[Mark Leibovich is the chief national correspondent for The New York Times Magazine. Based in Washington, he specializes in national politics, media and profiles of figures in public life. He is the recipient of the of the National Magazine Award for profile writing, and the author of This Town and Citizens of the Green Room. Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times (Penguin Press) is a merciless probing of America's biggest cultural force, pro football. Like millions of Americans, Mark Leibovich has spent more of his life than he'd care to admit tuned into pro football. Leibovich kept his obsession relatively private. Still, every now and then Leibovich would reach out to Tom Brady to gauge his willingness to subject himself to a profile in the New York Times Magazine. To his surprise, Brady returned the call. So began a four-year odyssey that has taken Mark Leibovich deeper inside the NFL than anyone has gone before. Ultimately, this is a chronicle of what may come to be seen as "peak football," but also the moment when it all began to turn. Big Game is a journey through an epic storm. Pro football, this hilarious and enthralling book proves, may not be the sport America needs, but it is most definitely the sport we deserve./>