🎧 TFG Pod: Jeff Pearlman on the Craziness That Was the USFL

From the The Football Girl Podcast, hosted by Melissa Jacobs. Subscribe to get new episodes of the pod in your feed the second we publish – and if you like what you hear, please rate and/or review us!  Listen on Stitcher | Listen on Google Play 

The early NFL season is chockfull of controversies. Host Melissa Jacobs takes issue with the too stringent tackling fouls in the wake of Clay Matthews’s phantom roughing the passer against Minnesota.  Josh Gordon to New England worth the risk? Not so fast says Melissa if you look at Gordon’s timeline of trouble, addiction and sheer unreliability.

Then Jeff Pearlman joins to discuss his new book, Football For a Buck: The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL. Pearlman tells the juicy tales that explain why the wild, ragtag league that lasted just three seasons from 1983-85 despite producing names like Jim Kelly, Steve Young and Herschel Walker, including the league’s final nail: a bombastic owner named Donald Trump who ruined everything.

Pearlman explains his love for the USFL, he’s superhuman marketing efforts and offers advice for anyone who wants to write a book.

The Show

The Book

Order it here

The Rundown

5:15:Melissa on the NFL taking their tackling rules too far

6:45:Melissa on the Josh Gordon and our obsession with player over person

JEFF PEARLMAN JOINS

12:48: Why Pearlman fell in love with the USFL

15:15:The crazy way the USFL developed the combine system

19:15: Pearlman on the best trade of all-time

21:20:Why then NFL commissioner told Donald Trump he’d never be a franchise owner

23:06:Trump’s days with USFL epitomizes past is prologue

28:45:What the two new springs leagues can learn from the USFL

32:00:Pearlman on his robust and unique efforts to market his book

39:10: Pearlman’s advice to those who want to write their first book.

The Social

Follow Jeff on Twitter: @JeffPearlman

Follow Melissa on Twitter: @thefootballgirl