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The Fastest Kid on the Block
The Marty Glickman Story
Marty Glickman with Stan Isaacs
Paper $19.95
| 978-0-8156-0574-4
| 1999
"The legendary athlete and broadcasting pioneer recounts with great emotion the triumphs and setbacks of nearly seven decades in the sporting world. As the title of this engaging memoir suggests, Glickman discovered at an early age that he could indeed run faster than the other children in his neighborhood. And then, more sadly, he discovered that ability alone would not always be enough. This was made painfully evident when Glickman and Sam Stoller, the only Jews on the 1936 American Olympic track and field team, were dropped at the last minute by team coaches and officials (most notably Avery Brundage, head of the US Olympic Committee and an acknowledged Nazi sympathizer) from the 400-meter relay....
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The games were held that year in Berlin. Putting aside his anger, Glickman went on to become a world-class runner and an All-American football player at Syracuse University; his gridiron fame eventually led him to a career in broadcasting.
Glickman has covered almost everything, from pro wrestling to hockey, football, baseball, and basketball. With the same spare, candid style that he exhibited in the press box, Glickman discusses the freewheeling heyday of radio sports broadcasting; the early days of TV broadcasting; and the rise to primacy of sports on the American cultural landscape. He also shares with readers a wealth of tales about such sports and broadcasting immortals as Wilt Chamberlain, Joe Namath, Howard Cosell (whom Glickman criticizes for always having ‘made himself more important than the event’), and Roone Arledge. While not shy about touting his own accomplishments (particularly his role in the growth of HBO, where he served as the first sports director), Glickman does not gloss over his mistakes, such as his slowness to acknowledge that college basketball in the late 1940s and early 1950s was badly tainted by gambling. A frank, fascinating memoir by a remarkable reporter."—Kirkus Reviews (This text refers to the Hardcover edition.)
"The Fastest Kid on the Block is an entertaining and lively insider’s account of the early years of sports broadcasting."—New York History
"In The Fastest Kid on the Block Marty Glickman treats the reader to an insider’s view of the sports world, garnered from his experience spanning well over five decades. At the heart of this sports autobiography is the notorious incident at the 1936 ‘Nazi Olympics’ in Berlin. Glickman and Sam Stroller were dropped from the 400-meter relay team because they were Jews. Glickman gives us revelatory insight into how that decision was implemented. He also recounts his football days at Syracuse University and then his amazing sports broadcasting career. The Fastest Kid on the Block is a ‘window in time’ biography by a man who pulls no punches, either with himself, the sports industry, or the reader."—Midwest Book Review (This text refers to the Hardcover edition.)
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Marty Glickman was a standout football player and sprinter at Syracuse University who earned a place on the 1936 Olympic track team. He was the first former athlete to carve out a career as a sports broadcaster. Glickman was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Sportscasters Hall of Fame, and the New York Sports Hall of Fame.
Stan Isaacs, a long-time feature and sports media columnist for Newsday, now writes a column for ESPN Zone. He won a National Headliners Award and has appeared in Sports Illustrated, the Nation, and the New York Times. He is a graduate of Brooklyn College and a former fellow at Stanford University.
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Marty Glickman began his career in the mid-1930s, just a few years after sports broadcasting began. From his experience in the industry during these early days, Glickman is uniquely able to provide a historical perspective on the profession as it has grown into a powerful force in sports. In this spirited autobiography he brings to life the most influential teams and personalities in the sports world.
Some of the topics he covers in this Large Print edition include growing up during the Depression; high school and college athletics; jocks in broadcasting; originating basketball broadcasting; and recreating baseball games. Glickman discusses being the pioneer broadcaster on cable TV for Home Box Office (HBO), being an announcer coach for NBC and for the Madison Square Garden and Sports Channel cable networks, and coaching the first woman to do play-by-play on a professional football telecast. He also recounts associations and friendships with Bill Bradley, Bill Russell, Red Auerbach, and Allie Sherman.
The Fastest Kid on the Block concludes with trenchant observations about Glickman’s fellow sports broadcasters and personal tips on how to break into the competitive, wonderful world of sports broadcasting.
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