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No Helmets Required: The Remarkable Story of the American All Stars
Sixty years on from 1950s Los Angeles, No Helmets Required tells the story of 20 young American footballers convinced by entrepreneur Mike Dimitro to fly off around the world playing rugby league - a game they'd never even heard of. Miraculously, the American All Stars competed with the best Australia, New Zealand and France had to offer, and shocked the locals with some stunning victories. Yet beyond the media circus and celebrity adventures, the All Stars had fights and flings, suffered tragic illness and farcical court cases. Dimitro's mission to establish rugby league in the United States failed in spectacular fashion - though one All Star went on to win the Super Bowl, one became a Hollywood stuntman and another an Olympic champion. One player founded a church; another was murdered. The emergence of their remarkable story coincides with the USA's first ever qualification for the Rugby League World Cup, in 2013.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 7, 2018
Organising a tour is a difficult business
Although I have little background in rugby league, I've read many of Gavin Willacy's articles in The Guardian and found them interesting and informative. His passion for the subject is evident, and I wish other sports I followed had writers with a historical bent covering them.
The book, although somewhat rambling, is a study of why engagements with stakeholders who have differing interests fail. Although protagonist Mike Dimitro schemed his way into a tour of the Antipodes and made it a fairly successful event, rugby league never managed to grow in America from that point. The reason, although not laid out explicitly in the book, is that no one could agree on the form or shape of the organisation governing the sport in that country, despite numerous valiant attempts.
Although I have little background in rugby league, I've read many of Gavin Willacy's articles in The Guardian and found them interesting and informative. His passion for the subject is evident, and I wish other sports I followed had writers with a historical bent covering them.
The book, although somewhat rambling, is a study of why engagements with stakeholders who have differing interests fail. Although protagonist Mike Dimitro schemed his way into a tour of the Antipodes and made it a fairly successful event, rugby league never managed to grow in America from that point. The reason, although not laid out explicitly in the book, is that no one could agree on the form or shape of the organisation governing the sport in that country, despite numerous valiant attempts.
Displaying 1 of 1 review