How You Play the Game: Lessons for Life from the Billion-Dollar Business of Sports [Hardcover]

Jerry Colangelo (Author), Len Sherman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1999

This is a sweeping look at the business of sports through the eyes of Jerry Colangelo, a founder of the Chicago Bulls basketball team and owner of the Phoenix Suns, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and three other professional sports teams.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A welcome change from most business books written by sports celebrities, Colangelo's work is refreshingly free of such tired chestnuts as "a winner never quits, and a quitter never wins." With Sherman, Colangelo has fashioned a largely autobiographical, crisply written book that incorporates his business philosophy. Colangelo's professional career began in 1966, when he became the assistant to the founder of the Chicago Bulls, Dick Klein. After learning the ropes in Chicago, Colangelo jumped to Phoenix in 1968 to become the general manager of the NBA's newest team, the Phoenix Suns. His big break came in 1986, when the team was put up for sale and Colangelo formed an investment group that purchased the Suns for the then record price of $44.5 million. Colangelo's ability to acquire the Suns stemmed from his fundamental business philosophyAthat a person must put him or herself in a position to act decisively when the right opportunity presents itself. Colangelo put himself in the right place at the right time by creating ties to the local business community and by establishing a reputation as a dependable business partner. Those same factors came into play several years later, when Colangelo cobbled together a consortium to which Major League Baseball awarded an expansion team that became the Arizona Diamondbacks. Colangelo and Sherman have neatly meshed the highlights of Colangelo's 30 years in the sports world with useful business advice to create one of the better books in the sports/business genre.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The owner of the Phoenix Suns (National Basketball Association) and the new Arizona Diamondbacks (major league baseball) gives us his autobiography from his humble beginnings in Chicago to his current status as the owner of these two successful franchises. Colangelo discusses his accomplishments and failures in the sports industry and offers insight into how professional sports work and what they must do to remain successful, especially through marketing, community service, and ethics. By staying true to who you are, where you came from, and what you believe and know...you will be able to maintain your balance and equilibrium and fight your way through obstacles. By keeping his word and knowing his competition, Colangelo has earned the respect of his peers and business partners. Difficult to put down, this readable book provides a look at big-league sports in todays society that will appeal to sports fans, executives, and curious business students.Steven J. Mayover, Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081440488X
• ISBN-13: 978-0814404881
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,345,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I WANNA BE LIKE JERRY!!!, July 28, 2003

By 

Alana Mercier of SANTA MONICA HS (Leimert Park, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How You Play the Game: Lessons for Life from the Billion-Dollar Business of Sports (Hardcover)

Jerry Colangelo delivers absolutely the most powerful message in his new book, "How You Play The Game," which is, you can't have success without giving. Colangelo discusses a wide range of topics that helped him get to where he is today. He discusses forming partnerships, being a good person before becoming a role model, and staying focused. Jerry Colangelo is definitely an inspiration to me, and I believe all that he says is true!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jerry Colangelo's World of Sports Marketing, November 6, 2001

By 

Arya Tabibnia (Santa Monica (SAMOHI), California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How You Play the Game: Lessons for Life from the Billion-Dollar Business of Sports (Hardcover)

This book by Jerry Colangelo is very well written. It is a quick and interesting read and also teaches you many things about marketing a product. Jerry Colangelo is a very well respected person in the sports world and he is a real example of the American Dream. Colangelo began his life with nothing and slowly, using his intelligence in business, built himself a sports empire starting with the Bulls and continuing with the Suns, Diamondbacks, and Rattlers. This is a great book and I recommend it to everyone and anyone to read.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Quintessential Sports Franchise Book, April 4, 2011

By 

Kenneth Blackwell - See all my reviews

This review is from: How You Play the Game: Lessons for Life from the Billion-Dollar Business of Sports (Hardcover)

Myles: The aspect Colangelo stresses most is that with hard work he achieved all his goals. Starting the Bulls, he worked tirelessly to secure money, made sure the players were happy, advertised, and devised creative marketing techniques. But he did not stop with the Bulls. He moved on to start the Phoenix Suns, and eventually the Arizona Diamondbacks, not to mention a professional soccer and arena football league team. With all these franchises, his one piece of advice to himself was, "the city doesn't owe us anything. We have to earn its support". To do this, he made valuable connections with the people of the city and was committed to community service. Overall, "How You Play the Game" is a great book that shows what it takes to start a sports franchise.