ESPN Creating an Empire
The No-Holds-Barred Story of Power, Ego, Money, and Vision That Transformed a Culture
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- $26.99
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- $26.99
Publisher Description
Stuart Evey, the founding chairman of ESPN, details the difficult, thrilling, and contentious creation of ESPN in this insider's account. From altercations with Ted Turner at the Playboy mansion to manufacturing a high-stakes, multi-million dollar bidding war between media giants based on nothing more than carefully placed insinuations, Evey was at the center of everything regarding ESPN's infancy and early years. Featured among the many riveting stories are a look inside the dysfunctional family empire that was worth billions, why the young network cut Dick Vitale's microphone off in mid-interview, how Evey duped ABC into investing millions into ESPN, and why Bristol, Connecticut was chosen as the home of a burgeoning media monolith.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Evey, founding chairman of the famous sports network, recounts his experiences as the cutthroat businessman central to the creation of what would become one of cable TV's most profitable and watched channels. He begins his memoir the publication of which coincides with ESPN's 25th anniversary by describing his relationship with his reclusive, eccentric, very wealthy boss, George Getty (of Getty Oil), and how that played into the Getty company's decision to put Evey at the helm of the burgeoning network. The narrative dashes back and forth between Getty's home in England, the oil firm's holdings in Mexico and Liberia, and, finally, to ESPN's broadcast home of Bristol, Conn. Less an analysis of ESPN's place in programming history than an egotistical blow-by-blow account of big business dealings, Evey's book barely illuminates the personalities behind the network itself (with a few brief exceptions) or the philosophy behind its success. Rather, it breathlessly extols the virtues of Evey's globe-trotting, big-check signing bosses and adds excess drama to the stresses behind corporate mergers and acquisitions negotiated on Hawaii's beaches. In fact, Evey spends so much time detailing the various backstabbings and tough-guy business decisions he insists were necessary to the station's success, that when his tale ends with him being brought low by alcoholism and divorce, it doesn't inspire much empathy.
