Every Town Is a Sports Town
Business Leadership at ESPN, from the Mailroom to the Boardroom
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
ESPN's rise is one of the most remarkable stories about business and sports in our time, and nobody can tell it better than George Bodenheimer.
It may be hard to believe, but not long ago, getting sports updates was difficult and frustrating. ESPN changed everything. George Bodenheimer knows. Initially hired to work in the mailroom, one of Bodenheimer's first jobs was to pick up sportscaster Dick Vitale at the Hartford airport and drive him to ESPN's main campus--a couple of trailers in a dirt parking lot. But as ESPN grew, so did George's status in the company. In fact, Bodenheimer played a major part in making ESPN a daily presence not just here, but all over the world. In this business leadership memoir--written with bestselling author Donald T. Phillips--Bodenheimer lays out ESPN's meteoric rise. This is a book for business readers and sports fans alike. A Best Business Book of 2015, Strategy Business
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this lackluster corporate history, Bodenheimer, former CEO of ESPN, shares an insider's account of the company's early days and its climb to become the top sports network. Armed with an economics degree and a deep love of sports, Bodenheimer began in the mailroom. As ESPN flourished, so did he, beginning his rise through the ranks with successive moves to the Arlington, Tex.; Chicago; and Denver offices. In his telling, ESPN enjoyed plentiful advantages, from a company culture that treated staff members like family, to an eye for opportunity that led the network to begin regularly airing college basketball games and televising the NFL draft. Colorful on-air personalities like Chris Berman increased the channel's visibility and helped define its brand as "fun." Bodenheimer touches on all the highlights the network's acquisition by Disney, the evolution of the ESPY awards, securing rights to air the World Cup but the writing falls rather flat. Those interested in the topic will find the details worth the effort, even if the prose doesn't engage.
