"Named one of the most anticipated nonfiction books of 2026 by The New York Times Book Review
The definitive, colorful history of American sports betting that challenges the dialogue around one of our country’s fastest growing (and most controversial) industries.
Taking listeners on a rollicking journey through the history of American sports betting, Over/Under proposes a fascinating and unexpected theory: What if sports betting isn’t just a result of the multibillion-dollar American sports industry, but rather the primary reason for it? An essential catalyst for nearly two hundred years of sports fandom and obsession?
The narrative starts in mid-nineteenth-century New York City, as a new sport called baseball lures bettors out of shadowy gambling halls and into the fresh air. The story then heads to Churchill Downs and Augusta National Golf Club where sports betting dresses up in fancy outfits, to Chicago and Minneapolis where sports betting meets the Mafia and gets some structure, and to Las Vegas and the Caribbean where sports betting makes some people very rich.
Along the way, the story rolls out a cast of colorful characters: hustlers, wise guys, moguls, opportunists, grifters, touts. A parade of personalities, year after year, all trying to make a quick buck. Because isn’t that the whole point?
Written for those eager to explore the history of a recently-legalized industry—one that’s been described both as a financial bonanza and an impending disaster—Over/Under is poised to become the definitive history of a controversial industry in the midst of incredible, yet uncertain, growth."
"In Game On David Bockino, a former marketing and advertising manager at ESPN turned professor of communications and sport management, provides the first overview of the evolution of the sports media industry.
From the groundbreaking radio broadcast of the Jack Dempsey—Georges Carpentier boxing match in 1921 and the launch of Sports Illustrated magazine in 1954 to the birth of ESPN in 1979 and the unveiling of the NFL's yellow line in 1998, Game On details the most important events, platforms, and personalities in the evolution of the sports media industry. Increased interest led to more innovation and more options—cable TV, sports talk radio, internet broadcasts, and now multitudes of podcasts. Today the personalization of sports content means broadcasters increasingly focus on what individual consumers want, often at the expense of the collective fan experience.
Exploring the evolution of the sports media industry can tell us a lot about how our world has changed over the past hundred years and how it might yet change in the future. Through an exploration of sports media trends, Bockino shows that the industry's privileging of personal over collective interests reflects how people today form and maintain their social identities—and sports' key role in shaping them."
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