Winners Will Be Winners
Posted: October 4, 2008 @ 1:21 pm
Boys Will be Boys,
the Glory Days and Party Nights
of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty,
by Jeff Pearlman
Harpers, 416 pages
Major entertainment media, from the movie industry to pro sports, have always worked to protect the images of their stars, usually by controlling media coverage of these assets.
The movie industry accomplished this during its classical period by controlling its press. All the major fan magazines of the time, like Photoplay, were published by the studios themselves. Control disappeared in the ’50s with the appearance of magazines like Confidential, a forefunner to The National Enquirer, which traded in gossip and scandal.
In the sports world, secrets were willingly kept by the sports press, who was allowed near total access in return for its silence. A sportswriter often played wingman to the stars he covered. Take the example of Fred Leib, whose Baseball as I Have Known It contains lurid stories about Babe Ruth’s sex life. Leib waited until the mid-’70s, nearly 30 years after Ruth’s death, to commit his stories in print.
It took a former player, Jim Bouton, to push the private side of baseball into the spotlight. His Ball Four, published in 1970, exposed major leaguers as pill-popping, womanizing ruffians. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn attempted to discredit the book, demanding that Bouton sign a statement declaring his book a piece of fiction. Bouton refused, and helped redefine the sports publishing industry. Every year now, a new crop of star exposes and insider views of winning and losing team seasons hits the shelves.
Modern fans have embraced the voyeurism we associate with Hollywood. The two worlds have blurred more in recent years, to the point where Sports Illustrated now has a feature on sports and pop culture.
This would seemingly make Jeff Pearlman’s Boys Will be Boys an easy sell. Pearlman chronicles the wild times of the ’90s Jerry/Jimmy/Barry Cowboys, from the J.J.’s infamous dinner at Mia’s the night before Tom Landry was fired to Michael Irvin’s assault on Everett McIver. To a football fandom accustomed to stories of steroids, hookers, guns, and police blotters, those Cowboys still managed to stand apart. They won bigger, partied harder and ultimately fell more loudly than their peers.
Pearlman, however, had to consider a Cowboys fan culture possibly hostile to muckraking. The Cowboys have always directed their press better than other clubs. The Dallas Cowboys Weekly is the closest thing we have to an old ’40s-style Hollywood fan magazine, filled with glossy photos and profiles of players and cheerleaders alike. When former WR Pete Gent wrote North Dallas Forty, his account of the late ’60s Cowboys’ exploits, he, unlike Bouton, presented it as a piece of fiction. Older Cowboys fans were raised on the catechism that their team was more popular, more creative and more righteous than others. Anybody who read the papers regularly knew better, but the P.R. triumphed more often than not.
Times apparently have changed. Pearlman told BSR in a chat yesterday that almost all of the ‘90 players were cooperative. When asked why they would so readily surrender embarrassing stories, he said,
“I’d say it’s because they look back at those times not as humiliating, but joyful. It’s akin to reliving your fraternity days from college. At age 36, 37, 38 - one would rarely chug beer from a lamp shaped like Elvis’ ass. But it’s funny to look back and think about…”
Pearlman also said he was pleasantly surprised by the Cowboys Nation’s response, as he has not yet received any criticism for exposing their heroes. “I think fans knew that the team was wild, misbehaved, etc., so it’s not all that shocking.”
It seems the fans can’t get enough of the inside story; Boys Will Be Boys currents sits at #9 on the New York Times bestseller list for non-fiction. Readers won’t be disappointed. Pearlman delivers generous shovelfuls of dirt on everybody from Charles Haley to transient Cowboys like special teams ace Joe Fishback. He consistently goes beyond the familiar, adding new information to nearly every part of Cowboys story.
If the book were only about the parties and the women, however, it would be nothing more than an extended, hardcover edition of the Enquirer. Boys Will Be Boys aims for comprehensiveness, and Pearlman delivers. He shows not only the big libidos but the big egos, the big brains, the big ambitions and the incredible skills that made Dallas a three-time champion. When you read his sections on Jimmy Johnson, you see an unrepentant tyrant at work. You also understand that a softer touch might not have gotten this team to the top.
Vince Lombardi used to say you have to be willing to pay the price for success. Pearlman shows how high that price was, and how willing those players were to pay it. The off-field stuff, in the organizations’ collective mind, was their due. By fleshing out the Cowboys’ story, in both the literal and figurative senses, Pearlman brings a freshness to the tale, giving the reader the impression they are reliving the glory all over again — for the first time.
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First.
Just sad to see so few comments, so 2nd.
Oh, and I hate being a Cubs fan.
AAAAUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What are those 2 posts about?
From everything I have read, Pearlman does his homework. This book has been in the pipeline for sometime, and his research was relentless. It sounds like he lays out the facts, without judgement.
