Dave Meggyesy had been an outside linebacker with the St. Louis Cardinals for seven years when he quit at the height of his career to tell about the dehumanizing side of the game—about the fraud and the payoffs, the racism, drug abuse, and incredible violence. The original publication of Out of Their League shocked readers and provoked the outraged response that rocked the sports world in the 1970s. But his memoir is also a moving description of a man who struggled for social justice and personal liberation. Meggyesy has continued this journey and remains an active champion for players’ rights through his work with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). He provides a preface for this Bison Books edition.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"The University of Nebraska Press deserves a high-five for re-releasing this classic. . . . The book was an important milestone—innocent, then angry, but always fearless—and its sheer honesty exposes other sports books of that era as cheerleading fluff."—Rus Bradburd, Sports Literature Association
(Rus Bradburd Sports Literature Association )"The first critical look at the dehumanizing aspects of pro football."—Mercury News
(Mercury News )"Thirty-five years ago, a journeyman Cardinals linebacker shocked football fans with his explosive account of a league riddled with violence, drugs, and inequities against its players. . . . His book offers opinions and analogies that eerily apply to both the contemporary sports world and to America’s current political scene."—USA Today Sports Weekly
(USA Today Sports Weekly )"Meggyesy's book, almost as much as his person, is a most moving instance of a man’s search to be honest and to find a decent alternative for this way of life."—New York Review of Books
(New York Review of Books )"Dave Meggyesy is an articulate, eloquent spokesman for his cause."—New York Daily News
(New York Daily News )"In a league of its own in its provocative view of the mentality and morality of American football. . . . Meggyesy rips through most of football's myths to find only a frightening and deliberate inhumanity."—Newsweek
(Newsweek )
About the Author
Dave Meggyesy is the Western Regional director of the NFLPA. He and his family live in Berkeley, California.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By george motz
Format:Paperback
I just finished reading this book and found it to be quite insightful about the exploitation of professional football players. As a pro-football player, Dave Meggyesy is one of the rare players who not only finishes college but constantly questions everything that's going on around him. ... Dave is pretty articulate and has a lot of character substance. Against the backdrop of the 60s, Dave traces his intellectual and political development which is cool. This is the 6th sports autobiography that I've read for my professor at UH and it's so far my favorite. When is the last time you heard a white football player make a political statement about racism in the 60s?
The book left me wondering what Dave Meggyesy is doing today.
The book left me wondering what Dave Meggyesy is doing today.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book that started and promoted a revolution in professional sports
November 4, 2007
Format:Hardcover
In the late 1960's and early 1970's there were two revolutions in professional sports. The first was the rapid growth in the salary levels. This was due to the growing power of the players relative to the owners as they finally were able to overcome the legal and institutionalized restrictions that kept them in a degree of servitude. The second was the stripping of the facade of the players as mighty and pure men, where they were revealed as much less than the supposed ideals. This change was largely due to the appearance of tell-all books that described what really went on in the sports.
In major league baseball, the initial book was "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton and in the National Football League (NFL) it was this book. When both first came out, the authors were severely chastised for their statements, yet subsequent revelations have all supported their claims. Shortly before he died, Mickey Mantle spoke out about how his consumption of alcohol damaged his career and his body, something Bouton wrote about.
Meggyesy talks about the tremendous racism in the NFL in the sixties, the brutality and the rampant use of performance enhancing drugs. He also describes the tremendous hypocrisy of college football, where rules violations were routine and also common knowledge. Every subsequent statement by ex-players has upheld his statements, with many arguing that it was even worse that what Meggyesy claimed.
As you read the book, you clearly see that Meggyesy is an intelligent man in an area where acting intelligently was discouraged. Football players were to be seen on the football field and heard only through the violence of their on-field actions. Expressing an intelligent political opinion was considered "action detrimental to the sport and the team." The only flaw in the discourse is that Meggyesy's political views sometimes taint his discussions about football. It would have better if he had avoided going in that direction.
In major league baseball, the initial book was "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton and in the National Football League (NFL) it was this book. When both first came out, the authors were severely chastised for their statements, yet subsequent revelations have all supported their claims. Shortly before he died, Mickey Mantle spoke out about how his consumption of alcohol damaged his career and his body, something Bouton wrote about.
Meggyesy talks about the tremendous racism in the NFL in the sixties, the brutality and the rampant use of performance enhancing drugs. He also describes the tremendous hypocrisy of college football, where rules violations were routine and also common knowledge. Every subsequent statement by ex-players has upheld his statements, with many arguing that it was even worse that what Meggyesy claimed.
As you read the book, you clearly see that Meggyesy is an intelligent man in an area where acting intelligently was discouraged. Football players were to be seen on the football field and heard only through the violence of their on-field actions. Expressing an intelligent political opinion was considered "action detrimental to the sport and the team." The only flaw in the discourse is that Meggyesy's political views sometimes taint his discussions about football. It would have better if he had avoided going in that direction.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By jeg
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
wonderfully-written book about the dark side of sports. highly recommended for people who care about football and want to know the inside story. also, be sure to read --out of control - by hollywood henderson.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A man before his time
David Meggyesy is one of America's true unsung heroes. Working as a pro athlete at a time when the pay was less that of a trash hauler, with no benefits or job security, and the... Read more
Published on January 20, 2006 by Gene (E. C.) Ayres
3.0 out of 5 stars
Out of His League
I was certainly suprised by this sometimes mindless writing excercise called "Out of Their League". Although I did find the behind the scenes football world interesting. Read more
Published on January 12, 2000 by Brian
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
