ESPN
About the Book
Once a shoestring operation built on plywood sets and Australian rules football, ESPN has evolved into a media colossus. A genius for cross-promotion and its near-mystical rapport with its viewers empower the network to set agendas and create superstars, to curate sports history even as it mainstreams the latest cultural trends.Travis Vogan teams archival research and interviews with an all-star cast to pen an ambitious inside look at ESPN and its times. Vogan focuses on the network since 1998, the year it launched a high-motor effort to craft its brand and grow audiences across media platforms. As he shows, innovative properties like SportsCentury, ESPN The Magazine, and 30 for 30 built the network's cultural caché. This credibility, in turn, propelled ESPN's transformation into an entity that lapped its run-of-the-mill competitors and helped fulfill its self-proclaimed status as the "Worldwide Leader in Sports."
Ambitious and long overdue, ESPN: The Making of a Sports Media Empire offers an inside look at how the network changed an industry and reshaped the very way we live as sports fans.
* Support for this research received from The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences Publication Subvention Grant.
About the Author
Travis Vogan is assistant professor of Journalism and Mass Communication and American Studies at the University of Iowa. He is the author of Keepers of the Flame: NFL Films and the Rise of Sports Media.Reviews
"In this fascinating history, journalism professor Vogan imbues the network's nascent struggles with a sense of adventure. . . . Sports fans, especially those of the couch-potato variety, will find this account of the life of a TV network as enjoyable as most star biographies."--Booklist"Vogan's research provides him with ample fodder to engross readers with stories and insights into the world behind their notable shows. . . . Sports fans will enjoy this well-researched and fascinating look at how ESPN has impacted both television and the viewing habits of millions of watchers."--Library Journal
"This well-researched book is a gold mine of information about the origin and philosophy of ESPN. Highly recommended."--Choice
Blurbs
"Not only excellent but timely as well. The book will undoubtedly prove to be a valuable resource guide that will not only introduce the literature but also provide an impressive study for experts in Latina cultural studies."--Alvina E. Quintana, author of Home Girls: Chicana Literary Voices
"Theresa Delgadillo and her collaborators create a living archive that highlights the rich and varied experiences, histories, and cultures of a Midwestern Latino community. This book provides the personal stories often absent from required course reading lists, while at the same time demonstrating the importance of region in shaping identity and the immigrant experience."--Natalia Molina, MacArthur Fellow and author of How Race Is Made in America: Immigration, Citizenship, and the Historical Power of Racial Scripts
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