WIFFLE: The Wild, Zany and Sometimes Hilariously True Story of the World Football League

I was one of the earliest season ticket buyers for the Southern California Sun and had midfield seats just a couple of rows behind Larry Hatfield. I still have all of my Sun ticket stubs, as well as the unused tickets from the 1975 season. I really enjoyed reading about the Sun and the World Football League in this detailed and obviously well-researched book. If you are a die-hard WFL fan, this book is for you.

Book is a fascinating look at the WFL, a short-lived football league from the 70s and from this read, you can tell why it was short-lived. Good history and thoroughly enjoyable read!!

This is a "qualified" five-star project edited in a three-star way hence I'm giving it a four. Let me clarify a bit. The research is top notch. The main problem is the decision rather than let the two seasons flow as a whole, the author covers each World Football League season then does a team-by-team season review. Although these are interesting with two teams playing in a game (well, duh!), you get, for example the author just repeating himself way too much. In other words, if we take the chapter of the 1974 Birmingham Americans and he's discussing a game vs. the Chicago Fire. Then in the 1974 Chicago Fire chapter that same game will be covered. It...makes...no...sense to do the book this way.Even worse is he has all the teams' chapters in alphabetical order, you, for instance, start reading about the 1974 Charlotte Hornets and quickly realize you had better skip ahead and read about the 1974 New York Stars first because that's where the franchise started playing the season. After they bailed on NYC they move to Charlotte.Throw in the fact that this is a hardcover book and its cost, why no pictures? There are none. I kid you not. Not even middle-page spread on one of the most colorful leagues ever thought up.Anyway mindboggling because the quality of the writing is there at times although I grew so bored with it that it became a slog to get through each team's soul sucking seasons. The author does, in a good way, suck you into some of the great characters from players to coaches to wacky owners. This book just needed a serious editor to steer author Mark Speck to organize the book a bit more logically than what I think he must think is logical.

I was a Jacksonville Sharks/Express season ticket holder, so I am very familiar with the WFL. The idea of the league was good, and it might have survived with better team ownership and a better television package. It preceded widespread use of cable, so timing was part of the problem.

This book is very well researched with details that were interesting. The book was insightful in that it took each team and told the story of each one in detail. It was easy to read.

This book is a fantastic record of a league with an incredible story. This should be required reading for any Sports Management class as an example of how not to run a league. Had I not been in my early 20s during this era I would have a hard time believing all that took place during this leagues existence. Hopefully somebody will someday produce a similar book about the USFL.

GREAT read!!!!

Interesting take on the failed WFL. I particularly enjoyed the behind the scenes operations that went on in the league office and within each of the teams. I could have done without the game by game reporting of each team throughout each season.