The Big Show: Inside ESPN's Sportscenter

by Keith Olbermann, Dan Patrick, Bob Costas (Introduction)

The hosts of ESPN's popular show "SportsCenter" offer a behind-the-scenes look at the series and the world of modern sports, discussing their choices for the greatest athletes of all time, on-the-air errors, and each other

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Biography, Tv, Memoir, Baseball, Pop Culture

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1997

About the author

Keith Olbermann is an American news anchor, commentator, and radio sportscaster. He currently hosts Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC, an hour-long nightly newscast of five selected stories with commentary by Olbermann and guests. Starting with the 2007 NFL season, Olbermann also serves as co-host of NBC's Football Night in America with Bob Costas.

Reviews

[Shayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was an amazing book, super easy to follow. I liked it because it talked about football and baseball a little bit. I talked about the Superbowl and who won what in the years of football.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is going to be less of a review, and more of me talking. You've been warned!

I hunted this book down because I read somewhere that Aaron Sorkin got a lot of his ideas for Sports Night from watching Keith and Dan on SportsCenter. And Sports Night being one of my favorite shows, and my sports mania still in full swing post-Red Sox victory, I figured I needed to get my hands on it.

And it's good. Very, very funny. It makes me cranky that I never actually watched SportsCenter when they were the hosts - I mean, I had good reasons, what with being ten years old then, a girl, a reader rather than a tv watcher, and lacking cable - but, man, was I missing out.

As a terrible storyteller, I appreciate a good one, and these guys are good. They wrote the book in their same back-and-forth banter style that they used on the show, and it worked much better than I expected it to be. Probably in large part because when they interrupted each other, it was usually to mock each other. I can't really remember any one or two stories vividly, which is a good sign: they were all so good that none of them stood out.

Keith's list of baseball players who should be in the Hall of Fame was far more interesting than a list of 100 guys I've never heard of before should ever be. I'm going to have to hunt down some of the names, to see if they ever made it in. (As, of course, this book was published in 1997, and presumably, things have changed since then.)

I suppose I should make it clear that even though it is a book about their lives working in sports, and what they think about sports, their favorite parts of different sports, their problems with sports, their craziest moments in sports, their favorite things said about sports - sports sports sports - you don't need all that much knowledge about sports to read it. It probably makes it more interesting, and you'd get more of the jokes, but it's still a fun read without much prior knowledge.

I especially enjoyed "A Sort of Glossary of Terms", explaining where the catchphrases and sayings they used came from. Very funny.

[Tyler Ragghianti · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book. I expected a little more Behind the Scenes of Sportscenter. And we do get that. Which was great as it took me back to those glory days of SC.

And while i enjoy both Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick, they started getting into personal favorites and anecdotes that were more connected to their own careers than having a connection to SC. Enjoyed it, but couldn’t help but feel, like it’s a combo of 2 ideas, a book about SC and mini-biographies for the 2 authors.

If that’s what this book was going to be, I’d of rather gotten more of the biographical info in a longer book.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapter 7 is ESSENTIAL for aspiring TV sports journalists (or aspiring journalists in general, really). Seriously, it should be provided in all high school and undergrad journalism classes. Specific tips on how to break into the industry and get the job you want.

The book also has a great rundown of how Dan and Keith did their jobs on a daily basis. It’s a lot of preparation and writing and thriving under pressure; it’s not just having fun on TV.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this audiobook. It’s fun to hear them read the book. Just like we heard them on ESPN. Sounds so scripted tho - I really like the ad lib we were used to on their show

[Greg Anger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, lighthearted read. However, I was kind of looking for more behind-the-scenes info.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back when sports was merely for entertainment rather than an all-encompassing lifestyle, Dan Patrick and Keith Olberman (yes, from MSNBC) were the hour of sports highlights to watch on Sunday nights at 11:00 pm (or the following Monday morning). Written in a conversational format, both Patrick and Olberman have unique fonts in order to follow the stories.

There is a chapter about how they logistically put the show together, which was humdrum when at the time, but probably ancient by today's standards. You don't have to be a sports-addict to appreciate the struggles they chronicle throughout their careers or the harrowing tales of encountering people much more famous and larger than they are. Excellent read.

Favorite Patrick story: 3-point contest with "Thunder" Dan Marleje.
Favorite Olberman story: how his friend jinx the Red Sox in 1978 and forced Bucky Dent to hit the famed homer.

