or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
41 used & new from $0.31
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Wedded to the Game: The Real Lives of NFL Women
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

Wedded to the Game: The Real Lives of NFL Women (Paperback)

~ (Author) "In 1985, when seventeen-year-old Jacqueline Bernice Mitchell met twenty-two-year-old Jerome Lee Rice-who was even then already known by just his first name, Jerry, and who..." (more)
Key Phrases: practice squad, retired player, one coach, Super Bowl, Kim Ruddy, Kim Singletary (more...)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
Price: $17.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Tuesday, November 17? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
17 new from $6.98 20 used from $0.31 4 collectible from $17.95

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with A Few Seconds of Panic: A Sportswriter Plays in the NFL by Stefan Fatsis

Wedded to the Game: The Real Lives of NFL Women + A Few Seconds of Panic: A Sportswriter Plays in the NFL
Price For Both: $28.83

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Wedded to the Game: The Real Lives of NFL Women by Shannon O'Toole

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • A Few Seconds of Panic: A Sportswriter Plays in the NFL by Stefan Fatsis

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

A Face In The Crowd

A Face In The Crowd

by Nicole Berti
3.8 out of 5 stars (4) 
The Wives' Room: A Look Behind the NFL Curtain

The Wives' Room: A Look Behind the NFL Curtain

by Sally Gardocki
3.4 out of 5 stars (5) 
The Dark Side of the Game: My Life in the NFL

The Dark Side of the Game: My Life in the NFL

by Tim Green
3.6 out of 5 stars (45) 
Public Heroes, Private Felons: Athletes and Crimes Against Women

Public Heroes, Private Felons: Athletes and Crimes Against Women

by Jeff Benedict
2.8 out of 5 stars (4)  $19.45
Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL

Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL

by Jeff Benedict
3.8 out of 5 stars (29)  $24.00
› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Wedded to the Game [is] a book that comes as a real eye-opener. . . . [This] is not a book about John Morton and Shannon O''Toole. Where their experience is illustrative O''Toole mentions it, but there''s no breast-beating about unfair treatment or bad breaks or anything else. She''s really more interested in what''s happened to other players'' wives, and some of them prove interesting indeed. . . . There''s much more about it . . . in this intelligent, thoughtful book."-Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post (Jonathan Yardley The Washington Post 20060301)

"This book offers an insider''s glimpse of life in the NFL from a unique perspective: that of the players'' and coaches'' wives. . . . Because sociologist O''Toole is herself the wife of an ex-NFL player and coach, she is able to provide both a pragmatic and an intellectual view of NFL culture in her well-organized and accessible text."-Library Journal (Kimberley Robles-Smith Library Journal 20060301)

"Shannon O''Toole blends her education in sociology with her real life experience as an ''insider,'' a woman living the NFL life. Shannon''s insight and perspective provides the average fan a brief glimpse into the emotions and struggles, yes struggles, of these women."-FemmeFan.Com (Ivette Ricco FemmeFan.Com 20050914)

"Shannon O''Toole pens a compelling and realistic portrayal of life in the NFL through the eyes, hearts, and voices of players'' and coaches'' wives and girlfriends. . . . Whether you''re a casual fan or a gridiron devotee, you''ll enjoy O''Toole''s perspective on the NFL."-Andrea Kremer, ESPN national correspondent (Andrea Kremer 20050914)

"In Wedded to the Game, Shannon O''Toole, the wife of an ex-NFL player and coach, offers a side of the NFL that doesn''t show up in newspaper summaries. It should be a hit with NFL fans."-Charean Williams, NFL writer and columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Charean Williams 20050914)

"This book is a very realistic, factual, well-documented account of the trials and tribulations of coaches'' and players'' wives, and will make for very interesting reading. It is not an expos�, but is a realistic look at a different side of the NFL."-Larry Kennan, executive director of the National Football League Coaches Association (Larry Kennan )


Product Description

What is it really like living in the shadow of the NFL? Contending with marital issues in a media spotlight? Raising kids whose father is idolized for his bone-crushing work on national TV? Trying to pursue friendships and career while constantly on the move? Reporting from the home field, Shannon O’Toole offers an intimate perspective on the culture of the NFL based on her interviews with dozens of wives and girlfriends of NFL players and coaches.

Bringing to bear a background in sociology and a firsthand understanding of being married to the NFL, O'Toole is uniquely qualified to report from behind pro football’s doors. Part insider tell-all, part sociological study, her book is packed with candid on-the-spot accounts of NFL life, providing a rare glimpse into the often hidden world behind the game.

Women—already 43 percent of the NFL’s fan base—make up the sport’s fastest growing group of fans: this book is certain to appeal to them and to anyone who wonders about the hidden realities of America’s favorite game.

(20060411)
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Paperback: 204 pages
  • Publisher: Bison Books; 1 edition (March 1, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0803286252
  • ISBN-13: 978-0803286252
  • Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #937,046 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

Shannon O'Toole
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Shannon O'Toole Page
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
In 1985, when seventeen-year-old Jacqueline Bernice Mitchell met twenty-two-year-old Jerome Lee Rice-who was even then already known by just his first name, Jerry, and who would eventually become perhaps the greatest NFL football player ever-she was a senior in high school and he was a senior college student at Mississippi Valley State. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
practice squad, retired player, one coach, position coach
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Super Bowl, Kim Ruddy, Kim Singletary, Jackie Rice, Gina Nedney, Kathy Nolan, Oakland Raiders, World League, Gay Nell Shaw, Lori Warhop, Arizona Cardinals, Canadian Football League, Jerry Rice, Mike Singletary, Green Bay, Julianne Player, Kathy Waufle, Miami Dolphins, Mississippi Valley State, Pat Kennan, Utah State, Baltimore Ravens, Bill Heck, John Morton, Larry Kerman
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 4 books:

