Instagram Story Save

Weirdly after my @pablotorrefindsout interview, Amazon suddenly listed my book as out of stock, despite being a Top 15 selection.Regardless, what a great time to promote three great local bookshops @booksandbooks @baldwinandcompany and @wonderlandbookstagram who have plenty of signed copies.I knew ESPN hated it but WTF!!!!

Ex-NFLPA leader @demauricesmith on the Lamar Jackson collusion case:

“If they offered $1 more to him, they could have the best player in the National Football League. Not only did no team — not one — make an offer to Lamar Jackson, I watched league and team executives give press conferences: ‘You know what? I’m not really interested in him.’”

“Collusion means that you are treating people as a piece of property and absolutely stifling their freedom.”

—ex-NFLPA Executive Director @demauricesmith on his reaction to learning of the “secret agreement” between the NFL and the players’ union

Tuned into the Pablo Torre show today to talk about Turf Wars: The Fight for the Soul of America’s Game — but the real story is bigger than football.

TURF WARS is the story of a journey that began in law school, moved through years as a prosecutor and law partner, and exploded into public view during my years leading battles inside the NFL.

The book takes you inside the machinery behind the Draft, the season, and the Super Bowl — past the spectacle they only want you to see and far beyond the glitz where most fans want to live - and into one of the largest and most powerful businesses in America.

A business controlled by a consortium of billionaire owners armed with the best elite law firms, lobbyists, PR strategists, consulting firms and political influence reaching from boardrooms to Congress and all the way to the Presidency.

For me, standing across the table from that power was A defining chapter of my career but not THE defining chapter.
It was never intended to be the crescendo.

The next chapter is coming.

A new platform built from the combined lessons of law, business, leadership, crisis, negotiation, and power.

A new turf. Same war.Same commitment to delivering my absolute best.

Watch the Pablo Torre conversation if you want to know the strategy. Read Turf Wars: The Fight for the Soul of America’s Game if you want to the know the complexity of the game.And stay tuned if you want to know the full story.

“Their job means that they’re standing in oncoming traffic and getting hit by cars and busses. And when they break their legs, or when they have concussions, or when they unfortunately might develop CTE — none of that is a f***ing accident.”

—Former NFLPA boss @demauricesmith talks secret documents and NFL collusion with @pstorre

“Their job means that they’re standing in oncoming traffic and getting hit by cars and busses. And when they break their legs, or when they have concussions, or when they unfortunately might develop CTE — none of that is a f***ing accident.”

—Former NFLPA boss @demauricesmith talks secret documents and NFL collusion with @pstorre

“Their job means that they’re standing in oncoming traffic and getting hit by cars and busses. And when they break their legs, or when they have concussions, or when they unfortunately might develop CTE — none of that is a f***ing accident.”

—Former NFLPA boss @demauricesmith talks secret documents and NFL collusion with @pstorre

“Their job means that they’re standing in oncoming traffic and getting hit by cars and busses. And when they break their legs, or when they have concussions, or when they unfortunately might develop CTE — none of that is a f***ing accident.”

—Former NFLPA boss @demauricesmith talks secret documents and NFL collusion with @pstorre

The thing about good reporting is that you don’t have to agree with all of it, rather you must respect the effort, integrity and skill with which an investigative journalist employs for the story.Obviously, there has been a tremendous amount of coverage on the NFLPA since I left three years ago and today completes the cycle of interviews with three people Mike Florio @profootballtalk, @dvannattaj who have done a fantastic job of journalism - not just sports journalism.I’m looking forward to spending some time today with Pablo Torre @pablotorrefindsout talking about my book Turf Wars, the history of sports labor unions, the significance of the Antitrust Act in the labor movement and the role of unions in this country. See you there.

