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9 football books to kick off the 2018 season

Here are excerpts from nine new releases.

8. ‘How ‘Bout Them Cowboys? Inside the Huddle with the Stars and Legends of America’s Team,’ by Gary Myers

  • By Ross Atkin

The Dallas Cowboys began their existence in 1960 as an NFL expansion team that was winless with a 0-11-1 record. Things have gotten a lot better since then, and now the Cowboys, though frequently frustrated in their playoff aspirations, remain a much-watched and glamorous franchise owned by flamboyant Jerry Jones and housed in a palatial, Texas-size stadium. In “How ‘Bout Them Cowboys,” author Gary Myers, who's been covering the NFL since 1978 and was the Cowboys beat writer for the Dallas Morning News from 1981 to 1989, taps his access and storehouse of memories to tell the story of “America’s Team.”

Here’s an excerpt from How ‘Bout Them Cowboys?:

“If the Cowboys are establishing a blueprint by turning a football facility into a moneymaking venture, then it will be evident in 2020 when Stan Kroenke opens the headquarters for the Los Angeles Rams in their new stadium and Mark Davis brings the Raiders to Las Vegas. So far, the Cowboys embrace letting the public a bit closer on days other than Sunday with tours of AT&T Stadium (VIP $32, self-guided $22) and the Star ($32.50, but you get special access to the war room and Super Bowl memorabilia). It allows fans who are not among the ninety thousand who attend games a glimpse of the operation.

“ ‘[Team owner] Jerry [Jones] says less than 10 percent of our Cowboys fans ever get the opportunity to go watch a game live at AT&T Stadium or any other stadium,’ Stephen [Jones] said. ‘So your other 90 percent of your fans are experiencing it through television, merchandising.’ ”

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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