First published 2011
ESPN started in 1979 as a wild scheme to broadcast Connecticut's local sports on cable television. The network grew into the most successful channel in modern TV history, operating eight channels across the United States and internationally. Authors James Miller and Tom Shales conducted over 500 interviews with ESPN legends and world-class athletes to reveal the untold story of this meteoric rise. The book exposes the secrets behind ESPN's triumph through firsthand accounts from unknown producers, business pioneers, and famous on-air personalities. These insiders share scandals, rivalries, off-screen conflicts, and victories that shaped the network's journey. The narrative captures both the vision that built ESPN and the human drama that sustained its growth into a media empire.
Genres: history, 20th-century, business, media-tie-in, non-fiction, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: insider-account, rise-to-success
Setting: Connecticut
Period: 1979
800 pages · Paperback · Little, Brown Paperbacks