Madness: The Rise and Ruin of Sports Media

by Mark Hebscher

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, 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.

344 pages, Paperback

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Mark Rolston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Back to the future of sports journalism.

This is a fabulous journey down memory lane for any sports enthusiast of the pre-internet streaming and 24-7 access to sports reporting from infancy, with all the bumps and bruises on the way and the reality that now it’s just a business.

Mark is a living pioneer in the path of how we were truly entertained without having every score or game at our fingertips. His legacy must be heralded as an important contributor of how sports was reported on and made for exciting entertainment.

You won’t want to put it down.

[Dave Cottenie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pretty surprising book. Despite the title, I figured this would be basically an autobiography of Mark Hebscher, who was best known as the partner of Jim Tatti on SportsLine, the Global TV show. Hebscher was also the first face ever seen on what is now Roger’s SportsNet. However, the wider view of the history of sports media and where it is going in the future really dominated the narrative along with the autobiographical aspects. Hebscher is much more of a historian and intellectual than one would gather from his on camera personality. The “good ole days” perspective is balanced with the realization that those days are gone and will not be coming back and sports media is drastically different. A fantastic read/listen and having the author read the audiobook is a bonus as well.

[Mike Broderick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Hebscher time at the top coincided with my best sports watching time.
He was so fun on the air.
He does touch upon the lack of women in the industry and the increase in exposure in that area.
He spends too much time listing names as at times this seems to be an opportunity to name drop as many people as he can.
Overall, the sports fan of the 80s and 90s may enjoy this.

[Mike Stavrakis · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good book if you’re looking for nostalgia in the Toronto sports scene over the years. The author’s prose and journalism skills, however, leaves a lot to be desired.

[Enid Wray]

Give this to the sports fan in your life… I guess…

DNF