"Fascinating and compulsively readable."-- Wall Street Journal "Tim Marchman " ""Those Guys Have All the Fun "is a "de rigueur "read for sports fans who wonder how a fired hockey announcer used a $9,000 credit card advance to start a broadcasting empire that changed what we think about sports and how we view them." Woody Paige, "Denver Post"" ""Those Guys Have All the Fun" delivers a hell of a narrative...[and] an outstanding work of journalism. Easing interviewees into such comfort that they said what they did on record is an enormous achievement for Miller and Shales." Daniel Roberts, "Fortune "" "Fascinating and compulsively readable." Tim Marchman, "Wall Street Journal"" ."..Perhaps the most anticipated book in sports media history." "Newsday"" "What a story: larger-than-life personalities, salacious gossip, backstabbing and corporate intrigue set against the backdrop of the rise of cable television as an economic and cultural force....The quotes flow seamlessly, and the voices are fresh and vibrant...The depth and breadth of the interviews make it not only the definitive account of ESPN's first three decades but one of the best books yet on how cable shaped American culture."--Andy Lewis, Hollywood Reporter "Those Guys Have All the Fun delivers a hell of a narrative...[and] an outstanding work of journalism. Easing interviewees into such comfort that they said what they did on record is an enormous achievement for Miller and Shales."--Daniel Roberts, Fortune ..".Perhaps the most anticipated book in sports media history."--Newsday "A fascinating little-engine-that-could tale of money, power and the early days of cable television."--Clint O?Connor, Cleveland Plain Dealer "Fascinating and compulsively readable."--Tim Marchman, Wall Street Journal "Packed with entertaining stories of unpleasant people and awful behavior....[Those Guys Have All the Fun is] offers a nuanced look at ESPN, does some top-notch TV-biz reporting on the early days of the cable industry, and offers compelling behind-the-scenes stories...[It is] a serious, impressive, piece of work."--Rob Brunner, Entertainment Weekly "A rollicking glimpse behind the guys and gals who sport around at ESPN, America's sports church. Amen."--Publishers Weekly "This treat for sports fans has a cast of characters that is huge and varied."--Janet Maslin, New York Times "As highly anticipated by sports junkies as a Chicago Cubs championship, [Those Guys Have All the Fun] provides painstaking details on how a nutty idea concocted by a father-son team developed into a brand worth more than the NHL, MLB and NBA combined...Shales and Miller manage to create a page-turning document about the ultimate dysfunctional workplace"--Neil Justin, Minneapolis Star Tribune "A revelation: what goes onto the TV screen turns out to be just the glossy tip of an iceberg of ugly backstage drama. Miller and Shales must be extraordinarily talented interviewers, because their subjects are surprisingly uninhibited and frank and willing to dish and slag....[They are] good at zeroing in on a debacle and getting everybody involved to weigh in...by the end of the book you're amazed at the disconnect between the chaos behind the scenes and the relatively slick end product."--Lev Grossman, Time "Those Guys Have All the Fun is a de rigueur read for sports fans who wonder how a fired hockey announcer used a $9,000 credit card advance to start a broadcasting empire that changed what we think about sports and how we view them."--Woody Paige, Denver Post Praise for THOSE GUYS HAVE ALL THE FUN "Those who work in the business of sport will devour the book...[readers are] granted the kind of behind-the-scenes access that sports media junkies are rarely given..."--Richard Deitsch, SportsIllustrated.com Praise for THOSE GUYS HAVE ALL THE FUN "Those who work in the business of sport will devour the book...[readers are] granted the kind of behind-the-scenes access that sports media junkies are rarely given..." Richard Deitsch, "SportsIllustrated.com"" Praise for THOSE GUYS HAVE ALL THE FUN "Those who work in the business of sport will devour the book...[readers are] granted the kind of behind-the-scenes access that sports media junkies are rarely given..." Richard Deitsch, "SportsIllustrated.com""
ESPN began as an outrageous gamble with a lineup that included Australian Rules Football, rodeo, and a rinky-dinky clip show called Sports Center. Today the empire stretches far beyond television into radio, magazines, mobile phones,the internet, video games and more, while ESPN's personalities have become global superstars to rival the sports icons they cover.
Chris Berman, Robin Roberts, Keith Olbermann, Hannah Storm, Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Stuart Scott, Erin Andrews, Mike Ditka, Bob Knight, and scores of others speak openly about the games, shows, scandals, gambling addictions, bitter rivalries, and sudden suspensions that make up the network's soaring and stormy history. The result is a wild, smart, effervescent story of triumph, genius, ego, and the rise of an empire unlike any television had ever seen.