The thing about good reporting is that you don’t have to agree with all of it, rather you must respect the effort, integrity and skill with which an investigative journalist employs for the story.Obviously, there has been a tremendous amount of coverage on the NFLPA since I left three years ago and today completes the cycle of interviews with three people Mike Florio @profootballtalk, @dvannattaj who have done a fantastic job of journalism - not just sports journalism.I’m looking forward to spending some time today with Pablo Torre @pablotorrefindsout talking about my book Turf Wars, the history of sports labor unions, the significance of the Antitrust Act in the labor movement and the role of unions in this country. See you there.

The thing about good reporting is that you don’t have to agree with all of it, rather you must respect the effort, integrity and skill with which an investigative journalist employs for the story.Obviously, there has been a tremendous amount of coverage on the NFLPA since I left three years ago and today completes the cycle of interviews with three people Mike Florio @profootballtalk, @dvannattaj who have done a fantastic job of journalism - not just sports journalism.I’m looking forward to spending some time today with Pablo Torre @pablotorrefindsout talking about my book Turf Wars, the history of sports labor unions, the significance of the Antitrust Act in the labor movement and the role of unions in this country. See you there.

The thing about good reporting is that you don’t have to agree with all of it, rather you must respect the effort, integrity and skill with which an investigative journalist employs for the story.Obviously, there has been a tremendous amount of coverage on the NFLPA since I left three years ago and today completes the cycle of interviews with three people Mike Florio @profootballtalk, @dvannattaj who have done a fantastic job of journalism - not just sports journalism.I’m looking forward to spending some time today with Pablo Torre @pablotorrefindsout talking about my book Turf Wars, the history of sports labor unions, the significance of the Antitrust Act in the labor movement and the role of unions in this country. See you there.

The thing about good reporting is that you don’t have to agree with all of it, rather you must respect the effort, integrity and skill with which an investigative journalist employs for the story.Obviously, there has been a tremendous amount of coverage on the NFLPA since I left three years ago and today completes the cycle of interviews with three people Mike Florio @profootballtalk, @dvannattaj who have done a fantastic job of journalism - not just sports journalism.I’m looking forward to spending some time today with Pablo Torre @pablotorrefindsout talking about my book Turf Wars, the history of sports labor unions, the significance of the Antitrust Act in the labor movement and the role of unions in this country. See you there.

This was the most intimate book event I’ve had on the tour @baldwinandcompany and sharing some time with the St Augustine High School Football team. Faith, Football, Power and Race….its not just my book Turf Wars, it’s literally a definition of New Orleans.Thank you @ablackmanreading, the staff at @baldwinandcompany and of course NOLA!

Last night at Baldwin & Co., @baldwinandcompanysomething rare took place—not just an author talk, but a masterclass in power, resilience, and the unseen machinery of American sports. We had the honor of hosting DeMaurice Smith, @demauricesmiththe fearless legal architect who spent nearly 15 years standing toe-to-toe with the most powerful machine in sports—the NFL. As Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, he didn’t just witness history—he shaped it: battling billionaire owners, navigating brutal labor wars, leading players through the explosive 2011 lockout, and securing agreements that redefined the future of football.

In an intimate and powerful evening, he first met privately with the St. Augustine High School football team, pouring into the next generation with wisdom rarely shared at that level, before taking the stage to deliver an author talk that was as revealing as it was riveting—filled with deeply personal, never-before-told stories about owners, coaches, and players that left the room hanging on every word.

If you missed it, you missed a moment—but not the opportunity: subscribe to our YouTube channel, Baldwin & Co. Author Talks, and click the link in our bio to experience it for yourself.

#NFL #SportsBusiness #Leadership #Motivation #YouTube

Last night at Baldwin & Co., @baldwinandcompanysomething rare took place—not just an author talk, but a masterclass in power, resilience, and the unseen machinery of American sports. We had the honor of hosting DeMaurice Smith, @demauricesmiththe fearless legal architect who spent nearly 15 years standing toe-to-toe with the most powerful machine in sports—the NFL. As Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, he didn’t just witness history—he shaped it: battling billionaire owners, navigating brutal labor wars, leading players through the explosive 2011 lockout, and securing agreements that redefined the future of football.

