ESPN Oral History Book Tops NYT List, Waves Foam Finger

“Those Guys Have All the Fun” debuts at No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list

"Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN," an engaging oral history of the premier cable sports network written by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller, has topped the New York Times hardcover non-fiction best-seller list for the week that ended May 28.

The list will appear in the print edition Sunday, June 12 but is typically published online a few days ahead of time.

Also read: Bill Simmons on Grantland Launch: 'We're Not Going to Chase Page Views'

The Little, Brown tome recounts the rise of the ESPN, with many of the major forces involved with its inception and expansion weighing in. GQ was the first to publish a highly readable excerpt about the hiring and departure of divisive "SportsCenter" host Keith Olbermann.

The excerpt ends with this corker, from ESPN anchor Rece Davis: "There was a rumor a few years ago that maybe Keith would come back, and one of our coordinating producers said, "I think it would be a good idea but with one caveat. He first has to stand in the reception area, and everybody who wants to gets to come up and punch him in the stomach."

Popular ESPN.com columnist Bill Simmons, also examined at length in "Those Guys Have All the Fun," is launching a pop-culture and sports website funded by the network on Wednesday called Grantland.com.

Comments