Podcast appearances and mentions of pete croatto

Miles and Jack were pleased to be joined by NBA historian and author Pete Croatto for today's episode. The trio discussed Team USA's continued dominance and some of the other Olympic highlights before shifting to our 90s nostalgia conversation. Pete waxes poetic about Patrick Ewing, Arvydas Sabonis and the late, great Drazen Petrovic!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Miles and Jack were pleased to be joined by NBA historian and author Pete Croatto for today's episode. The trio discussed Team USA's continued dominance and some of the other Olympic highlights before shifting to our 90s nostalgia conversation. Pete waxes poetic about Patrick Ewing, Arvydas Sabonis and the late, great Drazen Petrovic!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest for this episode is Deremy Dove, from Bigger Than the Game podcast with Deremy and Jose. Deremy and Jose break down sports of all sorts from a historical perspective. Their most recent episode is also a rewatch. They broke down Game 4 of the 1983 NBA finals, Sixers v Lakers, with guest Pete Croatto which you can find here.  I brought on Deremy today to do a watchalong of the 2000 Portland Trail Blazers v LA Lakers Game 7. I want to deep dive into this game because I recently read Kerry Eggers book “Jail Blazers' which chronicles the rise and fall of the early 2000s Portland Trail Blazers. It got me really thinking about great teams that never won it all. You can find the game here, but I can't promise the video will be up when you click the link! Knowledge Brews Supreme is sponsored by Sleeves Sold Separately. Sleeves Sold Separately is a brand of athleisure clothing for men who train hard and want to look good too. The clothes that these wonderful folks make are an absolute game changer. Their products are designed and manufactured in Los Angeles, USA, shipped directly to your home! Sleeves Sold Separately offer a wide variety of athleisure clothing such as the wife lover tank, classic sleeveless hoodie, lungeman shorts in 4” and 6” seams, and much more. My listeners can get 15% off your first order using the promo code KNOWLEDGE15 at their website. Knowledge Brews Supreme is also sponsored by Barnana snacks, changing the snack game one bag at a time! Barnana is a healthy, sustainable alternative to some of your favorite snacks. I love their Himalayan Sea Salt Plantain chips without three ingredients - Himalayan sea salt, plantains, and coconut oil! You find this and much more at their website.

This episode is from our YouTube channel from May.  We did a rewatch of Game 4 of the 1983 NBA Finals with Pete Croatto! Pete is a freelance journalist covering sports and pop culture. He wrote an oral history about the '83 Sixers earlier this year and he provided some great insight into that team. We talked about the historic 1983 76ers, and rewatched the second half of Game 4 between the Sixers and the Lakers! All this and more on Bigger Than The Game with Deremy and Jose!!  Here is a link to the article Pete wrote on the 83 Sixers. https://www.phillymag.com/news/2023/04/22/76ers-1983-championship/

Pete Croatto is a freelance writer and author of From Hang Time to Prime Time. He's back to talk about that strange post-book period.Newsletter: Rage Against the Algorithm on BeehiivShow notes: brendanomeara.comSocial: @CNFPod and @creativenonfictionpodcast

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the 50s and 60s, the NBA was barely a professional league. Today it is a powerhouse worth billions. Here is the story of how that happened with author Pete Croatto. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Bigger Than The Game the fellas are looking back on the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers!!! It's been 40 years since that legendary team won the nba championship . The guys talk about why this team feels forgotten compared to other teams of the golden era 1980's NBA. They look at the run the Sixers had in the early to mid 80's and how great those teams were. They talk about the careers of Dr. J and Moses Malone and the impact they left on the NBA. And where this team should be ranked and remembered. Also how do we look at "Fo, Fo Fo" and how should it be though of. All this and more on Bigger Than The Game with Deremy and Jose!! Check out friend of the show Pete Croatto 's article on the 40th anniversary of the 83 76ers right here !!! https://www.phillymag.com/news/2023/04/22/76ers-1983-championship/ 

With some of our student listeners looking for work, Mark Simon thought this would be a good episode of The Journalism Salute to provide guidance should any of them wish to do freelance work.Pete talked about his freelancing career and provided instructive examples from work he's done, including a recent Q&A with former Super Bowl-winning coach Tom Coughlin, as well as feature profiles, movie reviews, oral histories, and his book on the growth of the NBA, From Hang Time To Prime Time. Pete provided examples on how to handle idea generation, pitching, question writing, and organization, as well as overarching advice for aspiring freelancers.Pete's salute: Parker MolloyThank you as always for listening. Please send us feedback at journalismsalute@gmail.com, visit our website at thejournalismsalute.org and Mark's website (MarkSimonmedia.com) or tweet us at @journalismpod.

On this episode of Our American Stories, in the 1950's and 60's the NBA could hardly be considered a professional sports league. Players held second jobs, played in small arenas, and no team existed west of Saint Louis. Today it's an 8.3 billion dollar entertainment and cultural icon. Pete Croatto, author of From Hang Time to Prime Time, explains how that happened. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1989 the NBA signed a $600 million contract with NBC to have the network air their games for four years. It was a long road to get there though. Pete Croatto, author of From Hang Time to Prime Time, tells the story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the often chosen for book tours #BallisBae NBA Podcast, we talk to author Pete Croatto who talks about his latest book, From Hang Time to Prime Time. The book is a time machine transporting us to the years between 1975-1989 and the steps the NBA took to becoem the global giant it is today. We talk about the principles of media in this age of race-to-first philosophy, the need for nuance, and how the media coverage of the NBA has changed with the NBA.