In an intimate and powerful evening, he first met privately with the St. Augustine High School football team, pouring into the next generation with wisdom rarely shared at that level, before taking the stage to deliver an author talk that was as revealing as it was riveting—filled with deeply personal, never-before-told stories about owners, coaches, and players that left the room hanging on every word.

If you missed it, you missed a moment—but not the opportunity: subscribe to our YouTube channel, Baldwin & Co. Author Talks, and click the link in our bio to experience it for yourself.

#NFL #SportsBusiness #Leadership #Motivation #YouTube

Last night at Baldwin & Co., @baldwinandcompanysomething rare took place—not just an author talk, but a masterclass in power, resilience, and the unseen machinery of American sports. We had the honor of hosting DeMaurice Smith, @demauricesmiththe fearless legal architect who spent nearly 15 years standing toe-to-toe with the most powerful machine in sports—the NFL. As Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, he didn’t just witness history—he shaped it: battling billionaire owners, navigating brutal labor wars, leading players through the explosive 2011 lockout, and securing agreements that redefined the future of football.

In an intimate and powerful evening, he first met privately with the St. Augustine High School football team, pouring into the next generation with wisdom rarely shared at that level, before taking the stage to deliver an author talk that was as revealing as it was riveting—filled with deeply personal, never-before-told stories about owners, coaches, and players that left the room hanging on every word.

If you missed it, you missed a moment—but not the opportunity: subscribe to our YouTube channel, Baldwin & Co. Author Talks, and click the link in our bio to experience it for yourself.

#NFL #SportsBusiness #Leadership #Motivation #YouTube

Last night at Baldwin & Co., @baldwinandcompanysomething rare took place—not just an author talk, but a masterclass in power, resilience, and the unseen machinery of American sports. We had the honor of hosting DeMaurice Smith, @demauricesmiththe fearless legal architect who spent nearly 15 years standing toe-to-toe with the most powerful machine in sports—the NFL. As Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, he didn’t just witness history—he shaped it: battling billionaire owners, navigating brutal labor wars, leading players through the explosive 2011 lockout, and securing agreements that redefined the future of football.

In an intimate and powerful evening, he first met privately with the St. Augustine High School football team, pouring into the next generation with wisdom rarely shared at that level, before taking the stage to deliver an author talk that was as revealing as it was riveting—filled with deeply personal, never-before-told stories about owners, coaches, and players that left the room hanging on every word.

If you missed it, you missed a moment—but not the opportunity: subscribe to our YouTube channel, Baldwin & Co. Author Talks, and click the link in our bio to experience it for yourself.

#NFL #SportsBusiness #Leadership #Motivation #YouTube

Last night at Baldwin & Co., @baldwinandcompanysomething rare took place—not just an author talk, but a masterclass in power, resilience, and the unseen machinery of American sports. We had the honor of hosting DeMaurice Smith, @demauricesmiththe fearless legal architect who spent nearly 15 years standing toe-to-toe with the most powerful machine in sports—the NFL. As Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, he didn’t just witness history—he shaped it: battling billionaire owners, navigating brutal labor wars, leading players through the explosive 2011 lockout, and securing agreements that redefined the future of football.

In an intimate and powerful evening, he first met privately with the St. Augustine High School football team, pouring into the next generation with wisdom rarely shared at that level, before taking the stage to deliver an author talk that was as revealing as it was riveting—filled with deeply personal, never-before-told stories about owners, coaches, and players that left the room hanging on every word.

If you missed it, you missed a moment—but not the opportunity: subscribe to our YouTube channel, Baldwin & Co. Author Talks, and click the link in our bio to experience it for yourself.

#NFL #SportsBusiness #Leadership #Motivation #YouTube

Last night at Baldwin & Co., @baldwinandcompanysomething rare took place—not just an author talk, but a masterclass in power, resilience, and the unseen machinery of American sports. We had the honor of hosting DeMaurice Smith, @demauricesmiththe fearless legal architect who spent nearly 15 years standing toe-to-toe with the most powerful machine in sports—the NFL. As Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, he didn’t just witness history—he shaped it: battling billionaire owners, navigating brutal labor wars, leading players through the explosive 2011 lockout, and securing agreements that redefined the future of football.

