Michael MacCambridge

Author, 'The Big Time: How the 1970s Transformed Sports in America,' (out Oct. 10), 'America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation,' etc.

[Echoes of War @EchoesofWarYT]

On June 5, 1947, the most consequential American speech of the 20th century was delivered at a college graduation, on purpose, in the most boring way possible.

It lasted about 11 minutes. The speaker mumbled through it. And it was designed so that American newspapers would ignore it.

Some background. George Marshall was the general who built the US Army that won World War II. Churchill called him the "organizer of victory." He was supposed to command D-Day himself, but FDR told him, "I could not sleep at night with you out of the country," and gave the job to Eisenhower instead. Marshall never complained. That was his whole personality.

By 1947 he was Secretary of State, staring at a Europe that was starving. Cities rubble, currencies worthless, that winter the worst in memory. Communist parties were surging in France and Italy. Marshall's conclusion: feed Europe or lose it.

The problem was Congress, where spending billions on recent enemies was politically radioactive. So Marshall played it quiet. He chose a Harvard commencement, gave no advance hype, and let the State Department steer US reporters away from the story.

But his team quietly made sure BRITISH journalists got the text. Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin heard the speech on BBC radio and later said he seized it "with both hands." Europe answered before Washington could argue. The trap was that elegant.

The speech never even contained the words "Marshall Plan." Truman insisted on the name, reasoning that anything called the Truman Plan would die in a Republican Congress. He gave away the credit to save the idea.

America spent about $13 billion, over $130 billion today, rebuilding the continent, and offered it to the Soviets too. Stalin refused and forced half of Europe to refuse with him, drawing the Cold War's economic map in a single decision.

In 1953, Marshall became the first career soldier ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The general won it for groceries, not guns.

[Vahe Gregorian @vgregorian]

How Messi-mania compares and contrasts to the momentous visit of Pelé to KC in 1968: https://t.co/5S9e0YBNek

[Kopoholic @TheKopoholic]

This night with BBC commentary. My word.

[Michael MacCambridge @MacCambridge]

One of my favorite features of any World Cup.

[Stephen M. D. Kafeero @sdkafeero]

This piece by @guardian is a masterclass in why old-school journalism will never die. You could easily lose 3 hours in this and still want more. https://t.co/P6xxOOo518

[Brad Henson Productions @BradHensonPro]

The moment when Mahomes walked out in overtime on The Franchise, and Sirius started to play.  It gave me all the chills of watching Jordan growing up. Patrick Mahomes is the Michael Jordan of the NFL! �

[CorkCity1185 @1185City]

'The Kopites of Liverpool' Brilliant 1974 BBC documentary on the fans that inhabit the Kop End terrace at Liverpool FC

[esther ❦ @cactosazuis]

“bob dylan is a figure that arises every three or four hundred years who represents and embodies all the finest aspirations of the human heart. we are privileged to be in the company of one of the greatest hearts that have spoken of the heart in america for a long, long time”

[Melanie Young 🔧 @FreewheelinMY]

The Nobel laureate of rock & roll is 85 today. If you see him, say hello . . . and toast him once for me.

Happy birthday, Bob Dylan, and many, many more!

[The Anfield Wrap @TheAnfieldWrap]

"It's really funny because half-time, massive, massive argument in the dressing room, [between] Sadio Mane and Robbo... playing on the same wing."

"It was a miscommunication!"

One Of Us: Becoming Andy Robertson, free to watch on The Anfield Wrap Youtube and App 📺

[PastOurPrime @pastourprime50]

If you grew up in the 70's you knew that Julius Erving was simply too good to be true. Dr. J. was the greatest player you had never seen explains Michael MacCambridge, author of The Franchise: A History of Sports Illustrated Magazine.
#76ers #NBA #sports #DrJ #sportsillustrated #basketballhalloffame #basketballislife #basketballplayer @MacCambridge

https://t.co/YPwKCvorIn

[Michael MacCambridge @MacCambridge]

Don’t believe the hype about “teaching a class.” But this was a fun conversation about SI and its unique place in American cultural history. Enjoyed conversing with the @pastourprime tribunal.

