Glory Days: The Summer of 1984 and the 90 Days That Changed Sports and Culture Forever

by L. Jon Wertheim

Overview

A rollicking guided tour of one extraordinary summer, when some of the most pivotal and freakishly coincidental stories all collided and changed the way we think about modern sports

The summer of 1984 was a watershed moment in the birth of modern sports when the nation watched Michael Jordan grow from college basketball player to professional athlete and star. That summer also saw the debut of ESPN and the first modern, commercialized, profitable Olympics. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird’s rivalry raged, Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe reigned in tennis, and Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon made pro wrestling a business, while Donald Trump pierced the national consciousness as a pro football team owner. It was an awakening in the sports world, a moment when sports began to morph into the market-savvy, sensationalized, moneyed, controversial, and wildly popular arena we know today.

In the tradition of Bill Bryson’s One Summer: America, 1927, L. Jon Wertheim captures these ninety seminal days against the backdrop of the nostalgia-soaked 1980s, to show that this was the year we collectively traded in our ratty Converses for a pair of sleek, heavily branded, ingeniously marketed Nikes. This was the year that sports went big-time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780358695288
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/21/2022
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	347,638
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

L. Jon Wertheim is the executive editor of Sports Illustrated. He is the author of seven highly praised books, including the New York Times bestseller Scorecasting. He is a regular contributor to CNN and National Public Radio and is a commentator for the Tennis Channel.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Be Like Mike 13

2 The Great One 23

3 Are the Games Dead? 34

4 Johnny Mac and Martina 40

5 The Trump Card 50

6 Larry Versus Magic 67

7 Heir Jordan 88

8 There's a Draft in Here 97

9 Joy in Wrigleyville 114

10 Wax On, Wax Off 124

11 The Sham of Amateurism 137

12 Strokes of Genius 148

13 Swooshing In to Woo Jordan 155

14 Down Goes Tyson 161

15 The Dream Team 170

16 The Victory Tour 179

17 The All-Sports, All-the-Time Network 195

18 The Brawl to End It All 212

19 The Summer of the Mac 230

20 Let the Games Begin 240

21 Super Saturday 265

22 Mike and Nike 269

23 Wait Till Next Year 273

24 Be Like Mike 279

Conclusion 286

Acknowledgments 291

Notes 295

Bibliography 302

Index 310

Editorial Reviews

Glory Days is a fascinating and entertaining look back at an epic summer that had such a huge impact on my life. Jon Wertheim’s knowledge and perspective on sport and its influence on pop culture is second to none." — Ralph Macchio   “1984. The Orwell novel we all read in high school? Well, yeah. But as it turns out, and as Jon Wertheim lays out, 1984 was a pivotal year in the history of sports, with many of the major trends and enduring figures emerging and converging.” — Bob Costas  “For me, 1984 was the year I made a fool of myself at Jackie Zisblatt’s Bat Mitzvah and sprouted my first whitehead. But thanks to Jon Wertheim’s terrific Glory Days, I can now mentally replace said awfulness with images of Jordan and Magic, Mary Lou and the Great Gretzky. Who knew—1984 was pretty outstanding after all!” — Jeff Pearlman, author of Three-Ring Circus "We talk about key moments in sports; but the summer of 1984 was a key moment for sports. Jon's book is nostalgic, informative, and most of all, a lot of fun." — Chris Evert  “Fascinating . . . Glory Days is part sports history, part cultural analysis, part business book, and it’s certain to draw attention far beyond the sports pages.” — Booklist  "Best read of the summer so far." — Mike Vaccaro, New York Post   —

From the Publisher

05/10/2021

Sports Illustrated executive editor Wertheim (Blood in the Cage) offers an occasionally entertaining history of developments in sports and culture during the summer of 1984, but fails to demonstrate that they’re more than coincidental. There’s no denying the year featured noteworthy events: it marked the first NBA Finals battle between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, the Chicago Bulls’ drafting of Michael Jordan, and ABC’s purchase of ESPN, which enabled the tanking sports cable network to survive and expand. From the creation of the basketball “dream team” that represented the U.S. at the Los Angeles Olympics to the rise of Vince McMahon’s WWF, Wertheim offers a sweeping look at those “pivotal” 90 days, but sacrifices depth for breadth and prizes trivia over analysis, giving cultural milestones unrelated to sports a passing glance. Though a “string of blockbusters” hit theaters that summer, for instance, he briefly touches on them and devotes only a single sentence to Ghostbusters and John Hugh’s seminal Sixteen Candles. Similarly bewildering is the narrative’s clunky prose (“thermodynamics of celebrity makes for an inexact science”), which tends to overshadow more exciting passages, such as Wertheim’s detailing of Jordan’s “singular talent” for dunking, and the way he would “stuff the ball through, violently yet elegantly.” This feels like a missed opportunity. (June)

Publishers Weekly

The author examines a 90-day period in 1984 when sports milestones converged, along with pivotal pop-culture moments. From Michael Jordan’s shoe deal to a historic summer Olympics, from music videos to movies, the high points are well covered by author L. Jon Wertheim. Chris Abell narrates in an enthusiastic tone, truly embracing the topics. He shifts his voice when quoting people yet doesn’t try to imitate anyone. His approach brings contrasts that enhance the narration. The research and backstories are fascinating, and Abell more than keeps pace, varying his tone across the topics. Wertheim surprises with how much he covers, and Abell projects a genuine interest that makes for enjoyable listening. M.B. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2021 - AudioFile

The author examines a 90-day period in 1984 when sports milestones converged, along with pivotal pop-culture moments. From Michael Jordan’s shoe deal to a historic summer Olympics, from music videos to movies, the high points are well covered by author L. Jon Wertheim. Chris Abell narrates in an enthusiastic tone, truly embracing the topics. He shifts his voice when quoting people yet doesn’t try to imitate anyone. His approach brings contrasts that enhance the narration. The research and backstories are fascinating, and Abell more than keeps pace, varying his tone across the topics. Wertheim surprises with how much he covers, and Abell projects a genuine interest that makes for enjoyable listening. M.B. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2021 - AudioFile