{"product_id":"american-kings-a-biography-of-the-quarterback","title":"American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe perfect holiday gift for the football fan and American history reader in your life. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A MUST BUY\" -- \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e \/ \u003ci\u003eThe Athletic \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA \u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e and NPR pick for Best Books of 2025 \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNew York Book Festival - General Nonfiction Winner \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e*** The Instant \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestseller *** \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"An instant classic--not just a great sports book but a great cultural history.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of \u003ci\u003eKing: A Life\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePull back the curtain on the most powerful position in all of sports. The \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eIt's Better to be Feared\u003c\/i\u003e examines football's QB lifecycle: high school, college, the NFL, retirement--and all that comes with it. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe quarterback: the American equivalent of royalty, long glamorized, mythologized, and worshipped. Still, long before the Super Bowl trophies, massive contracts, brand deals, and millions of social media followers comes the dream. From the backyard to Pop Warner, from high school to college, from the NFL to the Hall of Fame, becoming the country's ultimate idol requires single-minded focus while navigating a maze of bad breaks, insecurities, jealousy, pressure, and fame. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLong known as the outsider's guide into this elite world, Seth Wickersham's fresh reporting goes deep into the quarterback journey, measuring the distance between what the men who have traveled it expected and what they found at the end of the road. Through unprecedented access into the lives of dozens of quarterbacks and generational greats such as Johnny Unitas, John Elway, Peyton Manning, Warren Moon, Steve Young, and others, as well as those figures striving to be remembered, like Caleb Williams and Arch Manning, Wickersham reveals how this one position has become emblematic of success in American life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs an inside look into a uniquely American job and a uniquely American obsession with football, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Kings \u003c\/i\u003eis a must-read for sports fans and anyone who wants to understand what the price of ambition tells us about the quest for achievement and status.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1368099181\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781368099189\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Wickersham, Seth, N\/A, N\/A\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Hyperion Avenue\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hyperion Avenue","offers":[{"title":"HardCover (Sep 2025)","offer_id":45659866235077,"sku":"9781368099189","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781368099189.jpg?v=1768915194","url":"https:\/\/www.inveni.store\/products\/american-kings-a-biography-of-the-quarterback","provider":"Inveni","version":"1.0","type":"link"}