Super Bowl Monday
From the Persian Gulf to the Shores of West Florida—The New York Giants, the Buffalo Bills, and Super Bowl XXV
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Super Bowl Monday is a thorough retelling of Super Bowl XXV, the epic January 1991 showdown between the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills. Great characters and a gripping finish to the closest episode in Super Bowl history made for a wonderful conclusion to the game's Silver Anniversary. But what establishes that day as a special moment in American sports history was the cloud of war hanging over the game and the nation. Ten days before the Giants defeated the Bills 20-19 in Tampa Stadium, the United States had authorized Operation Desert Storm and begun the Persian Gulf War. The book is entitled Super Bowl Monday because the hundreds of thousands of American soldiers who were able to watch the Giants vs. the Bills did so on Arabic Standard Time, several hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. For those men and women on duty in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq, Super Bowl XXV took place early Monday morning. Super Bowl Monday features original research from newspaper and video archives in addition to lengthy interviews with many of the game's stars.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Taking place against the backdrop of 1991's Operation Desert Storm, Super Bowl XXV was a dramatic event to begin with, but the competing Buffalo Bills and New York Giants upped the ante even more, according to veteran sports writer Lazarus (Chasing Greatness). In this fantastic, accessible new book, Lazarus charts the teams, coaches, and players that made the game so memorable. Though Bills' journeyman quarterback Jim Kelly and the Giants' Jeff Hostetler (who was poised to retire) get the most page time, Lazarus covers the game from all angles and perspectives, giving credit where credit is due and presenting key moments from the previous season. Digressions on the league's preparedness for a terrorist attack (the NFL bought all the available atropine, a drug needed to counteract a sarin nerve gas attack, that wasn't reserved for the military) increase the tension. By the time Lazarus gets to Whitney Houston's stunning performance of the national anthem, readers might as well resign themselves to finishing the book in a single sitting. Even football neophytes will find Lazarus's snapshot of America insightful and rewarding.
