One Night, Two Teams by Steve Travers #bookreview #football

One Night, Two Teams 
by Steve Travers 
(2007 Taylor Trade Publishing)

Are you a football fan? If not, are you interested in the history of racial integration in the U.S. South? How about the relationship between famous Alabama Coach Bear Bryant and the work of Dr. Martin Luther King? And what about the connection of Plato and Socrates to the football rivalry of Southern California (USC) and Alabama?

Finally, have you ever given thought to the relationship between Christianity, capitalism, and sports?

I am not a football, but I am fascinated with each of these other subjects. My son and daughter-in-law are huge football fans, for Oklahoma and USC respectively. My son thought I would enjoy One Night, Two Teams. As always, he was spot on!

It is one of the best books I have read in a long time, and I read a lot. It tells the story of the pivotal contest between USC and Alabama to open the 1970 football season at Legion Field in Birmingham. The game was added by NCAA as an extra 11th game. Bear Bryant and Jim McKay, the coaches and close friends, used the opportunity as a pivot in history. Travers puts a single football game played in September 1970 into a context of then evolving religious (Christianity), historical, economic, political and philosophical, social, and athletic trends. The result is a readable and thought-provoking masterpiece.

One Night, Two Teams is a story of triumph and evolution, love for colleagues and players alike. I found it impossible to read without stopping to think of my own thoughts on the vast range of subjects discussed.

Travers has California roots and connections, but he did a through process of interviewing and obtaining written recollections of the critical events from a broad range of players, coaches, writers, and others on both sidelines.

In its 27 chapters, One Night, Two Teams puts a mere football game into context by addressing the philosophical base of slavery, Christian idealism, the U.S. Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, life in California vs. Alabama in those years (the contrast between California openness and Governor George Wallace standing in the doors of the University of Alabama (underneath Bear Bryant’s office windows) is stunning, even if you did not live through it), and, of course, the game itself and its aftermath of integrating Southern football. 

Ultimately, One Night, Two Teams is about self-determination, integration, and economic progress. It provides a fine blueprint for the immigration debate that continues to rage in Washington. The parallels are interesting. 

I hope I have tickled your interest. This one is a wonderful, thought-provoking, and eye-opening read whether you are a football fan or not. I dare you to read it and not think about your own place in life.

Warms, Cym