On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1989 the NBA signed a $600 million contract with NBC to have the network air their games for four years. It was a long road to get there though. Pete Croatto, author of From Hang Time to Prime Time, tells the story. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Miles and Jack were honored to be joined by NBA Historian and author Pete Croatto for this week's episode. No better guest to have join the conversation during the league's Best of NBA Week!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Miles and Jack were honored to be joined by NBA Historian and author Pete Croatto for this week's episode. No better guest to have join the conversation during the league's Best of NBA Week!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author Pete Croatto joins Daniel Ford on the show to chat about his book From Hang Time To Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA. To learn more about Pete Croatto, follow him on Twitter. Also listen to his appearance on Pop Literacy. Writer's Bone is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm, Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog, The Thoughtful Bro, and A Mighty Blaze podcast.

On this episode of Our American Stories, The History Guy remembers a truly extraordinary Civil War heroine, Mary Edwards Walker. She was the only woman in United States history to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Pete Croatto, author of From Hang Time to Prime Time, explains how the NBA became an 8.3 billion dollar entertainment and cultural icon. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Time Codes: 00:00 - The Only Woman to be Awarded the Medal of Honor?! 10:00 -  How a Regional Fascination Became an International Obsession See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're joined by author Pete Croatto to discuss his book From “Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern NBA” and the era in which the NBA went from an also-ran to the global monster it is today. Plus a very quick “does this guy switch teams” on the eve of free agency.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Paul Kotz gives a touching tribute to his father with reference to a time when Paul needed a great deal of encouragement and his father turned to an American novelist. Pete Croatto, author of From Hang Time to Prime Time, explains how the NBA became an 8.3 billion dollar entertainment and cultural icon. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)   Time Codes: 00:00 - Inspiration from Dad and Kerouac 12:30 - From Hangtime to Primetime: The Rise of the NBA See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Patty Kingsbaker from Colorado not only has a great Elvis story, but she is very good at telling it! Pete Croatto, author of From Hang Time to Prime Time, explains how the NBA became an 8.3 billion dollar entertainment and cultural icon. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)   Time Codes: 00:00 - The Time Patty Kingsbaker met Elvis 12:30 - How the NBA Went from Regional League to Global Phenomenon  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interview with Author Pete Croatto. His Book From Hang Time to Prime Time. Explores the NBA's surge in popularity in the 70's and 80's and it's transformation into a global cultural institution. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-swish/support

Short episode this week! Dre read's his piece on David Ortiz and the Hall of Fame (https://nerdnumbers.substack.com/p/why-the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is) Also, extra content! Dre's thoughts on the Naismith Hall of Fame compared to Cooperstown. Issues with Hall of Fame and player evaluations in general. Also is Andrew Wiggins a star, and what the Warriors say about the myth of meritocracy! Shout out to Pete Croatto for his perfect encapsulation of the NBA All-Star game - https://twitter.com/PeteCroatto/status/1487067158467293185  

The Sports Rabbi welcomed aboard Pete Croatto to discuss his fantastic book “From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA” as we delve into how the National Basketball Association has become the greatest and most influential sports league in the world. Make to pick up Pete's great book below!Subscribe to The Sports Rabbi Show on iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts.

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) has Pete Croatto (@petecroatto), author of the book "From Hang Time to Prime Time," on to discuss the NBA's marketing advancements during the David Stern era, and how the late commissioner always had a global mindset.Follow us on Twitter: @TheNBAPod

In a couple of our favorite author interviews, Pete Croatto discusses the business of the NBA, and Michael O'Keeffe chats about the Honus Wagner T-206 card.

Ira On Sports - Pete Croatto 111521 by Ira On Sports

Jabari Davis is back with another really fun panel of guests to discuss a series of hip-hop vs NBA comparisons, favorite holiday foods + what NOT to do when cooking for the holidays and the usual banter about heroes and fallen heroes of yesteryear.HUGE thanks to Pete Croatto, writer, NBA historian and author of From Hang Time To Prime Time for joining! Make sure you follow Pete @petecroatto and if you're interested in his book, you can find it here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/book...HUGE thanks to both The Mojo King, host of Hidden Gems DFS Golf and his co-host on Hidden Gems Hip-Hop, Willie Freeman for joining as well! You can follow them at @apowermojo and @williefreeman, respectively. You can find, subscribe, rate and review their shows here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...You can find all of 19 Media Group's fantastic programming here: https://19mediagroup.com/Support for Never Meet Your Heroes is brought to you in part by MyBookie. Don't wait, head to MyBookie today to redeem your double deposit bonus, so you can get in the game and start winning now! To get yourself started, use promo code HEROES to receive double your first deposit instantly. That's promo code HEROES so you can double your funds, to double your winnings Bet anything, anytime, anywhere with MyBookie!

Pete Croatto breaks down the whos, whys, whens, and wheres of his acclaimed book about the creation of the modern NBA, as well as his predilection for collecting oddball memorabilia.