I saw an interview (maybe linked from this page) where he said the Cowboys weren’t morally worse than any other team or business, just that in the 1990s, they wore it right on their sleeve for all to see.
Where is everybody? Lets go Cowboys!
I don’t know. I was waiting for a early game thread.
The Cowboys play football today, right?
You know, the Dolphins don’t look all bad.
Jeez Raf, I know you said traffic drops after a loss but come on how but a little Pre-Game somethin, somethin. I’m sitting at home fire blazin and some Cincinatti Skyline Chili on the stove and wanted to talk a little Pre Game and all I get is this Jeff Perlman article. I hope he gave you a little Kick Back to promote his book. I can’t wait to read it but I’ll tell me wife to get it for me for Christmas.
If anybody is logged on let me know and well shoot the shit.
Well I guess I’ll have to talk to myself.
Offensive Game Plan: I want see us hand the ball off 35 times. I don’t care who we hand it to, MB3, Felix, T.O. as long as we are running the rock down their throats that should suffice. The Bengals running D gives up 165 plus yards a game. Use that Fat Ass O line of ours and set up the pass. 8 guys in the box and Witten is sure to have a big game. Who cares about T.O. let him cry and moan. He’s Jerry’s problem now. Threaten to bench is ass behind the scenes and that will serve teach him. This is his last stop, doesn’t he understand that, maybe he wants to go sit next to “Key” on Sunday mornings.
Defensive Game Plan: Don’t get beat deep. Mix in an active blitz package and keep Palmer guessing. Their O Line is weak. We should be a half dozen sacks today and hopefully we will finally get an INT.
Dallas 31
Sinsinnati 14
Do we want the Eagles to win?
My god the Seahawks stink.
Tight, Wow I thought everybody killed themselves after last week. I thought maybe I missed the memo.
We want the Eagles to win, Yes!
We own the head to head right now.
Yes Seattle is putrid. But that means a win for us, when we play them.
So is everyone off of the sky is falling?
Or are you still convinced that Dallas will be playing all their playoff games on the road Captaincomeback?
I would really like to see something like a 2-0 victory for us in the turnover game today.
Did you guys hear about this supposed offer from detroit before the season of a straight up trade of their roy williams for D Ware. F’n ridiculous.Supposedly he’ll be moved this week.
T New not active this week.
Air, Yes I am. I think we’ll end up 12-4 but somehow that won’t give us the division. I hope I’m wrong. Maybe we need road games in the playoffs?
As mentioned in another thread, Pete Hunter played a good game for the Toronto Argonauts the other night. Glad the mortgage meltdown hasn’t left him unemployed.
The victory over the Packers is looking less and less impressive.
Air, Are you able to watch the game? I know you are overseas.
Stop, I heard about the Roy Williams thing too. Not sure if I buy it.
I wouldn’t give up D Ware for many players.
Somehow are secondary is right where it was a few years ago.
I hope Orlando can start by the end of the year.
Hey fellas - Happy Gameday -
Flipping through the early games, and I’m interested in the Eagles / Skins. Like to see skins lose to help with early division standings, but I just can’t actively pull for either of them. Giants are playing some high school team from Seattle, and San Diego just got back into a game with Miami, yes Miami.
On the boys, I want to see them run, too. I just want to see a rythmic balance of play calling and execution, though. Let’s get everybody in synch today.
Why would you think that Dallas can’t win the divison, because of one game?
Thats so stupid. I’m not overseas either. I watch every dallas game.
So much overreaction from one game.
Sorry AB, I was just trying to make conversation. I thought you were overseas. I wasn’t questioning your team loyalty.
It’s not because Dallas has lost 1 game that I don’t think we will win the division. Have you looked at the Giants? I’m just predicting 12-4, I think they will be 13-3. I thought the Eagles would be better 12-4 or so. But they are a little more than a quarter away from having their 3rd loss the season already.
Yeah I’ve seen the giants. They have one win against a winning club right.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I pretty much think anything you say on here is ridiculous. You said you were ashamed to be a Dallas fan and there is no redemption for that.
Saw that Gonzalez set the yardage record for TE today. Anybody know what his averages are or how they compare to Witten so far? No doubt he’ll have all the team records, but I wonder where he might end up with league records in another 10 years.
I think you are a loser. Respect your elders, Mr. Know it all
I’ve been a fan A LOT longer than you.
I tried to be nice but you obviously are a miserable person.
Your off my list.
Guys like you make this site a joke. No wonder it’s losing hits.
Yeah obviously I’m a loser.
I’m the one who constantly said for flozell and marion barber to be let go.
I’m the one who came out and said that I was ashamed to be a Dallas fan after the Marion Barber signing.
Even people who are older then me can be idiots. And thats pretty much what you are.