : the legacy of the NWFL -- Unwitting activists -- Where does women's football go from here? -- Epilogue -- List of NWFL teams/divisions/years -- Acknowledgments.

"In the early 1970s, a businessman had a brilliant idea: why not start a women's football league? It was conceived as a gimmick and a publicity stunt to capitalize on the popularity of Second Wave Feminism and the passage of Title IX. He recruited women across the country; much to his surprise, he learned that women really wanted to play, and play hard. Hail Mary is the story of the unlikely rise of the National Women's Football League and the players who loved a game that society told them they shouldn't be playing. In fourteen cities around the country, these athletes broke new barriers and showed adoring crowds what women were capable of physically. Thousands of people came to watch-perhaps to gawk at first-but then, in the end, to cheer. Hail Mary is a rollicking chronicle of fearless women-players on the Detroit Demons, the Toledo Troopers, the LA Dandelions, and more-bringing us into the stadiums where they broke records, the small-town bars where they were recruited, and the backrooms where the league was conceived, and where it ended. Hail Mary is a celebration of women athletes and their fight on and off the field, and a powerful story of the league that changed their lives and the course of women's sports"-- Provided by publisher.

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