Parker Molloy: Joining me this week is Pete Croatto. Hey Pete.Pete Croatto: Hey Parker. How are you?I'm doing okay. I'm hanging in there. I'm surviving. It's becoming fall. It's getting cold outside. I love it.Me too.It's rainy right now. It's fine.Matches my mood. I love it.So you wrote a book about the NBA and how it became so entwined with pop culture. Can you tell me a little bit about your background and your book?Certainly. Yeah, I mean, I don't know if I'd consider myself to be a sports writer. I mean, I've written about sports for years and for Slam and the old good Deadspin and Grantland and various outlets. But I've always been driven kind of by my curiosity about certain topics and yeah, and that's kind of kept me afloat, but I've never really been a beat reporter or a sports reporter. And I'm pursued by my curiosity more than anything.So about eight years ago... Wow, it seems like a long time ago, I wrote a piece for Grantland on Marvin Gaye's National Anthem at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game. And that piece was about... I interviewed 25 people and it was 2,500 words and it was a piece I'm very proud of and it's still on the Grantland site. But in writing and reporting that story, there were just a lot of unanswered questions. And the one thing that I kept going back to was how did the NBA get to a moment where Marvin Gaye went from being this scandalous choice, who does this rendition of a national Anthem that is soulful and R&B flavored and really is unlike anything anyone has ever heard before, where that becomes normal, where that becomes like where someone like Fergie singing the National Anthem is normal or...How did the NBA become the cool sport? That whole point in the market transition between the old stodgy NBA and the NBA that we see today. And I couldn't really explore that in a 2,500-word piece. And I kind of became convinced that this was a book. So through several years later and a lot of false starts and a lot of questionable decisions on my end, I wrote this book. But yeah, never really been a sports writer. I've been a freelance writer for 15 years now. I started off in newspapers and just by happenstance and good fortune, I got into sports writing.Well, that's cool. Yeah. I mean, I really liked your book because it- It really took this... Which, up until I've moved a few months back I had it next to my desk, but now I don't. It's a good book it's called From... I don't want to get it backwards. From Hang Time to Prime Time, right?There you go. Yeah.Yes. From Prime Time to Hang Time, to whatever time to... Yeah.The orange book. That's what I call it.It’s the orange book with the TV head and the dunking. I'll be sure on the transcript of this to include a photo of the book cover so people will know what the hell I'm talking about. But yeah. The book is filled with a ton of really interesting stories and it's something that I kind of thought about, but haven't necessarily put in much research trying to look some of the stuff up. Because I mean, I remember it was just... I mean, it seems like it was just a few years ago, but it's possible it was longer, where players would be fined for not wearing the proper attire to the pre-game stuff. It was very uptight and fairly recently, and now it seems like it's gotten to this point where the players have really taken it upon themselves to express themselves and to kind of ease out of that sort of era. What do you attribute to that?That's a good question. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that if you look at the NBA's demographics now, it's mostly African American. And I think as time has gone on hip hop culture has really become mainstream more so. With each year that passes by, it becomes more and more ingrained into the culture. And that's really what you see now is you see things that would've been, again, dismissed 15, 16 years ago are now just sort of... It's normal. It's the way things are. I mean, it takes a long time for things to become embraced into the culture. And I think what you're seeing now, again with the whole fashion element of the NBA becoming a very hip hop league, a league that isn't very suit and tie like the NFL. That I think that's a very much a reflection of who's in the league and also how the culture's changed.You made a good point just now with the dress code. I really think that had everything to do with David Stern being the NBA Commissioner at the time. And David Stern is a key figure in this book, but at the time of the dress code ban, I think he was in his mid sixties, early sixties. And he was at a time in his life, like a lot of people where you get older and you don't understand things. And when you don't understand your first reaction is to chastise or to ban, or to make a rule, instead of asking questions and understanding what the intentions are. To me, David Stern's failings as a commissioner kind of came to light as he got older. And he got older and the players kind of stayed the same age, they're all still men in their twenties and thirties for the most part and younger as the NBA draft became more about getting high school kids in there.Yeah. Definitely. For some reason when you said that, the first thing that popped into my head was David Stern doing Matthew McConaughey's line from Dazed and Confused. He's getting older, they stay the same.Yeah. I'm not going to even adventure to do impression of David Stern doing Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused. I have so much collateral as a public person. I'm going to make sure to stop right there.Yeah. You don't want to become known as the guy trying to do David Stern as McConaughey.No, nobody wants that.But yeah, I mean, so one thing that I do is I... A few years ago I started to get into video games again. Because that's the thing, whenever the world gets crazier, I pick up a hobby that seems to be from my childhood. I was just showing you earlier. Baseball cards, that's my new one. Picking up baseball cards. So a few years back, I just kind of on a whim was like, "I'm going to buy a Nintendo Switch because that way I can play games" because I was playing a lot of games on my phone and what would happen is I'd get popups that were always terrifying. It was always like, "Hey, Trump just did this crazy thing." And it was like, "oh no, that is not relaxing. I can't relax when I'm holding this thing that constantly tells me what's happening in the world."I bought a Switch. And then from the Switch, I ended up getting a PlayStation. And once I had the PlayStation, I started buying all the sports games as they came in. Madden and MLB: The Show and NBA 2K, that series. And so in the latest one, latest NBA 2K game, which came out just, I don't know, like a month or two ago. It's really interesting how the cultural elements plays into the whole thing. If you do the MyCareer mode. Yeah. There's this thing where you can do certain things and get points toward becoming a music mogul. Or you can do something else and, and start your own fashion line.And it's really interesting how much non-basketball stuff plays into it. But it seems to work. I mean, a while back, I was tweeting about playing it where I'm like, "there is basketball in this game at some point." But the player that you are in the MyCareer mode, it's like a guy who made videos and he's a YouTube star and now he's basketball star. