Living Out Loud: Sports, Cancer, and the Things Worth Fighting For

by Craig Sager, Brian Curtis

New York Times BestsellerA moving and inspiring memoir from the beloved sports broadcaster Craig Sager on his battle with leukemia and how he maintained a positive outlook on life in face of incredible circumstances.“Time is something that cannot be bought, it cannot be wagered with God, and it is not in endless supply. Time is simply how you live your life.” —Craig SagerThanks to an eccentric wardrobe filled with brightly colored suits and a love of sports that knows no bounds, Craig Sager is one of the most beloved and recognizable broadcasters on television. So when the sports world learned that he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) there was an outpouring of love and support from everyone who was inspired by his colorful life and his fearless decision to continue doing the job he loved—despite being told that he would have only three-to-six months to live. Sager has undergone three stem cell transplants—with his son as the donor for two of them—and more than twenty chemotherapy cycles since his diagnosis.In Living Out Loud, Craig Sager shares incredible stories from his remarkable career and chronicles his heroic battle. Whether he’s sprinting across Wrigley Field mid-game as a college student with cops in pursuit, chasing down Hank Aaron on the field for an interview after Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record, running with the bulls in Pamplona, or hunkering down to face the daunting physical challenges of fighting leukemia, Craig Sager is always ready to defy expectations, embrace life, and live it to the fullest.Including a foreword by Charles Barkley and with unique insight from his son Craig Sager II, this entertaining, honest, and introspective account of a life lived in sports reveals the enduring lessons Sager has learned throughout his career and reminds you that no matter what life throws at you, to always look at the bright side.

Genres: Sports, Biography, Memoir, Nonfiction

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 8, 2016

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book tells the life of sports caster Craig Sager. He of the technicolor suits and NBA interviews. I always enjoyed his work on various sports he covered. The book tells about his life, but the main focus is on his long courageous battle with leukemia. It is a quick read and worth your time.

[Saulo Rozendo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tremendous personality and heart in this book, including a patient’s perspective on AML. Everyone indirectly working in healthcare - IT, Construction, Marketing - would benefit from this insightful story.

[Aaron S · Rating 4 out of 5]

RIP Mr. Sager!

[Aaron Cash · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Marathon of a story! So good He will be missed. But I am glad I decided to listen to this

[Scott Judd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A man that lived life to the fullest despite the challenges he faced. Great stories are told in this book. I admire this man’s outlook on life.

[Daniel Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brisk read. What stuck out most was the enthusiasm from Craig Sager's life. A great message to remain active, positive, and enjoy the journey of life...even while going through significant trials or difficulties. Many entertaining anecdotes and stories mixed in with the serious passages.

[Jerem49ers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Perspective Changing Read

Thanks to a personality that shines brighter than any star; a love for sports that is bigger than life; and optimism that outweighs a sumo wrestler, Sports broadcasting legend, Craig Sager, reveals how he’s lived such a miraculous, yet challenging life. Craig and his son, Craig Jr., help sum up Craig’s fight against AML throughout the last three years and how a positive mindset is kicking cancer’s ass. Sager uses humor and a smile to fight cancer and shows how determination can’t defeat cancer but can lead you to live your best life possible. This is a read that can change ones outlook on life, it shows how support and motivation can drive someone so much that they become a “medical miracle”. Craig also reveals the importance of family and why it is extremely valuable to have people on your side and giving support and gratitude. Throughout the book, Craig gives examples how positivity can allow you to see much more in life, “Life is wonderful and fun and full of adventure, and with a little ingenuity, you can put yourself in the right place and good things will happen” (171). In the quote, Sager explains how he has had such good luck throughout his career and just his entire life. Sager’s main purpose for writing this book was to let his positivity wear off on others, to inform people on what he’s been going through, and to show how crucial it is to stay optimistic no matter how hard you have it. Despite three bone marrow transplants, Sager stayed strong and with the help from his family and everyone who supported him he “defeated cancer”. He didn’t actually defeat cancer, but cancer didn’t defeat him. While living a fast-pace, one place to another life, Sager reveals how time slowed down on him throughout his battle with AML, “Time is something that cannot be bought, it cannot be wagered with God, and it is not in endless supply. Time is simply how you live your life” (230). He is saying that you need to live every day like it’s your last and to always find ways to have fun. Sager not only teaches life lessons but influences the readers decision and perspective of life. Sager’s book is extremely captivating and lets the readers know that it’s important to be different, look eccentric, and be grateful for those who support you. I give Living Out Loud: Sports, Cancer, and the Things Worth Fighting For a 5 star rating and highly recommend everyone to read this book. This book can especially be encouraging for anyone who knows someone or is going through cancer or a hard time. Sager’s positivity is guaranteed to wear off on you and it’s important to live everyday to the fullest.

