Where They Were Then

15 sportscasters who made it to the big leagues. 15 different paths to success. 15 unique, unbelievable, and previously untold stories.

"This is fascinating stuff." -Bob Costas, Hall of Fame broadcaster

"Hilarious... impossible-to-believe stories." -Darren Rovell, Sports Business Writer, ESPN, CNBC, The Action Network

"A fun and insightful read..." -Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic gold medalist, author

Where They Were Then: Sportscasters features first-person narratives of the early career paths of some of America's most popular sports broadcasters, including Scott Van Pelt, Trey Wingo, Kenny Mayne, John Buccigross, Heidi Watney, and Stan Verrett.

Each story is captivating, but here are some of the highlights:

*Which famous sportscaster...

-Did an entire TV segment with an IV in his arm?

-Was chased down the streets of Las Vegas while working on a prostitution story?

-Helped launch Shaquille O'Neal's rap career?

They may be covering the world's biggest sporting events today, but when you read "Where They Were Then" you'll learn that's not what they covered at their first jobs. Instead, they reported on: Ostrich racing, ice fishing, mountainside furniture racing, high school volleyball, rookie league baseball, and whatever was going on at the local rodeo.

Author - and former ESPN anchor - Scott Reiss provides a unique backdrop to it all, having anchored sports at the national, regional, and local levels. He shares highly-entertaining, personal tales of life in the formative stages of TV sports, and ties together these individual accounts with commentary and additional insight.

Whether you just love sports, want to know more about your favorite sportscasters, or want to learn what it takes to start at the bottom and work your way to the top, reading the stories in "Where They Were Then" will be time well spent.