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense because it's not actually a path to the NBA that you actually seem to take, but it's a lot of fun. And I thought that it was really interesting to see how that kind of worked in. One thing I have been thinking about, which is also kind of represented in the game in the sense that there are a lot of, really not so subtle, advertisements built into that like the dude who plays Jake from State Farm.I saw that. That was crazy.He's in the game. And he shows up several times. At one point he's in your apartment. You come back from a game and he's like at your table. It's weird. It's very strange.Do you think any player in any sport wants to hang out with Jake from State FarmProbably not.I can't imagine anybody like Russell Westbrook or Aaron Rodgers actually wanting to spend their spare time with Jake from State Farm.Yeah. So he's in there, but then I thought, "Oh man, that's not really subtle," but that reminded me of how now on the uniforms for the past few seasons, there have been all these ads. What are your thoughts on the advertisements on the uniforms? I'm not a fan. And I mean, I feel like it'd be weird to be like, "yes, I love this," but how much?See, I'm not a giant fan of them, but I understand why the NBA does it. And what you mentioned before about this whole... The marketing being folded into NBA 2K, which is delightfully absent from the NBA Jam console arcade game that my family got me, that's what the NBA's always done. The NBA has always had an alliance, sometimes an uncomfortable alliance with his advertisers and it's been this way forever, starting back to. I mean, how many leagues have advertisements for their own product? The NBA action, it's fantastic. So that has been baked into the NBA for years. So the logos don't really bother me. I don't like them aesthetically, but to me, this is what the NBA's always been about.One of the guys I spoke to for the book, Joe Cohen, who founded MSG Network, he delivered the quote, which I think explains everything about the NBA and why we're able to roll with the punches as well as we do. He said that the NBA's tradition is that it has no tradition. So all these things that you see with the video games and the patches, and even the advertisements on the floor, have you noticed this, where it kind of switches over every quarter? Those things seem weird and kind of Orwellian, if I hope I'm using that term correctly, but they-Well, no one else is, so.I'm going to hop on. It all seems doomed because the NBA has always been about never staying still. I'm curious to hear your thoughts of this, because the one uniform thing that bugs me to death is the whole home and away concept, now. Teams don't seem to wear a light color for home or dark color for away, now it's reversed. And it takes me five minutes to figure out who the hell's playing who. Is this in Phoenix or LA? I don't know. That annoys me more than the patches, but the patches, it's a bit much. But the NBA is in it to make money and that's what they do year after year after year.Yeah. I mean, I was glad to hear that there was a tweet earlier, right before the season started, from the Bulls that were like "white uniforms are back at home" and it's like, "Finally. Finally."It's a relief, isn't it?Because yeah. It was weird, because, I mean, growing up in and around Chicago, the Bulls were everything to me, especially in the nineties.Oh God. Yeah.I was 14, 15 years old. And Michael Jordan doing all that stuff. It was great. It was wonderful. And yeah, I was like "the red uniform is better, but white at home." And it was just sort of tradition that kind of kept going on. In other sports they have their traditions. Football, darker colors home and white away, which I think is kind of... Really makes sense in the sense that you've got the away team all muddy and...Yeah, I love it.They look like they've taken a beating, which is kind of I think somewhat of the idea behind that. And then there've always been exceptions like the Dallas Cowboys would always wear white at home and white on the road. So almost always white. But yeah, it's been interesting to see the uniform sort of flip around like that. I mean, I'm a big fan of the interesting and kind of out there throwbacks and remixes and all of that stuff. I mean, some of them are better than others. What are your thoughts on those?And there's a lot of thought because in the few moments that I have to myself, my mind kind of goes in these weird directions and I'm of the belief that there hasn't been a great uniform in any major sport that has been created past 1985. I mean, if you look at the classic NBA uniforms and even NFL, Major League Baseball, the four major sports, I can't think of a... I am hard-pressed to think of a great uniform that came out after 1985. So I love seeing the throwbacks. I love seeing in any sport. I mean, there are some exceptions that are horrible. I remember the Eagles a few years back had that horrible blue and yellow combination. And the Steelers had one that where they looked like barber poles with black... Or bumblebees.But for the most part, I love throwbacks. And the thing too with throwbacks is that for all these leagues, it's a money maker because you can now sell like all this stuff online or at Mitchell & Ness. And everyone comes to go about that happy. But with the NBA, every time they unveil a new uniform, especially those ones that were, was it the city uniforms that came out? I just cringe. I love the classic seventies, eighties, even early nineties uniforms. And those Bulls' uniforms are a good example. They're classic.Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's the thing, that Bulls can't really change them because not much has changed about their uniforms over the years. I mean, they've had some differences, they introduced the black uniforms in the nineties. That was one. The black-Those I like.The red stripes.I liked those pinstripes. Yeah. Those are cool.Those were cool. And then they replaced those with an all-black that didn't have the pinstripes, which is fine. My favorite uniform growing up, I mean, was always the Sonics' uniform. The green with the white stripes across. It just said Sonics.Love those uniforms.Those were my favorite. And I was very disappointed when they updated those in, I think it was, '95 or '96.So you're more disappointed about the uniforms being updated. Were you more upset about the uniforms being updated or the Sonics being stolen from Seattle? Is it a toss-up?It's a little of both because it's like... I don't know. The Oklahoma City Thunder? Come on. That's...And those are terrible uniforms.Yes.I don't know. The Sonics' uniforms in the seventies are great. Those are great uniforms. The Bucks' uniforms in the seventies with sort of their kelly green with red, they're gorgeous. I don't know. I'm trying to think of a uniform from like... You know who has good uniforms now in the NBA? I think the Warriors have really good uniforms. I think they're clean. The logo pops. The color scheme is great. It's a beautiful uniform. But yeah, most uniforms now, I look at them and it just looks like, I don't know, it looks like something a middle-age dad would wear