Those Guys Have All the Fun:

Inside the World of ESPN

by James Andrew Miller & Tom Shales

James Andrew Miller has a new podcast series out called “Origins” where he explores the “brave beginnings of the worlds of television, movies, sports, music, business, or even human relationships to explain how greatness starts and how critical happenings come to be.” His first six episodes centered around the hilarious hit show “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and how it started. I thought that presented the perfect opportunity to share another one of his books with you. Earlier this year “Live From New York” was a Sticky Book. Nine months later, another excellent oral history by Miller and Shales is joining the list. 

I didn’t share it earlier because it’s not a quotable book in the sense of what we’ve come to enjoy from Sticky Books. There aren’t so many profound pithy quotes to share, so it doesn’t lend itself to the Sticky Book format so much. However, if you like sports or have been curious about ESPN at all, it’s a fascinating read.

I’ll share with you two quotes – one funny and one meaningful.

“What I said about Hitler was taken out of context.” This comes from analyst and former coach Lou Holtz, explaining why he used der Führer to dissect Michigan football.
 

Stuart Scott: “I can’t be that concerned with how I’m perceived. I care about how my mother and father think about me and how my friends and how my loved ones think about me. I care about how my ex-wife thinks about me; she and I are still good friends and we do a good job raising our kids. It matters to me. But it doesn’t matter to me what people who are writing a blog on the Internet think. I can’t think about that. Being a father. That’s it. That’s the answer. That’s my answer. I’m convinced of that.”

Sticky Books are those that you just can’t get out of your head. They stick with you long after you have put the book down and have moved on to something else. These are some of my Sticky Books. I don’t enjoy reviewing books myself. I find I am either full of far too much praise for the book because I know how difficult it can be to write a book, or I am far too negative about a book because, well, I guess I was just in a bad mood. So instead of reviews, I have pulled some of my favorite quotes from each Sticky Book.

Find more writing and publishing tips at Nothing Any Good.