There You Have It: The Life, Legacy, and Legend of Howard Cosell

I took a couple of classes from Dr. John Bloom about five years ago. When I saw that he was the author of this book I wanted to give it a try even though I'm not a fan of sports history. I'm glad that I did. It was a really good read.I grew up with Howard Cosell, Monday Night Football, Wide World of Sports, and Muhammed Ali. However I was not aware that behind the scenes of what, until I read this book, I considered to be simply sports entertainment programming, was a demonstration of social change at work. I was unaware that Howard Cosell was the first broadcaster to acknowledge Muhammed Ali's name change from Cassius Clay, nor did I ever stop to recognize Cosell's further support of civil rights. I was also unaware of the prejudices against Mr. Cosell's ethnicity that had to be overcome for him to rise to his position in sports broadcasting. Quite frankly, it never occurred to me that Howard Cosell was Jewish, or that it mattered. Things have certainly changed in the last forty years, and some credit can be given to Mr. Cosell.John Bloom has expertly weaved together a work of popular sports history with academic social analysis. The best evidence I can provide is that the book lead to a lively discussion about 70's sports around my house. If it makes you talk about it, it must be a good book.

Total Cosell propaganda

This is an excellent scholarly overview of Cosell's career and its cultural significance. It should appeal to both a scholarly and popular audience.