The NFL of the 1980s is remembered for the destruction that occurred in its Roman-numeral games - the Super Bowl. Kennedy said defeat is an orphan. For the '80s AFC, it was a shamed brotherhood. The National Conference punished the decade. Of the ten Super Bowls played, it won eight - by an average romp of 37-15. In a league designed for parity, its title game had become a slaughterhouse, a televised execution that repeated every year, far into the 1990s. By the time the Packers finished off New England in Super XXXI, the NFC had strung together thirteen straight victories. Someone asked Bears linebacker Mike Singletary to explain the difference between the two conferences. He answer sounded like some ancient warlord, addressing his legion before battle. Axes and flails and Rome versus Carthage. "The NFC is big," he said. "The NFC is bold. The NFC is blood, broken bones, intimidation. The NFC is unconquerable. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere." Majesty and Mayhem, however, isn't a review of those old AFC autopsy files. . . or a conventional history book, for that matter. Rather, it's a collection of author writer Tom Danyluk's powerful memories and impressions of that decade that have remained with him over the years. Memories of the 1980s New York Jets, a team drenched in talent and speed, plus pass-rushing super powers. "After years of solid drafts, we were finally built for the Super Bowl," said personnel director Mike Hickey. Yet other than a pair of playoff wins in 1982, nothing ever came of it. Why? The San Diego Chargers are here, too -- "Air Coryell," the first team to exploit the league's 1978 passing-rule changes. Their stat sheets whirred like a national debt clock. . . Dan Fouts and Kellen Winslow and another 300-yard bombing run. "You almost want to go out and get their autographs," said Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw. The '70s, gave us the "No-Name" Dolphins defense; in 1981, a no-name offense emerged in San Francisco, a pistol-range passing attack staffed with players from central casting. "They were executing with people I never heard of," said Cowboys safety Charlie Waters after the 49ers beat them for the '81 NFC championship. The fall and rise of quarterback Dan Marino. His coach at Pitt, Jackie Sherrill, said if he'd stayed for Marino's senior year, he would've been the top pick of the entire 1983 draft. But Sherril left, and Marino crashed to 27th. That's where Don Shula found him and the Miami missile show began. Danyluk also recalls the mayhem dealers of the era, punishers like Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White and the '85 Bears. . . the breakdown of mighty Earl Campbell. . . the confusion of the '88 Fog Bowl. . . the hook & lateral that sent the 1981 Dolphin/Charger playoff into eternity. It was the last decade before free agency, of building rosters without the cage of a salary cap. Teams were better honed and more familiar year to year. Fullbacks and defenses still had a say in the game. The media said less. Players wore uniforms, not Nike clown suits. As J.P. Hartley wrote, "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there." Majesty and Mayhem is an sparkling trip back to the NFL of the '80s. Tom Danyluk is here to stamp your passport.
Set in an easy-to-read Q&A format, this volume is full of the stories and firsthand accounts from many of the men who helped shape the 1970s into one of the most exciting and memorable eras in National Football League history.
These days, it is easy to be cynical about democracy. Even though there are more democratic societies now (119 and counting) than ever before, skeptics can point to low turnouts in national elections, the degree to which money corrupts the process, and the difficulties of mass participation in complex systems as just a few reasons why the system is flawed. The Occupy movement in 2011 proved that there is an emphatic dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs, particularly with the economy, but, ultimately, it failed to produce any coherent vision for social change. So what should progressives be working toward? What should the economic vision be for the 21st century? After Occupy boldly argues that democracy should not just be a feature of political institutions, but of economic institutions as well. In fact, despite the importance of the economy in democratic societies, there is very little about it that is democratic. Questioning whether the lack of democracy in the economy might be unjust, Tom Malleson scrutinizes workplaces, the market, and financial and investment institutions to consider the pros and cons of democratizing each. He considers examples of successful efforts toward economic democracy enacted across the globe, from worker cooperatives in Spain to credit unions and participatory budgeting measures in Brazil and questions the feasibility of expanding each. The book offers the first comprehensive and radical vision for democracy in the economy, but it is far from utopian. Ultimately, After Occupy offers possibility, demonstrating in a remarkably tangible way that when political democracy evolves to include economic democracy, our societies will have a chance of meaningful equality for all.
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