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You have found the online home of John Eisenberg, the Baltimore-based author, retired sports columnist and speaker. This is the place to learn about John and his books, buy his books and contact him about his writing, Baltimore sports, a speaking engagement or anything you want to talk to him about.

On September 5, 2023, John's latest (and eleventh overall) book was published! The title is Rocket Men: The Black Quarterbacks Who Revolutionized Pro Football. Three years in the making and fueled by new interviews with pioneers such as James Harris, Warren Moon and Doug Williams, it is an unflinching look at the racial history of the quarterback position in the pros -- the saddest of tales for many years when Black quarterbacks were denied by instituional racism and sterotype, followed by the soaring success in recent years of superstars such as Cam Newton, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.

Rocket Men is published by Basic Books, which in 2018 also published John's landmark football history book The League: How Five Rivals Created the NFL and Launched a Sports Empire. The paperback version of The League, released in October 2019, has consistently ranked among Amazon's bestselling books about football and sports history throughout 2022 and 2023. Early reviews of Rocket Men suggest it might reach the same lofty status. Publisher's Weekly calls it "insightful" and "incisive" and labels it a "scathing indictment of the pro leagues." Kirkus Reviews calls it "a vigorously told story of the battle for equity on the gridiron, a battle that is still playing out."

John's previous book topics include the history of the Baltimore Orioles, his experience as a young fan of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1960s, the tragic breakdown of the horse Barbaro, and an outrageous North-South horse race that captivated the nation in 1823. A native Texan, John graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and began his writing career at the now-defunct Dallas Times Herald in 1979 before joining the staff of The Baltimore Sun in 1984. He covered major sports events such as the Super Bowl, World Series, Kentucky Derby, Final Four, Masters, Olympics, Wimbledon and soccer’s World Cup -- multiple times in all cases. Meanwhile, he wrote his first book in 1996, and his career in publishing continues! No matter if he is writing about a famous football coach, a heartbroken horse racing jockey, or the big play from Sunday's game, John is known for unearthing original stories and bringing them to life with his clear-eyed analysis and lively narrative style.

Come on in, check out his work -- and enjoy.