Amy Trask

No matter how many teams there were in the NFL at any given time, it always seemed as if there were really one less when it came to league business. The Oakland Raiders (or, for a while, the Los Angeles Raiders) did their own thing, abstained on almost all league votes and generally reflected the will of their owner and spiritual force, Al Davis.

Amy Trask, who served Davis and the Raiders as their CEO, was the NFL’s highest-ranking female executive and a groundbreaker. She tells many fascinating tales about Davis and her own experiences with gender biases (hence the book’s title).

Acceptance wasn’t automatic even in an organization that hired the first Mexican-American coach (Tom Flores, who won two Super Bowls) and the first black head coach (former Raiders great Art Shell). Having been hired to tighten up an admittedly loose ship in terms of business practices, she once had an employee shout at her: “Why don’t you just get the (bleep) out of here, we were fine before you got here and started making changes, and we’ll be fine once you’re gone – and you’ll be gone soon.”

Nah. As tough as any of the guys, Trask persevered in this “man’s world” working for the insanely-focused Davis, whose favorite word was the aforementioned “bleep.” This is not a book for kids, folks.

It is a great read, especially for those who remember the Raiders’ epic battles with the NFL about relocating the franchise, the lawsuits that followed, and the Davis-inspired mantra of “Just win, baby.”

Trask won. Read the book, published by Triumph. You’ll savor the memories and this rare look inside the Raiders.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman