ESPN: The Uncensored History [Paperback]

Michael Freeman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 11, 2001

ESPN: The Uncensored History traces the first 24-hour sports network from its inception through its evolution into a slick media outlet reaching more than 60 million homes via more than 26,000 cable providers. Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, ESPN, has blazed a stunning path of achievement with its expansive coverage of broadcast sports—spinning off into ESPN2, ESPN Classic Sports, ESPNews, and ESPN Magazine—but has also experienced its share of controversy. Along the way, this American entrepreneurial triumph has alienated on-air talent, drawn charges of racial discrimination, and seen employees accused of blatant sexual harassment.
ESPN's success story is no fairy tale. Among the colorful lore and amusing anecdotes lurk serious complications and controversies. Through information gleaned from internal documents, police and court records, and interviews with network employees, on-air talent, producers, and executives, ESPN: The Uncensored History probes the inside story of America's premiere sports network. Part corporate history, part media and cultural analysis, and part expose, the book examines both the positive developments effected by the network and the bad habits it has picked up from the business it covers.
This paperback reveals the most recent developments at ESPN since the publication of the hardback, including the network's aggressive reactions to the book.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

New York Times sportswriter Freeman has delivered exactly what the title promises: an uncensored history of a media phenomenon of the cable TV era, ESPN. When ESPN was formed 20 years ago, television sports reporting was limited to snippets on local newscasts. ESPN changed that and, in so doing, also changed the way sports was covered, society's viewing habits, and sports itself. Freeman traces the history of the all-sports network from its inception as the brainchild of Bill Rasmussen to its status today as a part of the Disney media group, reaching over 60 million homes. This is really less a sports book than a warts-and-all examination of a media giant. Despite the obstacles placed in Freeman's path, the whole story is here--the struggles between management and its on-air personalities, the anchors' conflicts with one another, and the sexual harassment complaints, racial discrimination allegations, and employee drug and gambling problems that have long plagued the network. Freeman uses network documents, court records, and (often anonymous) interviews with past and current employees to make this a compelling read. Highly recommended for all libraries.
-William Scheeren, Hempfield Area H.S. Lib., Greensburg, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

This is a must-read for ESPN and sports fans alike. (Gadflyonline.Com )

The tale of ESPN's rise digs deeply...into behind-the-scenes shenanigans... (Sports Illustrated )

...powerful and entertaining. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette )

Extensively researched, ESPN: The Uncensored History presents a fascinating, candid, revealing story in clear, unambiguous, and highly evocative language. A singularly memorable and compelling 'tell-all' book, ESPN: The Uncensored History is strongly recommended reading for all sports buffs. (Library Bookwatch )

Network stoolies are buzzing about a...book on ESPN by New York Times sports writer Mike Freeman...sounds real juicy (New York Daily News )

...a fascinating new book...might make you watch ESPN in a whole new way. (Book Page )

Michael Freeman tells the story with the same urgency and breathlessness that ESPN brings to its coverage of sports.... a dazzling American success story .... (American Way )

Freeman uses network documents, court records, and (often anonymous) interviews with past and current employees to make this a compelling read. Highly recommended. (Library Journal )

After reading this explosive book it's hard to believe that a network owned by the squeaky-clean Disney Corporation could allow the sexual hijinks that go on at ESPN to escape their corporate scrutiny. A devastating read. (Publishers Weekly )

Michael Freeman provides the first book of critical analysis of the original and largest sports network. (Sports Collectors Digest )

Give Freeman points for diligent research [and] for his no-nonsense history of how the all-sports network evolved. (Philadelphia Daily News )

... compelling subject matter for any sports fan. (Daytona News-Journal )

Freeman, a skilled and concise writer, does an exceptional job of telling the entire story—warts and all .... (Baltimore Sun )

... sizzling expose ... truly shocking. (Publishers Weekly )

This story would make a terrific Outside the Lines. Yet ESPN's investigative series ... wouldn't touch the material ... with a 10-foot TelePrompTer. (Orlando Sentinel )

Michael Freeman has captured the essence of the freewheeling, 24-hour cable network that pioneered not just sports television, but the cable industry itself. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram )

... give[s] the reader a real insight to the early days at ESPN. (Tampa Tribune )

... stunning ... fascinating .... (Chicago Sun-Times )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing (December 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878332707
• ISBN-13: 978-0878332700
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Miscellaneous > Reference
  • #73 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Miscellaneous > History of Sports

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The whole book, April 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: ESPN: The Uncensored History (Hardcover)

I bought this book because of all the buzz about the shenanigans that go on inside ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, but I was surprised to discover that the real meat is in author Freeman's chronicling of the early days of the network; it's fascinating stuff. The material about sexual harassment, though compelling, only represents one part of the book. The rest is the best.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gods of Sports, March 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: ESPN: The Uncensored History (Hardcover)

Mike Freeman, one of the New York Times top sports reporters, has written a gem of a book, ESPN: The Uncensored History. Through diligent reporting, Freeman traces the history of the most powerful cable network in the world from its humble beginnings to the 800-pound "mouse" it is today. Along the way he startles the reader with tales of drugs, gambling and sexual harrassment at ESPN, revelations that surely won't make the folks at Disney -- or in Bristol-- very happy. Buy this book; it's a great read.

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inside the Worldwide Leader . . ., May 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: ESPN: The Uncensored History (Hardcover)

As a former ESPN employee, I caution most readers to take most of the "gank" provided in this book with a HUGE grain of salt. The sexual harassment incidents described are anecdotal at best, and even if they are indicative of a "bigger problem" throughout ESPN Plaza, what else would you expect with a company when you throw a bunch of young twenty-something males who are all self-proclaimed "sports experts" with no social outlets in a sleepy little town in central Connecticut? (Freeman's characterization of Bristol as a "city" is laughable)

Freeman does do a good job of painting the painful sacrifice young singles must make to join this odd corporate culture. But maybe also mentioning the sacrifices the married employees and their families have to make (e.g. the intense travel demands levied on many ESPN employees, the quirky weekend hours, the extramarrital activity), would have helped give this book more balance.

The book also neglects the overall stress on a given night in the screening room where every sporting event is being monitored. A brief synopsis of how a game becomes a highlight and the people involved -- from the PA logging the game to the highlight supervisor to the anchor reading it on the air -- might also help readers understand the electricity in the air on a given night at ESPN Plaza.

Other than that, though, the book is a compelling read. Many of the personnel mentioned in the latter half of the book, both talent and production, are still at ESPN. The timeline of ESPN's evolution from cable start-up to the model cable network is great. Freeman's assessment of ESPN as a "sports news" network and not just a "sports network" is very well done.

And for those wide-eyed soon-to-be college grads who would give your left arm to work for the Worldwide Leader (attention all men: they will most likely spare your arm but they'll begin to take your hairline upon arrival in Bristol), this book will definitely give you a moment of pause.