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That Deserves a Wow. Chris Myers with Travis Thrasher.

 


That Deserves a Wow.    Chris Myers with Travis Thrasher.

Untold Stories of Legends and Champions, Their Wins and Heartbreaks.

Members of the sports media often get to meet or work with the most well-known celebrities and personalities.   Those experiences are frequently documented in books available to the general public.   Long time ESPN and Fox broadcaster, Chris Myers shares his up close and personal experiences in the book That Deserves A Wow.    Insider the reader is afforded the opportunity to read some interesting stories as seen through the eyes of the author about many recognizable sports figures and celebrities, too.  In addition, Myers, known for his “I kid because I care” line also reveals to readers how he broke into the business as a teenage and cultivated his successful reporting style. 

Myers, a Miami area native, is well known as a reporter, game caller and interviewer throughout a broadcast career that has now spawned over 45 years.   He is best known for his extensive work on ESPN where he hosted Up Close to talk with numerous sports luminaries over the years and Fox Sports, where he was able to expand his coverage of other sports such as NASCAR, NBA basketball and contributions to World Series and Super Bowls.   Along the way he was able to befriend well known actor and comedian Bill Murray who wrote the amusing foreword to the book and is featured in several additional stories and examples through this manuscript.  

Perhaps the two sections that stood out to me the most were the chapters containing dialogue with OJ Simpson and Mike Tyson, respectively.   The middle of the book features plenty of excerpts from Myer’s Up Close interview with OJ Simpson in the latter part of the 1990’s.   The interview came well after the famous car chase scene, the disastrous murder trial (although not for Simpson since he was famously acquitted) and the civil trial where he was ordered to pay millions of dollars in civil damages.  It was obvious through Myers reporting and actions that this was an awkward and uncomfortable interview requiring his lengthy experience to keep the interview from going off the rails.   What may have stood out the most in this chapter was how Myers was annoyed with the fact that Simpson, during a commercial break, invited him to join the ex-football star in an upcoming golf outing.   Not surprisingly, Myers, who refused Simpson’s offer to hit the links, bluntly reported in his book that when the interview ended the two participants did not shake hands.     

The interview with former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson actually took place at the ex-fighter’s mansion.  What started out as an innocent enough and routine interview turned into near frightening experience for Myers.    The interviewee had become rankled from the questions and perhaps embarrassed by his own honest responses that elicited an unexpected verbal and nearly physical assault against the host of the show.    After some time to de-escalate, the interview was completed.  In fact, Myers reports that Tyson offered to give him a tour of his mansion upon finishing their business.   Upon completing the tour of Tyson’s abode, Meyers reportedly was happy to leave that interview while still in one piece.  

There are several other interviews with recognizable figures including NASCAR racers, Charles Barkley, John Wooden, Bill Belicheck and of course Bill Murray.    Myers also mentions his relationship with his father and how he helped shape his work ethic despite not being much of a sports fan himself.    The book seemed to take a turn after Myers reported the tragic and unexpected loss of his teenage son in 2012. The tone of the author at times was wistful and melancholy when discussing his personal losses.   There seemed to be a longing and perhaps regret over not devoting more time to his son and family.   This is a reasonable reaction to a family tragedy but on the other hand the topic felt disjointed from the rest of the book. 

I have to admit that the Myers book reminded me a good bit of Al Michael’s You can’t make this stuff up which was published in 2014.    Aside from both being well known, recognizable sports casters, they both featured large swaths of their books covering similar topics such as the OJ Simpson case and the 1989 world series earthquakes. This Deserves a Wow did not really wow me personally.    The book of two hundred and eighty-five pages is easy to read and is well organized and put together.    However, while some stories were interesting including Tyson, Simpson and his experiences with Charles Barkley, many of the other chapters were well intentioned but not memorable.   If you are a Chris Myers fan this is likely a good idea.    However, those readers not familiar with him or indifferent to his reporting style might seek some sports media biographies such as Al Micheals or Vern Lundquist as viable alternatives.      

Suggested discussion questions:

What stories from the book deserve a “wow”?

How would you describe Chris Myers’ broadcasting style?

Why did the author suggest that this is NOT a book about Chris Myers?

Explain the personal and professional triumphs and tragedies experienced by the author.

 

You might like to read this book if you are a fan of Chris Myers.

You might like to read this book if you follow ESPN and Fox Sports programs.

You might like to read this book if you seek information about sportscasters.

You might like to read this book if you enjoy reading biographies pertaining to members of the sports media. 

 

Follow the author on X:   https://x.com/The_ChrisMyers

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