Description:
In Sports Talk: A Journey Inside the World of Sports Talk Radio, Alan Eisenstock addresses one of the most popular and addictive radio programming formats in the country. Sports talk shows (dubbed "smack" by chronic listeners) focus on sports teams and players, and provide fans with an outlet to voice frustrations. Eisenstock, a confessed lifelong sports talk enthusiast, travels the U.S. to interview some of the most prominent show hosts in an attempt to discern why the format is so compelling. Interviews with Boston's Eddie Andelman, Chicago's Mike North, and New York staples Mike Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo provide amusing anecdotes and histories, but nothing terribly satisfying emerges as justification for sports talk's overwhelming popularity. While some of the interviews are engaging, a few are uninspired. The best endorsement for sports talk comes from one of Eisenstock's early experiences listening to Ed "Superfan" Beiler in Los Angeles: Sports columnists and TV pundits don't know what to make of him. We, the legion of his followers, don't care. Hell, we're not even sure we like him. We certainly don't always agree with him. But we always, always tune in. Sports Talk is definitely for smack listeners everywhere. --Michael Ferch
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