Sports Illustrated’s Super Bowl Gold a great gift
By Brian Miller
Sports Illustrated has released it’s hard cover Super Bowl Gold: 50 Years of the Big Game. It’s a fantastic trip through memory lane and fifty years of NFL Super Bowls.
Earlier today I received a free copy of the book by the publisher and haven’t been able to put it down. I’m not required to play nice when it comes to book reviews. I either like them or I don’t. Most of the time I simply don’t comment unless it’s A: really good, or B: really bad. In this case, it’s really good.
Peter King of SI.com provides the forward of the 336 page gem. Retail prices vary but most seem to be in the $24.00 range. I know that the edition is available at Barnes & Noble thanks to seeing an ad for it.
The book is a beautiful edition that is worth of anyone’s coffee table. It’s not small either. Full page pictures adorn most of the pages and each section is dedicated to one of the Super Bowls from the first to the last.
Each chapter gives you the information from the game. The point spreads, the weather, the location, as well as interviews from each side of the sideline. SI doesn’t stop there. The top statistics from the games are included although it would have been nice to see more statistical information. It also includes images of the Super Bowl tickets, the winners ring, and even the anthem performer.
In the middle of the book is a section completely devoted to half-time performances and great read on how the Super Bowl grew into the most watched live sporting event in the history of television.
One negative that turned more or less into a positive was the images themselves. I figured with technology the way it is today, the images would have been much crisper and higher quality. As I flipped and read through the book I realized that I was actually watching progress unfold in front of me. The imagery changes as the Super Bowls, and years pass. From grainy images early on to high-def images later. It’s a great symbolization of how both the game and the way it is covered has grown over the years.
Whether you are a Miami Dolphins fan or any NFL fan, it’s hard not be impressed with the scope of this book. Typically, I try to give these things away to readers or Dolphins fans I meet on the street but for once, I think I’m going to keep this one for myself. It’s a great piece of history that will make for a great Christmas present this holiday season.