[PastOurPrime @pastourprime50]

The May 17, 1976 issue of @SInow is the perfect time capsule for Past Our Prime, capturing the sports world exactly 50 years ago through unforgettable stories and personalities. Headlined by Julius Erving on the cover, the issue showcased “Dr. J” at the peak of his ABA brilliance with the New York @BrooklynNets as the league headed towards extinction and its historic merger with the @NBA . But the magazine also stretched far beyond basketball, with features on the @NHLFlyers Reggie Leach’s playoff explosion, @atptour Björn Borg’s rivalry with Guillermo Vilas, @MLB baseball quirks, @LPGA golf drama, and even Japanese baseball culture. It’s exactly the kind of rich, entertaining snapshot of sports history that we love revisiting each week.

On this week’s episode of @pastourprime50 , we jumped into that May 17, 1976 issue with author Michael MacCambridge who joined us to discuss his acclaimed book The Franchise: A History of Sports Illustrated Magazine. He took us behind the scenes of how SI rose from near failure in the 1950s to become the gold standard of sports journalism, blending deep reporting, cultural insight, and unforgettable storytelling. MacCambridge explored the magazine’s internal battles, larger-than-life personalities, and its profound influence on how America viewed sports for decades. His book is both a love letter and a clear-eyed history of one of the most important publications of the 20th century.

@MacCambridge tells us how as a child in 1976, his favorite player was Dr. J. despite the fact he had never seen him play. Not in person. Not on TV. Only through the beautiful shots and words of SI. MacCambridge recalls how SI was one of the first magazines to implement color phots and how Henry Luce and Andre Andre Laguerre took an idea and turned it into a cultural phenomenon. He tells us how Sports Illustrated lost money its first 10 years in business before they started to turn the corner. He compares being on the cover of SI to a musician being on the cover of @RollingStone and he tells us how “a case can be made Julius Erving was the last truly mythic figure in American Sports.

https://t.co/Br8UjysMXk...

MacCambridsge is a history professor and his subject is Sports Illustrated and he’s teaching a class this week on Past Our Prime. Get full credit by downloading and listening and reviewing wherever you get your podcasts.

[Michael MacCambridge @MacCambridge]

Thanks for the review. And grateful ‘America’s Game’ is 22 and still in print.

[BrainyBallers @BrainyBallers]

America's Game by @MacCambridge gets the first 100.0 SPS (@BrainySPS) grade in the Brainy Bookshelf.

No book can - nor should - beat reading about the likes of Paul Brown and Vince Lombardi plus others from that era (Bert Bell, Lamar Hunt, Al Davis, etc.) in the same room and the ensuing conversations and results from those meetings.

Who knew Vince Lombardi isn't the Lombardi we all know him as if he doesn't convert on a Pete Carroll style miscall in the Ice Bowl just because his players were cold and wanted to go home?

Next book: The Essential Smart Football by Chris B. Brown (@SmartFootball)

https://t.co/NtM6BOhhqB

[Mike Greenberg @Espngreeny]

What he said.

[Kopoholic @TheKopoholic]

🚨🚨| Netflix announces a new documentary on Liverpool’s unforgettable 2005 comeback:

‘Liverpool: The Istanbul Miracle’

Releasing Tuesday, May 19, 2026. �

[عمرو @bt3]

مقطع عظيم جدًا وفكرة مذهلة..

قناة سكاي سبورت تقوم بـعرض كلام عدة أساطير ونجوم عن محمد صلاح لمنحه وداعية وتكريم لائق به ♥️🇪🇬

يورغن كلوب
بيب غوارديولا
ايرلينغ هالاند
ديكلان رايس
آندي روبرتسون
ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد
إيدين هازارد
هندرسون
آيان راش https://t.co/kC90ds2VC5

[Vahe Gregorian @vgregorian]

Happy Jackie Robinson Day, commemorating the monumental event set in motion from his time as a Kansas City Monarch (from 2020): https://t.co/kS93uykzvX

[Michael MacCambridge @MacCambridge]

@roberthilburn Nick Lowe, if you please.