“Boys Will Be Boys” Review

Boys Will Be Boys is a very interesting look at the Cowboys who won three Super Bowls in the early ’90s, despite their complete lack of discipline and self restraint. Pearlman wisely follows the stories of Charles Haley and Michael Irvin, showing how being dysfunctional in life doesn’t necessarily translate into dysfunctionality on the field. The Cowboys played with a kind of bravado that only America’s Team could play with, and they won a hell of a lot of games.

The best thing about this book are the insane stories about the Cowboys. There is the story of Michael Irvin stabbing a teammate with a pair of barber scissors. Another story is about a few teammates buying a house in a suburban neighborhood called the “White House”, used to do drugs and have sex with women. The stories go on and on, and they are always interesting.

Pearlman did a great job researching this book, and doesn’t let anyone off the hook. He goes into great detail on Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson’s good and bad sides. He doesn’t pull any punches but also doesn’t take any cheap shots, unlike the despicable journalist known as Skip Bayless.

I highly recommend reading this book if you are a football fan. It shows how a team can still compete while having a myriad of problems. The entire book is fascinating and draws a surprising amount of parallels with the Cowboys of 2008.