In an intimate and powerful evening, he first met privately with the St. Augustine High School football team, pouring into the next generation with wisdom rarely shared at that level, before taking the stage to deliver an author talk that was as revealing as it was riveting—filled with deeply personal, never-before-told stories about owners, coaches, and players that left the room hanging on every word.

If you missed it, you missed a moment—but not the opportunity: subscribe to our YouTube channel, Baldwin & Co. Author Talks, and click the link in our bio to experience it for yourself.

#NFL #SportsBusiness #Leadership #Motivation #YouTube

I wrote Turf Wars at a time when this country is reeling from an unprecedented, coordinated attack on our rights—when we watch decision-makers bend to hegemony and duck accountability.

I fought the largest concentration of billionaire wealth in this country and saw, up close, how entertainment is used as both mallet and method when it comes to effectuating their will against yours.
ESPN and the networks are used the same way others use news platforms.

So when you read about athletes in this book—understand this:
you’re reading about yourselves.You may think you have commonality with the powerful - you don’t.

For better—and mostly for worse—the NFL, over 100 years, has become America’s cultural epicenter.
Race. Inequality. Misogyny. Workers’ rights. Even the fragile workings of democracy.
It all plays out while we’re being entertained and we facilitate the largest “for-profit socialism” in the world.They socialize their cost through taxpayers and privatize their wealth while we all clap.

It is Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death in real time.
We don’t lose because of an Orwellian conspiracy to destroy knowledge and history.
We lose because no one cares enough to protect it.

I’ve learned (again): power despises critique—especially when it comes from a person of color.

That’s why Turf Wars is the book the NFL, ESPN and its media ecosystem would rather you not read.
It exposes the system for what it is.
It shows you how power is protected.
It takes you in the room to go face-to-face with the same people who are making decisions that will impact the lives of your children.The reality: nearly all of them are utterly indifferent to your existence.

That system is America.

The truth is simple:
If I didn’t write this book, no one would—because no one else could.

It’s NOT a football book. It’s a book I wanted James Baldwin to love.

See you in NOLA.

#TurfWars #NFL #Power #Leadership #Democracy Media Labor Truth

THE NFL HAS A DIRTY SECRET. And the man who sat closest to the power is coming to Baldwin & Co. to talk about it.

On April 9th at 6PM, DeMaurice Smith @demauricesmith — former Executive Director of the NFL Players Association — pulls back the curtain on the greed, politics, race, labor, and power battles behind America’s most beloved sport.
This is not just a book talk.

This is a live conversation about what Black athletes have really had to survive inside one of the richest institutions in America.

If you love football, sports culture, Black power, labor politics, or simply hearing the truth from someone who lived it — you need to be in this room.
Some conversations are entertainment.

This one is revelation.

📍 Baldwin & Co.
🗓 April 9
⏰ 6PM
🎟 Tickets available now

Sponsored by @credithuman @baldwinco.foundation

#football #turfwars #baldwinandco #nfl #neworleans

Everything … EVERYTHING the players have is the result of confrontation.A $5B free agency period and no one thanks John Mackey, From the $2.5B in benefits to players this year to the $12B in salary.It’s always a fight…. Turf Wars!Read the book … it’s not always pretty but it’s true. And anyone who believes otherwise is ignorant of the history that is there to read or just plain foolish.

Leadership means staying above the fray, eschewing the petty and personal, taking the bullets by the weak minded and the soft, enduring the “brilliant” wisdom of the armchair quarterbacks but having the confidence in your plan and your real team.And knowing in that same moment, that absolutely none of your detractors will say a thingor even be relevant when they are proven wrong.Ok and maybe just allowing yourself to take a little shot at the end on behalf of the dozens of people who stood with you #turfwarsbook