Review of
Super Joe: The Joe Namath Story,
by Larry Bortstein
Three out of five stars
Was Namath really a superstar?
Published in
1969 shortly after the Jets won Super Bowl III, this book is very laudatory
about Joe Namath. He was brash, predicting a Jets victory when almost everyone
else thought it would be another NFL rout. The Jets and Namath were decisive
victors in a game that is considered the turning point in equality between the
NFL and AFL.
Namath is put
forward as a rebel and a star, along with his reputation as a big-time ladies
man and swinger. While the Jets did in fact win their division the following year,
they lost the playoff to the Chiefs and the following year they started a streak
of eight seasons without a winning record. It is clear from this book that Joe
Namath was the beneficiary of the media hype that playing in New York meant.
Granted, this
book was read in retrospect, but if a comparison is done of Namath with other
Hall of Fame quarterbacks, his stats are significantly weaker, specifically the
number of interceptions versus touchdown passes. He flashed brightly, but then
faded fast. This book was written during the flash and before the fade.
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