Espionage in the NFL

Cover to Spies on the Sidelines

The National Football League is the largest U.S. professional sport. Its television ratings are the biggest among professional sports.

And, according to a new book, there’s some espionage involved.

Here’s a description:

Author Kevin Bryant tackles the subject of spying in the NFL In his new non-fiction book, Spies on the Sidelines: The High-Stakes World of NFL Espionage.

Bryant discusses what happens when the art of espionage and the National Football League (NFL) collide. He explores the multitude of collection techniques that NFL teams use to spy on their opponents, as well as the defensive countermeasures utilized to defend against these.

Additionally, the book spans the entire history of the league and contains anecdotes from every NFL team. Undoubtedly, you are still wondering what types of spying really go in the NFL, so here is a passage from the book that takes you behind the scenes to explore a part of professional football that has remained in the shadows until now.

*While the phrase “three-letter agency” is a euphemism for American spook organizations such as the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and the NSA (National Security Agency), the NFL is a three-letter agency in its own right.

“Behind the game-day action of the NFL is a world much like the cloak-and-dagger realm of American intelligence agencies.

“The NFL has its own history filled with espionage-related stories that sound like something right out of the Cold War: spies disguised as reporters, military officers, and priests and even a dwarf playing the role of a baby being pushed in a stroller.”

The New England Patriots, Spygate, and Deflategate are discussed at length in the book, The author says Spies on the Sidelines coveres more topics.

“Every NFL organization gathers information about their opponents hoping to gain an advantage,” Bryant said. “It happens nonstop, 365 days a year. This is the story of the game behind the game. Just like battles and wars are won and lost with good intelligence, NFL games, even Super Bowls are often decided in the same fashion.”

Spies on the Sidelines will be released on 13 July 2022 in hardback, e-book, and audiobook formats. It is currently available for preorder. It can be ordered through Amazon or visit the book’s website at https://www.spiesonthesidelines.com to see additional purchase options.

Bryant is an Army veteran with over 20 years of experience safeguarding and gathering information for the Department of Defense, according to a bio on Amazon.