Madness
The Rise and Ruin of Sports Media
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
From dealing with the cantankerous and cheapskate owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs to hosting radio hotline shows to anchoring a revolutionary late-night program, Sportsline, Mark Hebscher finally tells the unheard stories from his 45 years in the bizarre business of sports broadcasting.
How would you react if hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky sweated all over your dress pants during a live TV interview? What if heavyweight boxing champion Leon Spinks threatened to harm you if you didn’t dance with his wife? These are just two of the occupational obstacles faced by Mark Hebscher during his checkered career in sports media. From covering Harold Ballard, the cantankerous owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs, to helping lead a cultural revolution in sports broadcasting on the late-night program Sportsline, Hebscher tells stories of his 45 years in the business in his new book, Madness: The Rise and Ruin of Sports Media.
This is a compelling look at the evolution of sports journalism and how today’s media coverage drastically differs from the days of newspapers and magazines. At the same time, it explores the effect that radio, TV, and later technology has had on sports coverage, and how men like Howard Cosell changed the way sports was reported on.
How did Wide World of Sports and Hockey Night in Canada become so ingrained in popular culture? What was it about Sportsline that made it mandatory viewing? Who were the athletes, sportswriters, sportscasters, reporters, and play-by-play announcers that fueled his desire to be a part of the sports media landscape?
In the end, Hebscher’s encounters with the Great One, MC Hammer, Youppi!, Doug Flutie, and Doug Gilmour are more than mildly amusing … and his unparalleled knowledge of the sports media universe shines throughout.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sportsline anchor Hebscher (The Greatest (Athlete You've Never Heard Of)) delivers a spirited history of modern sports journalism, blending personal insight from his 45-year Canadian broadcasting career with sharp industry analysis. Beginning with early-20th-century radio announcers who described baseball games they didn't attend, Hebscher traces a lineage of media manipulation from ethically compromised newspaper coverage to AI-generated content. Along the way, he highlights pivotal figures and institutions including Howard Cosell, whose polarizing presence made Monday Night Football a cultural juggernaut, and Sports Illustrated, which elevated sports journalism with quality long-form reporting before succumbing to cost-cutting measures. Hebscher's analysis is often nostalgic but never rose-tinted, critiquing 20th-century sensationalism as readily as the performative punditry and click-driven narratives of contemporary coverage. The strongest sections link sports media's decline to broader journalistic trends, with shrinking newsrooms and vanishing local coverage leaving good stories untold. Hebscher's sobering conclusion—that it's a golden age for fans but a bleak one for journalists—rings true. The result is a perceptive and entertaining chronicle of an industry that's weathered its fair share of home runs and strikeouts.
