THE NAMATH EFFECT

The author of Destiny's Darlings (1974) attempts to demonstrate how a shaggy-haired Hungarian Catholic quarterback from Beaver Falls, Penn., Joe Willie Namath, has not only ""changed the structure of professional football,"" but also ""feminized masculinity,"" thereby paving the way for the recent impetus given to women's sports. The brassy gridiron celebrity is generally credited with establishing the AFL by first signing with the Jets, and later leading them to their 1969 Super Bowl victory. A ""nonpareil iconoclast"" who dared to challenge the authority of NFL Commissioner Rozelle, Namath is viewed here as a catalyst in instigating the player demands and strikes of today. Furthermore, as ""the Sexual Upheaval's athletic representative,"" Broadway Joe has managed to popularize panty-hose and audibilize the bedroom. A provocative study composed of original observations which are anything but axiomatic.