Rating: 
Summary: Inside the Turmoil
Review: A very interesting look at ESPN and how it started from scratch to become the powerhouse we all know it as today. The book gives us a unique view of life inside the network as well as a closer look at the anchors we all know. Several reviews have criticized the amount of time spent on sexual harassment issues at ESPN, but it's vital considering the workplace as we know it here in the new millenium.
Rating: 
Summary: An Axe to Grind without Wood to Chop
Review: A very poorly written book with too many "anonymous" quotes. It seems that Freeman had something against ESPN with little to prove. ESPN: An Uncensored History is a tiring read. It doesn't flow and it is full of the writer's slant and opinion, shaping unsubstantiated rumors into a very leaky case. Freeman would be better served writing an article with some of the allegations that have been made, rather than trying to stretch a few innuenedos into an otherwise boring book. Also, it was too full of locker-room banter and crude jokes that he supposedly found. Why couldn't have just told the narrative about the rapid rise of this gigantic sports network? This is a bad piece of investigative work. Don't waste your time with it.
Rating: 
Summary: Inside the Worldwide Leader . . .
Review: As a former ESPN employee, I caution most readers to take most of the "gank" provided in this book with a HUGE grain of salt. The sexual harassment incidents described are anecdotal at best, and even if they are indicative of a "bigger problem" throughout ESPN Plaza, what else would you expect with a company when you throw a bunch of young twenty-something males who are all self-proclaimed "sports experts" with no social outlets in a sleepy little town in central Connecticut? (Freeman's characterization of Bristol as a "city" is laughable) Freeman does do a good job of painting the painful sacrifice young singles must make to join this odd corporate culture. But maybe also mentioning the sacrifices the married employees and their families have to make (e.g. the intense travel demands levied on many ESPN employees, the quirky weekend hours, the extramarrital activity), would have helped give this book more balance. The book also neglects the overall stress on a given night in the screening room where every sporting event is being monitored. A brief synopsis of how a game becomes a highlight and the people involved -- from the PA logging the game to the highlight supervisor to the anchor reading it on the air -- might also help readers understand the electricity in the air on a given night at ESPN Plaza. Other than that, though, the book is a compelling read. Many of the personnel mentioned in the latter half of the book, both talent and production, are still at ESPN. The timeline of ESPN's evolution from cable start-up to the model cable network is great. Freeman's assessment of ESPN as a "sports news" network and not just a "sports network" is very well done. And for those wide-eyed soon-to-be college grads who would give your left arm to work for the Worldwide Leader (attention all men: they will most likely spare your arm but they'll begin to take your hairline upon arrival in Bristol), this book will definitely give you a moment of pause.
Rating: 
Summary: A must-read for sports junkies, but...
Review: As a former member of the sports industry and a recovering SportsCenteraholic, I am very glad I read this book. Anybody who enjoys ESPN will find this book interesting. That said, it is not a masterpiece, and I found myself wanting "something more". I wanted to know what happened to all of the characters, especially the anchors, reporters and founding team. In essence, I wanted to know WHERE ARE THEY NOW? This could have been handled in an appendix, and would have made this more of a reference book than a gossip book. To me, the best theme is the evolution of Sportscenter from a highlight show to a must-see event. In the mid-to-late 80's, I thought CNN had surpassed SportsCenter, with better stories, better anchors, and better sets, as well as a partner network in CNN Headline News. John Walsh's iron will reversed that trend, and some of the best CNN personnel (Dan Patrick, Gary Miller, etc.) defected to ESPN. Subtly, over the years ESPN became a credible journalistic organization with multiple networks, and SportsCenter left CNN in the dust. The pre-1978 Bill Rasmussen story moves slowly, and I don't think I have a full understanding of the important events leading to September 7, 1979. I would like to have had clearer information about how Rasmussen expected to pay for his vision, and why his son (theoretically the least experienced of the principals) was sent out to look for money. What kind of deals did they offer investors before Getty came in and took 85%? How soon did they expect profitability? Did they have a backup plan? I think the author wanted this to be perceived as a business book instead of a gossip book. It fails on that count, in my opinion, because the author does not seem to have a business background. The book doesn't have to be all things to all people, but those expecting deep insight into business decision-making will not find it here. As for the gossip (which I love as much as anybody), most of the first 100 pages refer to unnamed anchors, production assistants and managers. Without names, the story is not compelling. The book picks up steam as it goes along, primarily because Keith Olbermann agreed to be an on-the-record (and angry) source. ESPN refused to cooperate with the author, so we get a lot of one-sided attacks. That may be why there is so much focus on sexual harassment and the abuse of PA's. These themes weaken the book. Certainly those topics deserved coverage, and they are compelling, but they are repeated over and over and over again. Don't let these weaknesses scare you off. ESPN: The Uncensored History is well worth reading!
Rating:
Summary: Strongly recommended reading for all sports buffs
Review: ESPN: The Uncensored History by sports journalist Michael Freeman is an eye-opening, bare-all look at the global telecommunications network that since its inception in 1979 as the "Entertainment and Sports Programming Network", has gone on to become virtually synonymous with televised sports. From its relatively humble origins, ESPN has gone on to expand into additional offerings for the dedicated sports enthusiast including ESPN2, ESPN Classic Sports, ESPNews, and ESPN Magazine. Extensively researched, ESPN: The Uncensored History presents a fascinating, candid, revealing story in clear, unambiguous, and highly evocative language. A singularly memorable and compelling "tell-all" book, ESPN: The Uncensored History is strongly recommended reading for all sports buffs.
Rating:
Summary: Did the author actually check facts?
Review: How much of ESPN's history can Freeman botch and still publish a book? Quite a bit, it seems. An author who writes about a sports network should at least know the difference between various leagues, especially the difference between major and minor leagues and which teams are in which.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much emphasis on the sexual harassment angle
Review: I am a fan of ESPN and enjoyed learning about the history of the company (channel, network, whatever you want to call it). I particularly enjoyed the first quarter of the book that focused on the original entrepeneur that started the network. However, after that I thought the author focused too much on the bad parts of the history, particularly the sexual harassment incidents. While these seem very serious and should have been mentioned, I don't think they should have overshadowed everything else in the company's history in the last decade.
Rating:
Summary: The whole book
Review: I bought this book because of all the buzz about the shenanigans that go on inside ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, but I was surprised to discover that the real meat is in author Freeman's chronicling of the early days of the network; it's fascinating stuff. The material about sexual harassment, though compelling, only represents one part of the book. The rest is the best.
Rating:
Summary: Good information, poorly written
Review: I found the first portion of this book to be very boring. The remainder of the book proved to be very informative for this fan who began watching upon his first day living in the USA back in 1982. Eventhough I enjoyed the final two-thirds of the book, I found it to be extremely scattered. It jumped from one topic to another. How about seperate chapters for each topic? Overall, this is a worthwhile read for any ESPN fan.
Rating:
Summary: There must be more
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Having some inside knowledge of what used to - and still does - go on at ESPN, I thought that this book was a good start at peeling back the facade of the SportsCenter commercials. However, while the instances of drug use, sexual harrasment, and out of control executives are portrayed in the past tense, one wishes that Freeman had followed these themes up to the present and broadened his view away from the on air talent. After all, the executives could not have turned so blind an eye to this stuff if they weren't just as guilty (and they were!). Hopefully there will be a sequel which tells all about some of the rights deals as well as the misbehavior in the corporate suites.
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