Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton
Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton by Jeff Pearlman
24.95
The definitive biography of Chicago Bears
superstar Walter Payton.
In the twelve years since his death from cancer, Walter Payton’s
legend has only grown in magnitude. The Hall of Fame running back, who broke
Jim Brown’s all-time NFL rushing mark, appeared in nine Pro Bowls, won a Super
Bowl ring with the 1985 Chicago Bears, and is still revered throughout the
sporting landscape. Payton has become the lasting image of what’s great about
football. Yet in mindlessly canonizing the man simply known as “Sweetness,” we
have missed the opportunity to understand—and appreciate—one of the most
uniquely complex and enigmatic superstars in the history of American sports.
No longer.
Based on meticulous research and interviews with nearly seven hundred
family members, friends, teammates, and various associates, Sweetness delivers an unforgettable portrait of
a man who lived his life just like he played the game: at full speed. From his
childhood in segregated Mississippi, to Chicago, where Payton emerged from
athlete to icon as he broke the NFL’s all-time rushing record and led the Bears
to Super Bowl glory; to his darker moments battling depression and adjusting to
life after football, Sweetness is an eloquently written, revelatory
saga of a complex, guarded superstar who died far too young.