Peter King's The Game
Sports · Heat 2.3 / 10 · 5 shows · 1h 2m airtime
Peter King released his memoir The Game on October 13, 2026, and discussed it that day with Colin Cowherd. The 192,000-word book, cut from 30,000 more and recorded as an audiobook by King over nine days, was written to answer open questions from his career, including why Bill Walsh almost cracked and why Reggie White chose Green Bay. The segments surface its disclosures: Tagliabue crying in his office five days after 9/11, Walsh throwing a wine glass that cut Carmen Policy's lip before the 1988 season, and a chapter on Ann McKee in which King says a 17th and 18th game ravage players' brains about 6% more. He wants 16 NFL games overseas a year but calls a franchise abroad…
How 5 podcasts covered it
- The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-13 (3:43 to 5:15)
Explains why he wrote the 192,000-word book
King himself explains why he wrote the book: 192,000 words, and a set of career-long questions he went back to answer, including why Bill Walsh almost cracked in his last year and why Reggie White chose Green Bay. The first on-the-record word from the author rather than the interviewer.
New angle: The book runs 192,000 words and was written to answer open questions from his career, including why Bill Walsh almost cracked and why Reggie White chose Green Bay. - The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-13 (5:15 to 6:49)
Reads Tagliabue's fear after 9/11
King reads a chapter from The Game about Paul Tagliabue's fear of a second, possibly nuclear, attack five days after 9/11, and Dan ribs him for selling a football book with a nuclear bomb at JFK. A first-hand scene from the book that earlier coverage of the release did not touch.
New angle: Five days after 9/11, Tagliabue was crying in his office, fearing a second, possibly nuclear, attack. - The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-13 (6:55 to 8:57)
Reads the 1988 49ers wine glass chapter
King reads a chapter from The Game on the 1988 49ers: Walsh and DeBartolo feuding, Carmen Policy's peacemaking, and the wine glass that cut Policy's lip. It puts the Walsh story on the record in detail rather than as a one-line tease.
New angle: Walsh threw a wine glass that ricocheted and cut Carmen Policy's lip before the 1988 season. - The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-13 (8:57 to 10:55)
Adds King's CTE chapter and McKee praise
King, in the same release-day interview, goes to the book's CTE chapter: he calls Ann McKee the conscience of the NFL and says the league should listen to her publicly, and ties his opposition to a 17th and 18th game to brain risk.
New angle: King's book has a chapter on Ann McKee, and he says a 17th and 18th game ravage players' brains about 6% more. - The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-13 (10:42 to 13:20)
Reports King wants 16 games overseas
Turns from the book to King's own view on the NFL abroad: he wants 16 games overseas a year but now calls a London or German franchise crazy, citing the Munich game and Tom Brady's reaction to it.
New angle: King wants 16 NFL games overseas every year but now opposes a franchise abroad, calling it crazy. - The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-13 (0:26 to 15:34)
Interviews King on the anecdotes behind the book
King's first interview on release day for The Game, walking through the access he had - 45 minutes with Joe Montana at 49ers camp - and the anecdotes behind it: Manning's tanning bed and water weight before the combine photo, Taylor's four sacks after Bobby Knight's challenge, Belichick's parents. Anecdote-driven promotion of the book rather than a news development.
New angle: Peter King's book The Game was released the day of the interview. - The Rich Eisen Show, 2026-10-15 (22:34 to 28:05)
Details the 2009 calendar wheel
King in studio walks through two chapters of The Game: the 2009 'calendar wheel' that made the NFL a year-round business, and the 1988 49ers staff meeting where Mike Holmgren told Walsh he was the problem and Walsh picked Montana. The calendar wheel is a disclosure the earlier segments did not carry.
New angle: In 2009 the NFL built a circular year-round calendar, the 'calendar wheel', to fill late June and early July. - The Rich Eisen Show, 2026-10-15 (28:10 to 31:32)
Tells Madden stories from the book tour
King tells Madden stories from the book tour: the water-bottle rule on the bus from Pleasanton to Manhattan, Madden's curiosity on I-80, the bocce fundraiser with Mariucci, the deck of cards in the casket. Anecdote, not a disclosure. - The Rich Eisen Show, 2026-10-15 (31:32 to 37:38)
Places Sabol among top 20 NFL figures
King explains why he added a Steve Sabol chapter, telling the story of Sabol filming Lombardi at the Ice Bowl and at Lombardi's New Year's party, and refusing to put the camera away. Places Sabol in his top 20 most important NFL figures.
New angle: King ranks Steve Sabol in his top 20 most important people in NFL history. - The Rich Eisen Show, 2026-10-15 (37:46 to 40:32)
Ranks Paul Brown above Belichick
King makes the historical case from his book: Paul Brown over Belichick as the greatest coach, with the 1950 Browns-Eagles result and Brown's innovations - the 40-yard dash, the taxi squad, and Walsh scripting opening plays under him.
New angle: King ranks Paul Brown above Bill Belichick as the greatest coach, with George Halas first on his list. - The Rich Eisen Show, 2026-10-15 (42:12 to 47:04)
Recounts Payton's Saturday variety show
King tells Parcells-era stories from his Newsday years, then reads from the book's Imagination chapter: Payton runs a Saturday variety show co-hosted by Malcolm Roach and talks to Parcells once a week.
New angle: Sean Payton holds a Saturday team-meeting variety show co-hosted by defensive tackle Malcolm Roach and talks to Bill Parcells once a week. - PTI, 2026-10-16 (13:07 to 19:16)
Interviews King on snap counts and CTE
Peter King's book interview turns to the league's calendar wheel and its embrace of betting, then to his advice for Goodell: stop adding games. He argues via a snap-count comparison that seasons are not created equal and that repetitive head trauma, not just concussions, drives CTE.
New angle: Creed Humphrey played 630 more snaps in 2021 than Ray Mansfield played in 1971. - Adam Carolla Show, 2026-10-19 (2:33 to 5:19)
Introduces the book and its word count
Introduces Peter King and his book The Game: 550-something pages, 192,000 words after a 30,000-word cut, and an audiobook he recorded himself over nine days. Mostly banter about children's books and King's voice.
New angle: King's book The Game runs 192,000 words after a 30,000-word cut, and he recorded the audiobook himself over nine days. - Adam Carolla Show, 2026-10-19 (17:20 to 18:38)
Reads the Super Bowl chapter aloud
King reads from the book's Super Bowl chapter: how Foles and Pederson put 41 points on Belichick and Brady, framed by Mike Shanahan's line that there is a way to win every game. It is a taste of the book's contents, not a new development about it. - Adam Carolla Show, 2026-10-19 (21:22 to 23:25)
Walks through the book's officiating chapter
King walks through the 2013 chapter of The Game, built on a day with back judge Dino Paganelli in Wyoming, Michigan: a widowed single father and social studies teacher who does about three hours of game homework at night. Uses it to argue fans should accept officiating imperfection.
New angle: The book's 2013 chapter follows back judge Dino Paganelli, a widowed single father and teacher who does about three hours of game homework a night. - The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-30 (6:43 to 9:26)
Recalls fact-checking King at his first job
Chad Millman's personal tribute to King: his first job out of college was fact-checking King, who later wrote him an apartment recommendation letter. Runs through the book's familiar set pieces - Walsh, Deion, Montana versus Young - without adding anything to the record.