to a picnic. And not the cool middle-aged dad, but the dad who's maybe been divorced, trying to find their way, they pick up this cool tank top at, I don't know, Kohl's or another gentleman's store. And it is just not a good fit.But look, I'm very different. I'm not the market for the NBA. I'm a 44-year-old white dude. The NBA's not looking for my dollars. So I don't think Adam Silver or anybody else in Olympic Tower is going to be returning my phone calls about the uniform. So.Yeah. I have suggestions, just screaming those out there. I remember in the nineties, there were a lot of really drastic shifts in uniforms. Especially mid, late-nineties, the Rockets adopted that—Awful.Weird blue with 3D silver.Awful. It was awful. Awful.It was a mess. You had the Detroit Pistons, that was one that was a big change.Yeah. There-I didn't hate it, but it was just so different that you-It was very different.Where did this come from?And I think I remember reading somewhere, and I could be wrong about this, but I think all those designs that you saw and there are only a... And look, a few of the teams kind of stuck to the traditional ways of having their uniforms, the Lakers, the Celtics, the Knicks to a certain extent. I remember reading this and I could be wrong, but around 1996, which is when the shift started to happen, there was sort of a movement to make the logos more kid-friendly and to make it more eye-popping. So again, that meant that 85% of the teams, the logos, and the jerseys got bigger and bolder and more colorful, and they weren't as subdued as past, but the Rockets' one was awful.So the Rockets on the box was another example. The Jazz with that airbrushed mountains, which looks like the fun of an off-brand Seltzer company. It became, again, geared toward the kids. It's funny, in perusing Twitter, which is never a good idea.No.No. As you know better than anybody. Perusing Twitter, you do see a lot of older NBA fans, which I think is great, but the thing is those fans are going to stay no matter what, like "I'm going to be an NBA fan, regardless of who's wearing what." But again, the entry point, I think the uniforms and the logos and the court design stuff, those are sort of gateway drugs to get casual fans involved because like, "I'm not going anywhere." So, if the Bucks want to actually put on deer uniforms in two years and play, they can do that and get away with as long as the game doesn't fundamentally change. So yeah.Yeah, that's good. That's a great point. I mean, and really interesting. I guess I hadn't really thought about the fact that it was kind of more kid-friendly. I was just like, "it's really in your face." It was like-It really is. Yeah.It was like the Mountain Dew generation.That's a good point though. Those logos and those uniform designs, let's say from like '98 to 2004, 2005, they could go on an energy drink can.Yeah. Oh, absolutely.The colors are the same. The logo. And again, if you're a traditionalist who grew up with Dolph Schayes and two-handed set shots, that angers you because it's unfamiliar and it's ridiculous. But if you're someone who grew up in that era, in the eighties and nineties where it's like, "well, every year there's something different." Like, "it's all right." It's the same old stuff. It's the same. Change becomes consistency. When you get used to that, it's golden.Yeah. Definitely. One non-uniform thing I wanted to ask you about, which— Actually, one more point on uniforms. My favorite uniforms of all time are actually not an NBA team's uniform, but my favorite basketball uniforms of all time, it's a two-way tie both from the year 1996. You've got the Olympic uniforms, which I love them.Those are good. Those are with the cursive USA.Yeah.Those are nice.And I love the font that they use for the numbers.That's a good one.And also the 1996 All-Star uniforms, the...teal. It was when they were playing, I think it was in San Antonio. So it used to all be like-Oh, God. Yes.Be like... The... teal and the pink and the orange were the alternate colors down in this first list.See, those uniforms are so bad they're good. They go around. Those uniform... Yeah. I think Mitchell & Ness now sells them. But they look like they're playing for a Mexican food league.I guess. Kind of.But that's the appeal. But that just goes to show you too, if baseball did that, the s**t would just be nonstop about like, "you're denigrating the game," but the NBA can deck their teams out in uniforms where it looks like team Taco Bell playing against like [inaudible]. It didn't really bother anybody. It was like, "that's odd."It was fun, it was different.But then we went about our business. And that's kind of the whole NBA right there. Again there's going to be stuff, but if you get to see Michael Jordan play who cares? And I'm sure that— that was the Jordan All-Star Game '96. So yeah, I'm sure. So you weren't caring about what he was wearing, right? It was just, he's Michael Jordan, that's all that matters.Exactly. And yeah.I have to ask you, do you have either one of those jerseys?I have the USA one. It's a Shaquille O'Neal jersey — number 13.Right. He was 13. Okay.Yeah. Two years ago, actually, I went back to my parents' place to kind of just rummage through their basement for a little bit. And one of the things I did was I was picking on all the old NBA jerseys, those old Champion jerseys and-I love those jerseys.Yeah. Those are always great. The one thing that always bothered me was that they would never be accurate, the Sonics' jersey didn't have the white stripe across the front. It just said Sonics. And it's like, "What is going on? Why don't you look good? How are you?" It made me want to shell out the money to get the actual replica jerseys. But then again, I was like 10 years old, so I didn't have any money at the time.So you didn't have $300 to put down on a Kendall Gill Sonics Jersey. You didn't have—Exactly. It was Shawn Kemp that was that- That was the one who was close to my heart. His dunks were amazing.The embarrassing jerseys that I have. Every once in a while, I'd go to outlet malls and I would just sort of buy whatever was around when I was a kid. The one Jersey that I have that I think is probably... I wish I had kept it because I think it was just so... Again, it was like the All-Star Game jersey for 96, so bad it was good. I actually spent like 20 bucks and I got a Sean Bradley, 76ers jersey with the 76 on the back. And I wore it playing pickup. And I was terrible. When you're playing pickup, you should never wear jerseys, I just think you always look like a chump.So that went right back into the drawer. I wish I had kept that though because that's one of those classic hipster jerseys. And I had a Tim Hardaway Jersey that I got rid of. Yeah. I had a few of them, but Sean Bradley is probably my prize in terms of get a load of this.Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Always fun to kind of keep up with the jerseys. But yeah. So anyway, so the one thing I wanted to ask you about was that, in the course of your reporting because... How many people did you interview for this book?Oh man. 350 for the original interview. And then you throw in the ones from previous reporting, it probably adds up to about 350, 360 total.So who was the most interesting interview you had and what was something that, before you started writing the book, you didn't know, that you learned and surprised you, that you found interesting in the course of reporting it out?I'll answer the second question first if you don't mind because it's always easy to come with that answer. I mean, I feel like I learned something every day. That was the joy of writing this book. And also the joy of just reporting anything is you get paid to learn and you get paid to, expand your horizons and get some perspective. So, I mean, every day I would go to my wife and be like, "Hey, you're not going to believe this. David Stern actually toured MLB studios to kind of get ideas for NBA entertainment." And after a while, my wife tuned me out and got back to reading her book.I feel like every day I was learning something. And every day there was another nugget I wanted to include, another nugget I felt I had to get in. But the thing that I think really stuck out in the reporting was just how important Larry O'Brien, the original commissioner was to the NBA's ascension. And that's for two reasons. The first reason was that at the time Larry O'Brien was a major political player. He was a two-time head of the Democratic National Committee. He was a member of JFK's inner circle. He was LBJs Postmaster General. So when the NBA hired him in '75, it was almost like a step down for him. I mean, now, if you're the commissioner, that's the summit. That is a career highlight. But for Larry O'Brien, it was a step down.But with Larry O'Brien, his hiring gave the NBA instant credibility, which is what it needed. The other thing too with Larry O'Brien was that he hired David Stern to work full-time. And he basically had David Stern be his right hand man saying, "Hey, look, I don't want..." Basically, Larry O'Brien was more of a figurehead. He was somebody who was just sort of there to keep things moving along. But David stern did all the dirty work. So by Larry O'Brien getting David stern out there to work with the GMs, talk to the labor people, talk to the owners, by time Larry O'Brien retires in 1984, David stern has a five year head start on the job. And on top of that he not only has that, but he has free rein to do whatever he wants. It was just a perfect setup, kind of like in baseball where the setup man leaves right into the... Is closer. That's really what it was with O'Brien and Stern.In terms of the most interesting person I spoke to. That's the thing, there weren't a lot of duds. It's funny, when you talk to them, many people think, "Oh, well, this guy's an a*****e or this person, does he have anything interesting to say?" But really, 95% of the people I spoke to were just great and they had amazing revelations. But the person who I thought was most interesting was a guy by the name Mark [inaudible 00:29:53], who was a former Nike executive, because to me, he had insights into Nike's dealings with the NBA and how they kind of brought Michael Jordan to the forefront and how they turned him into this sort of commercial property that I didn't know. I mean, I thought were just invaluable.But yeah. I mean, that's the thing. It's so hard for me to say, "Well, this person was by far the best person or the most interesting person," because when you talk to all these people who spent years, either working for the NBA or working for the NBA. And a lot of these people were in their thirties or twenties, a formative time in their lives. They're going to have interesting stories. They're going to have amazing memories. So really talking to just about anybody for this book was just a treat. And it was an honor to have them share a part of their lives with me, because it was a big part of their lives. It was a part that they were proud of, for the most part.Yeah, definitely. That's really interesting. And yeah, I mean, your book is filled with so many really interesting stories. And I really recommend it. If anyone who cares about basketball or sports generally, or even just culture, how we live our lives, it's a good book to pick up.And I definitely recommend that people check it out. I will, of course, include links to it and all of that in the transcript of this on my website. But yeah. The last thing I wanted to ask you was just, if you had to try to convince someone to check out pro basketball, to watch the NBA today, is there one story from the past that you think would be like a good bridge into the present?Oh man, that's a great question. To me, I think the social history of America can be told through the NBA because to me, that is... Look, if you start off with Bill Russell and his social justice moves in the 1960s, it moves on to the seventies, which becomes a more marketing-driven, more image-conscious time. Then it feeds into the rise of television, the rise of cable TV, and then with the 1990s you have the shoe industry becoming this colossal cultural force, which the NBA tied into, the same with hip hop. There are so many storylines and so much history that is imbued into NBA's history. To me, it's one and the same.I mean, we always talk about how you can fall. Who is it that said, I think, was it... Kind of forget who said it, but someone once wrote or said that to understand the history of America, you should follow baseball. I really think with modern American history, follow the NBA, because you see everything, not only in terms of just cultural history, but also in terms of African American history. And in terms of just the change in the athlete becoming an activist. I mean, that is a huge part of the NBA's history, is in the sixties, seventies, and today with LeBron James and other athletes kind of stepping up to the forefront. So to me I wrote this book in the hopes that someone who hates sports, who doesn't know, who can't tell Michael Jordan from Barbara Jordan could read the book and gain an* understanding as to the NBA's place in the modern American culture.And I think that's the beauty about sports is that sports really aren't about sports. So anybody who says, "well, the players should shut up and dribble." They're not getting it. They're not understanding the players as people and that this is a league. Every sport's about people. People shape the narrative, and this is what we're watching right now. We're watching people stand up and speak out, which was something that's always been part of, I think, the narrative in American sports.Great. That's an excellent point. We'll have to leave it there. Pete, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me about this. I really appreciate your insights on this issue and so much more. Is there anything other than the book that you want to plug?I don't know. I mean the book, yes. I mean, if you can... Oh, well actually, yes, you can buy my book at any major retailer. But also my brother, Dave has written a wonderful children's book called Batbot!, Which is from Golden Books. And it's out now. My soon-to-be five-year-old daughter had me and my wife read the book to her repeatedly for about two weeks. So it's really good. So if you're a Batman completist or you have a little one who loves Batman, please buy my brother, Dave Croatto's book, it's called Batbot! And can get it at any major online or brick-and-mortar retailer. Get full access to The Present Age at www.readthepresentage.com/subscribe

