The Life and Teams of Johnny F. Bassett: Maverick Entrepreneur of North American Sports

One of the most influential sportsmen of the late 20th century, Johnny F. Bassett's marketing wizardry belied his impact on professional hockey and football. A Canadian showman with a Barnumesque flair for spectacle, Bassett challenged the orthodoxy of sports, building sporting utopias in the fatally flawed World Football League, World Hockey Association, and United States Football League. He catered to the common fan, demanded fair treatment of athletes, and forced the sporting establishment to change the way it did business, often to his own detriment. Drawing on archival research and interviews with Bassett's contemporaries, this comprehensive biography chronicles his life in and around professional sports: his quixotic attempt to compete with the Maple Leafs; his stunning coup in signing three members of the reigning Super Bowl champions for his WFL team; his battles with the Canadian government over American football; his audacious marketing of hockey in Alabama; and his rivalry with Donald Trump for the soul of the USFL.

Author: Denis M. Crawford
Publisher: McFarland and Company, Inc.
Published: 01/29/2021
Pages: 244
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.10w x 0.90d
ISBN13: 9781476684321
ISBN10: 1476684324
BISAC Categories:
- Sports & Recreation | Football
- Sports & Recreation | Winter Sports | Hockey
- Sports & Recreation | Racket Sports | Tennis

About the Author
Denis M. Crawford holds a PhD in American Studies, teaches at Youngstown State University, and is managing editor for The Coffin Corner, the official magazine of the Professional Football Researchers Association. He is an honorary member of the Bucs UK, the largest American football fan club in the United Kingdom and a 2010 inductee to the Bucs UK Hall of Fame.