[Nathan Eilers · Rating 3 out of 5]

O, for the glory days of SportsCenter when I could actually watch the entire hour of sports highlights and enjoy them! There is no one in sports programming who is as good, clever, funny, and on point as Patrick and Olbermann. Thank goodness NBC picked them up.

That said, this book can appeal to only a small audience, namely those who loved ESPN in the mid-to-late nineties. Honestly, I haven't read this book in a long time and may never again. It's a fun read and not much else. Good for nostalgia.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked parts of this book much more than others. The stories, the memories, the bloopers are all classic. Especially because I then went and youtubed them all and saw all the clips of exactly what Keith and Dan where talking about. But some of the lists were a bit slow and drawn out. I would have also liked more commentary about actually working FOR espn, and maybe even some perspective about the demise of the Big Show. Overall though, it's KO and DP, i mean, that's the bottom line. Obviously it's good with them.

[Tom Castello · Rating 1 out of 5]

Brutal. Just brutal. The first half is them talking about how difficult their job is, how great they are at it, and what to do to get into the business because they make it look so awesome, who wouldn't want to do it? I can't believe their egos fit in 300 pages.

Then Olbermann lists the top 100 players who should be in the baseball HOF and why. 100. Yeah. Patrick does his usual this is the worst travesty ever except its pretty good if you think about it flip-flop.

There is about 30 good pages of their favorite events they've covered. Read that chapter. Then burn the rest of it.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

SportsCenter was a popular Sunday night program with Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick, both idiosyncratic personalities in the field of sports reporting. The short-lived fictional Sports Night was inspired by these two. Watching or listening to Patrick, who continues to host The Dan Patrick Show, and knowing that Olbermann went on to pointed political commentary should be enough.

A book can't recreate the time nor the place, even if it is read by the protagonists.

[David Gould · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keith Olbermann is very entertaining when discussing sports. Still not sure who Dan Patrick is, but he was mildly amusing also.

Two interesting facts: 1) if you want to be on camera, be on camera and 2) Lou Gehrig was dying of ALS for several years while he performed at the highest level in MLB (hence, his achievement, in Keith's view, far surpasses that of Cal Ripken, Jr.).

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

No review per se, other than it's more of a discussion between Dan and Keith than an actual, written book.

Also, the copy I got off Amazon - for $3 - is not just signed by Olbermann, it's inscribed to someone. Nice to know one of Keith's friends has dumped this onto the market for little more than the cost of shipping.

[M Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amusing bit of ephemera for those who enjoyed Keith and Dan's years together on ESPN's "SportsCenter" and their separate careers afterwards. Especially good for baseball fans who enjoy Hall of Fame debates (there's a whole chapter on this), those who picked up some of their catchphrases (there's a chapter on this, too), or those interested in getting into sports broadcasting (ditto).

[Mitchell Szczepanczyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very personal memoir / behind the scenes look at ESPN's Sportscenter circa 1997. Olbermann is a better writer than Patrick, and Olbermann's chapters are far more informative than Patrick's are.

[Carrie]

I may have to Inter library loan this shit. I can't find it anywhere locally.

[angrykitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg i looooooved sportscenter when patrick and olbermann were on. i also have this on cassette....on a sort of side note.....i can't stand olbermann on msnbc.

[Tamra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funnier than I expected.

[The Ghost's Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the easiest reads you could ever find, it's worth a read if you're interested in a career in sports broadcasting or were a huge ESPN fan when you were ten years old.

[Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is 14 years old but I just picked it up and read it. It's awesome. Two of the smartest and funniest guys of all time. SO many hilarious stories about athlete encounters!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and interesting book written by two guys who were part of the golden years of Sportscenter.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Patrick and Keith olbermann should just come together and makes babies.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I can read this over and over again because it brings me back to the good old days of Sportscenter.

[Beth Mechum · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could be the worst book I've ever read - but what did I expect from a $2 Goodwill purchase?

[David-jacky Breech · Rating 4 out of 5]

For any sports fan that was around before ESPN this is the story of a life changing event when ESPN was created.

[Matt Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in college during the heyday of Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann hosting SportsCenter on Sunday nights. I miss those days.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fluff to read when you're laid up at home. Funny in places, only a little bit revealing. I need to read something more highbrow tomorrow.

[Jefferson Coombs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a fun book. Essentially it is about how Sportscenter works and then a whole bunch of opinions form the two on various sports topics.

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't get through the whole thing. Some interesting parts early, then, thud.

[Mark Loose · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Big Show was decent. But I trad it 37 years after it’s printing. Still some great stories.