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Sarah talks to author Pete Croatto about how he wanted to become a film critic, how he pivoted to writing about sports, and his book From Hang Time to Prime Time, which covers the NBA's surge in popularity during the 1970s and 80s, the fascinating life of Larry O'Brien, and the business savvy of David Stern.

Sarah talks to author Pete Croatto about how he wanted to become a film critic, how he pivoted to writing about sports, and his book From Hang Time to Prime Time, which covers the NBA's surge in popularity during the 1970s and 80s, the fascinating life of Larry O'Brien, and the business savvy of David Stern,

Podcast Links: Apple/SpotifyIt almost becomes innate how you tell a story.Pete Croatto is a freelance writer and “idea vendor” (a term he borrowed from author Taffy Brodesser-Akner), based in Ithaca, New York.His first book, From Hang Time to Prime Time, was published by Atria Books in 2020.The New York Times writes that Mr. Croatto documents the broader cultures and social tensions of the modern NBA well.In this episode Pete and I discuss the following:Why finding an agent and publishing a book is like falling in love.The benefits of joining the American Society of Journalists and Authors (@ASJAhq).“The dirty little secret (of marketing) is that you're doing a lot of the work when the book comes out.”How he made his local, independent bookstore, Odyssey Books, his home base.The process of cold emailing media and podcasters. His “hit rate” from cold emails was 30%.How Larry O'Brien taking the job as NBA Commissioner in 1975 would be like Elizabeth Warren taking over the National Lacrosse League today.How O'Brien handled NBA owners by delegating and how David Stern served as O'Brien's lead blocker.Our mutual appreciation of Robert Caro.How telling a story is like coiling a garden hose.How Leon Huff, of the legendary “Philadelphia Soul” musical production team Gamble and Huff, gave Pete a great metaphor for writing a good scene. Huff said, in song production, “that ding (of a bell) can be the difference between a good song and a great song.” It's the same with the little details in your scene. Was O'Brien smoking Winstons or Camels? Did David Stern have eggs or oatmeal? The little details immerse the reader.You can find Pete on Twitter (@PeteCroatto).If you order directly from Odyssey Bookstore you can buy a signed copy of Pete's book, From Hang Time to Prime Time.Pete goes into detail about the process of finding an agent and getting a book deal. Here are the steps Pete took to publish his first book:Was a freelance journalist who wrote articles for various outlets, including a piece on Marvin Gaye singing the National Anthem at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game.In his reporting for the article Pete started unearthing a bigger story about how the NBA went from a “rinky-dink” league to a global brand, primarily due to Larry O'Brien, Commissioner of the NBA, from 1975 to 1984.Pete's editor at Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly), Mark Rotella (@MarkRotella), suggested Pete put together a proposal and Mark would send it to his agent.Spent a year on the proposal, which included an outline of each of the ten chapters, two completed sample chapters, and comparable books like Jeff Pearlman's (@jeffpearlman) Showtime and Jonathan Abrams (@Jpdabrams) Boys Among Men.Agent never replied.Pete joined the American Society of Journalists and Authors (@ASJAhq).Attended an in-person 2017 ASJA event and pitched his book to a roundtable of agentsOne agent, John Bowers (@John_W_Bowers) at The Bent Agency (http://www.thebentagency.com/), was interested and agreed to represent Pete.A month later John left the agency BUT passed Pete on to a more experienced agent, Louise Fury.Louise shopped the book and it was acquired by Atria Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.From proposal to book deal was five years.Here's the cover of Pete's book:Speaking of sports writing, my new book, Zen and the Art of Coaching Basketball: Memoir of a Namibian Odyssey, drops November 1st, as both print and e-book, exclusively on Amazon (it's not available for pre-order as I want to maximize first day sales).Pressure plays, buzzer-beaters, and mindfulness meditation: A team of teenagers goes for the championship in Namibia's professional basketball league....Here's a photo of our team captain, Sepo Libana, 19 years old.The “big idea” of the book is that he way we think about coaching sports is all wrong, that it doesn't have to be rooted in anger and intimidation and fear.Here's the cover:If you haven't yet, please hit the “Subscribe now” button to stay up-to-date.And please share this email/post with the coaches, players, and parents of middle-school and high-school athletes in your life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit benbo.substack.com