[Ryan Gentry · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there is any book that has affected the way I think, it is this one. I received this book for my birthday from my stepmother, and before reading it, I had no idea of the lessons it would teach me. Craig Sager was a journalist who broadcast sideline reports at professional basketball games, and he was very well known for wearing brightly colored suits while interviewing coaches and players. In 2014, he was diagnosed with leukemia, and he past away recently in late 2016. This book is an autobiography that goes through his life as a kid, getting into journalism, and going through cancer. This book is important to me because the story exemplifies perseverance. Craig Sager is shown throughout this book to have a zest for life - as a kid, he often skipped school to hitchhike to Chicago Cubs games 40 miles away, he ran onto a baseball field to interview Hank Aaron after he had set a major record, and he expresses himself through his dazzling fashion on the basketball court. Upon his diagnosis, Sager decides to give more appreciation to life and try to live more every day than he had in the past. On top of this, the book has chapters written by his son, Craig Sager II, who gave two bone marrow transplants to the older Sager to save his life. This book taught me that expressing myself is more important than fitting in, but more importantly, this book taught me to appreciate what is around me even through my worst days.

[Ciaran Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of Craig, I have been keen to read this book since getting it a few years back, but due to cancer coming close to home in another way, I shelved it for a while. I am glad that I got around to reading it eventually, and found it to be a very emotional journey.

The book mainly focuses on Sager's battles with cancer, though - predictably for a sports journalist - sports are never far away from the dialogue. I was a particular fan of the chapter discussing Craig's relationship with Gregg Popovich, showing the two sides of the particularly grouchy NBA head coach.

One element that stuck out for me was that I was reading it a few years after his passing. However, his positivity and can-do attitude remained the most engaging piece of the book. Hopefully, this will inspire other cancer patients in the future.

Another nice touch are the chapters written by Craig's son, of same name. This provides a new angle to the story you have just heard, or perhaps a new story in itself. Sager Jr. has a great writing style which is very easy to read.

R.I.P. Craig. We will all remain #SagerStrong

[Lizet Casas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel grateful that Craig Sager shared his journey. I feel that watching him on TV and hearing brief updates left me wanting to know more about how he was doing during his treatment. All I wanted was for him to be back on the sidelines doing what he loved. He was so great at it.

I was really happy to get his son's perspective. It was really honest and gives me more insight about being a better parent for my own children.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the references to San Antonio and Coach Pop, being from San Antonio and all. I was glad to know this city meant so much to him and his son. It made me feel proud of my city.

[Kristjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Craig Sager lived life to the fullest and this is his account, written only a couple of months before his death. Some parts are funny, others crazy and some are both. There is no doubt that his zest for life helped him tremendously in his fight against leukemia, but I do wonder whether his difficulty in adhering to doctor's orders contributed to him contracting dangerous infections while immunocompromised. I don't know if those infections had any effect on the return of the leukemia, but he definitely lived his life to the fullest.

