Book
The Last Headbangers: NFL Football in the Rowdy, Reckless '70s: the Era that Created Modern Sports
The Last Headbangers: NFL Football in the Rowdy, Reckless '70s: the Era that Created Modern Sports by Kevin Cook has been mentioned in 2 episodes across 2 podcasts (0 episodes recommend it and 2 episodes discuss it), through . Most frequently brought up by Alex Epstein (1 episode) on Monday Morning Podcast (1 episode) and The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast (1 episode).
- episodes
- 2
- podcasts
- 2
- person
- 1
- episodes recommend it
- 0
Lawhead gave me the book, uh, some of the last headbangers or something like that. It's basically about when you just played with concussions and that type of thing—the level of cheating that was going on.
Why people recommend it
The Last Headbangers: NFL Football in the Rowdy, Reckless '70s: the Era that Created Modern Sports by Kevin Cook explores the violent, unfiltered culture of professional football during a notoriously bruising decade. On a 2021 episode of the Monday Morning Podcast, Bill Burr discussed receiving a copy of the book, identifying it by a similar title and noting that it focused on an era when athletes routinely played through severe concussions. Burr highlighted the book's examination of the high level of physical danger and the widespread rule-bending that characterized professional football at the time. While other podcasts occasionally touch upon unrelated literary reviews, this particular work resonates with readers interested in sports history and the evolution of player safety. The book serves as a stark historical reminder of how physical toughness was prioritized over medical welfare in modern athletics before contemporary concussion protocols were established.
Every mention
Alex Epstein in a Los Angeles Times review of the end of nature Kevin's influential book 1
“in a Los Angeles Times review of the end of nature Kevin's influential book”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker1
“Lawhead gave me the book, uh, some of the last headbangers or something like that. It's basically about when you just played with concussions and that type of thing—the level of cheating that was going on.”