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Wedded to the Game: The Real Lives of NFL Women
90% buy the item featured on this page:
Wedded to the Game: The Real Lives of NFL Women 4.8 out of 5 stars (5)
$17.95
The Coach's Wife
8% buy
The Coach's Wife 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
$12.99
A Face In The Crowd
2% buy
A Face In The Crowd 3.8 out of 5 stars (4)
Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching the Game!: A Woman's Guide to Loving Pro Football
1% buy
Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching the Game!: A Woman's Guide to Loving Pro Football 4.6 out of 5 stars (37)
$5.98
Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

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
 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Poignant and Gripping Sketch, April 24, 2006
First time author and wife of John Morton, an ex- NFL player and now coach,
Shannon O'Toole candidly exposes her thoughts and perceptions of what it is like
to be married to a professional football player or coach.

O'Toole, who holds a master's degree in sociology, bases much of her assessments
on a questionnaire that she anonymously sent to one hundred and fifty wives of
NFL players and coaches. She received seventy five responses and of these she
chose thirty to interview more in depth. These women range in age from their
early twenties to their mid-sixties and come from diverse educational and ethnic
backgrounds. Wedded to the Game: The Real Lives Of NFL Women is a broad overview
as well as a recording and synthesis of O'Toole's findings that make for some
very interesting and sometimes surprising data.

Divided into ten chapters, O'Toole addresses such concerns as the insecurity of
being a wife of a player or coach whose career can be over in a flash, or the
endless number of relocations that most of the players have to endure during
their career. A full chapter is devoted to domestic violence and the
ineffectiveness of the NFL in dealing with the problem. Included in this same
chapter is the temptation to indulge in extra-marital affairs and a questioning
if it is more prevalent than in any other profession or occupation. The
misconception that everyone employed by the sport is ultra-rich is thoroughly
examined with some surprising revelations. Much ink is given to exploring family
relationships, particularly where couples live a schizophrenic existence in that
once the season begins some wives hardly see their spouses. As the author
states, "some women, particularly coaches' wives, never get over the
difficulties and loneliness the football season brings, and they become
increasingly bitter and hostile." Moreover, wives have to take on the role of
supermoms or single moms, wherein she becomes one hundred percent responsible
for their physical, educational, and emotional well-being of the couple's
children.

Readers also receive a realistic expose of how difficult it is to break into the
NFL and the daily routines of NFL players and coaches that are not as glamorous
as the media would like to have us believe.

Another misconception that the author candidly talks about is the matter of free
tickets to the games. As mentioned, players and coaches for the most part are
required to pay for their tickets, and the tickets that they do receive for
their immediate family are not exactly in the best sections of the stadium.

O'Toole is not afraid to touch on some very sensitive issues and what emerges is
a poignant and gripping sketch of a better understanding of the complex lives of
spouses of NFL players and coaches that are very often ignored by the media.

Norm Goldman, Editor Bookpleasures






Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars "Wedded" is really good!, June 3, 2006
By Noreen Franklin "Librarian" (Castro Valley, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Shannon O'Toole, a first-time author, writes smoothly and beautifully in this fast-paced, informative, and surprisingly juicy book. As an NFL insider, Shannon has definitely done her homework bringing to the forefront an aspect that is rarely seen in public - the other half of the men in the NFL - their wives, fiancées and girlfriends of the many players and coaches. We so often hear about the male players in the NFL so it is very refreshing to learn how these women are indeed a factor in the success of their husband's careers. "Wedded To The Game" is an eye opener for all who are interested in the dynamics of relationships that stand the test of time, stress, children and insecurities galore. Who would ever guess that these marriages last and the reasons are similar to one another? No other book will give you this insight, I highly recommend it!
O'Toole is candid about her own life leading up to and in the NFL and interviews with notables as Jackie Rice, Kathy Waufle, Pat Kennan, Kim Singletary, Kim Ruddy, Kori Shaw and many others are candid as well. I can guarantee that you will enjoy it.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5.0 out of 5 stars A great depiction of the lifestyle when dating a pro athlete, July 4, 2009
By APG "Annie" (Montreal, QC.) - See all my reviews
This book serves as a great tool allowing women to understand and project themselve in a life that may await them if their partner aspires to or becomes a professional athlete. One can feel the authenticity of the women's testimonies and it definitively helps to set apart reality from media-enhanced stereotypes. Whether dating a NFL player or not, the typical "super woman" who is primarily responsible for handling the kids, the finances, the frequent moves, and the emotional stress brought about by their husband' s unique job will surely relate to this book.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars NFL Fan
The insiders view of living with the NFL. Great commentary on women adjusting to life as a partner in the NFL. Surprising revelations and expectations. A good read.
Published on April 8, 2006 by Joie

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Insight
The author's real life experience and those in the book, give an interesting look into public perceptions and realities of NFL life.
Published on March 27, 2006 by J. OToole

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
Interview With Shannon O'Toole 0 June 2006
› See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
   

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

So You'd Like to...


Create a guide

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Wedded to the Game: The Real Lives of NFL Women

To read an interview with Shannon O'Toole conducted by Norm Goldman, Editor of Bookpleasures.com click here   http://www.bookpleasures.com/Lore2/idx/0/2026 /article/Shannon_OToole_Author_of_Wedded_to_t h e_Game_Interviewed.html

Created on Jul 27, 2006, last edited on Jul 27, 2006.

› Explore and Edit at Amapedia.com opens new browser window


Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:

























i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.