[Donny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's call this 4.5 stars, okay? It was great to learn about what made Craig Sager tick, and how resilient he was throughout his battle with cancer. It did seem like he covered the bare minimum of his shortcomings, which held this book back from painting the clearest picture possible of its subject. However, the inclusion of passages written by Craig Sager II also provided more context to the situation, which was very well-handled.

[Riley Takata]

The book, “Living Out Loud” was a book that interested me because I have a love for sports. My family is a basketball family and I knew it would be a book that could keep my interest. “Living Out Loud” is biography about the NBA interviewer, Craig Sager. Craig Sager was a man that was known for his spunky, loud suits. His love for sports and his confidence made him be adored by thousands of fans, as well as sports players. But in the middle of his life, he was struck with the news that he was diagnosed with Cancer. This incredible life story is heart-felt in the ways how Craig had lived his colorful life, not only by his suits, but his love for basketball, baseball, and his loving family. I believe that the main message of this book is to live life to the fullest and a positive attitude will help make even the worst situations seem not as harsh. This is a great read for a broad range of people; people who have had to overcome a challenge in life to just flat out sport fanatics. The way that this novel was written really captures how Craig Sager was as a person. The tone of this book really shows his personality and the way he expressed living life. My overall rating for Living Out Loud is a eight out of ten, reasons being, it sparked my interest in sport and I can relate to his attitude in facing a challenge, I didn’t have to face cancer, but I have faced two ACL surgeries in a year. I can really relate to this book and it kept my interest.

[Kevin Litzenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Sager's journey is a remarkable, inspiring tale of the optimism and love for life and those around us. Although he eventually physically succumbed to his malignancy, he did not do so in mind and spirit. Whenever our darkest days are upon is, we can look to individuals like Craig Sager to motivate to keep grabbing life by the horns.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book by accident a few months ago and had no idea who Craig Sager was prior to reading this book.
It was a fast paced easy read. Craig Sager’s interesting outlook on life and unwavering optimism while facing a grueling battle with Leukemia make this a compelling read. But something was off or missing for me.

[Jennifer Hing · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have not read this book, I am unsure what is stopping you. If you’re a sports fan, this is a must. Craig was so loved by the sports community and this book shows it. I cried throughout the read.

[Ryan Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for sports fans.
Read this book on the way to OKC roughly six months after the passing of Craig Sager.
Met him in OKC the previous year.
Not ashamed to admit that, even though I knew the outcome, I cried on the plane at the conclusion of the book.

[Bay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books was everything that I wanted it to be. It felt like sitting down for breakfast with a grandparent and hearing stories about their life. Powerful story of how much our perspective impacts not only our life, but the lives around us. Heartbreaking, but encouraging.

[Csparrenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have two stories here: the life of Craig; his struggle with cancer. Very interesting look at a very successful person who was a tough fighter till the end.

[Mark Lamont · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice look into the life of Craig Sager. The greater portion of the book is dedicated to following his battle with cancer. Definitely an intriguing look into Craig's personal life.

[Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent biography of Graig Sager. Really 2 books as he talks about his life as a sports announcer and his fight to overcome leukemia. A very quick read and up lifting.

[Dylan Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book showed wonderful illustrations and wonderful writing made this book an excellent read.

[Daniel Giroux-Pare · Rating 5 out of 5]

So inspirational. I always loved watching this man on the sidelines with his extravagant suits.

[Sharma Brenneman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational. Live life to your fullest.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall it was interesting to learn about Sagar's life and read about his fight against cancer.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, good message. I don't totally agree with some of the choices he made but I understand the motivation behind it and think he could be really inspiring for some.

[Christie Dobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational

[Aaron Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved Craig Sager. The last paragraph broke my heart. You were a great man, and deserved better. Rest In Peace buddy!

[Dominic Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to reread, but I know I liked it enough to want to reread.

[Brady Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

“…each and every day is a canvas waiting to be painted. An opportunity for love, for fun, for living, for learning.”