Dee & Gav talk to Pete Croatto about his book "From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA" , touching on the history of Basketball TV coverage , VHS Tapes , the Genius of David Stern , NBA Arena Experiences and much more. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hang-Time-Prime-Entertainment-Modern-Day/dp/1982103957 PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PICK & ROLL PODCAST https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pick-roll-podcast/id1293142777 https://soundcloud.com/user-120596851 https://www.pickandrolluk.com HOLLER https://twitter.com/pickandrolluk YOUTUBE CHANNEL https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXchpWbUOvKgGgXv1_2AZeA?view_as=subscriber

Author Pete Croatto, whose work has appeared in the New York Times, GQ and SportsIllustrated.com, among other places, discusses his debut book, "From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA." Check out some of the highlights below: 5:13-5:45: “You know, I've been doing this for a long time – I've been a professional writer for 23 years; I've been a freelance writer for about 15. And one thing I've learned is that this is a job, and I don't really have time to get wrapped up in the theatrics of writing. … I just have to go and just do it. It was almost like being shot out of a cannon, where you're kind of like, ‘Alright, I'm just doing this.'” 11:33-12:03: “We assume that it's always been this way. We assume that games have been available with a click of a button. We assume that we can find our favorite teams' gear or favorite players' shoes so easily. But that wasn't [always] the case. It was a long, hard struggle to get to relevance, and as times goes on and the NBA gets bigger and bigger and the players become bigger stars, we're gonna forget that. And we're already forgetting that.” 20:28-20:52: “It's always about the people, and I think that's the one thing about sports books that I think people who aren't familiar with them get bogged down. ‘Well, I'm not interested in the '27 Yankees or the '73 Lakers' or whatever. But if you're interested in people and their problems and their desires, then that book is as useful or as enlightening as any book you're going to read.” 28:56-29:22: “That is, to me, the beauty of the NBA is that it is never going to stand on its laurels or do the same old, same old, because they're gonna update it for the audience that has the most disposable income, which is teenagers, folks in their 20s, and that, to me, is the beautiful part of it. So yeah, they're gonna be flexible with the rules, they're gonna be flexible with how they organize the seasons and things like that.”  33:52-34:29: “The NBA is all about reinvention. It's all about trying to make it relevant for the cool kids. But they don't do that at the expense of the game. … It's still the best athletes in the world trying to get a basketball into a 10-foot high post. The essence of the game is never going to change. The things around that are gonna change to attract new viewers, to attract new fans.”    48:23-49:02: “The book is the triumph. The sales are gonna be what they are. The factors that affected publication or consumption are what they are, but nothing can dispute the fact that I wrote a book, I published it, it's out there. … That I was able to write a book when 10 years ago, 15 years ago, I didn't think I'd even be in writing, that, to me, is the triumph. Anything else after that is immaterial.” Sponsor: Use code TBPN during sign-up at DraftKings.com to claim your free shot at millions of dollars in total prizes.

@PeteCroatto on Twitter Summer Writing Programs Roger Ebert Movie Review Beat Writing & The Worst Job Ever VR Magazine Going Freelance New York Times, Grantland, SI.com, Vice Sports, GQ From Hangtime To Prime Time: Business Entertainment And The Birth Of The Modern-Day NBA Follow @BYRP365, & Please Subscribe & Review If You Enjoyed The Show. If Not, sorry, Pretend You Never Saw This. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ballyearround/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ballyearround/support

Thank You Coach Stan Johnson Finals Giannis Chris Paul Potential Trades TBT Best Virginia Team USA v France NBA Draft 2021 Pete Croatto this Sunday --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ballyearround/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ballyearround/support

Steve interviews Jimmy Traina (00:16:30) from Sports Illustrated and SI. com, Steve and Jimmy catch up on the latest sports media news. Jimmy explains he doesn't like soccer, the olympics, or much else on the sports calendar this summer. Steve and Jimmy talk about Howard Stern's vacation, the future of the Sunday Ticket, and the Maria Taylor/Rachel Nichols controversy. Jimmy also gives his thoughts on the upcoming Sopranos prequel. Also, Pete Coratto (01:04:02) joins us for the first time to talk about his new book, From Hang Time to Prime Time. Pete talks about the NBA's rise from tape-delay to prime time. Pete also talks about the review in the New York Times, the problems facing the NBA, and the legacy of David Stern. Steve starts the show talking about the New Orleans Saints, the Buffalo Sabres, and the Italian National team. The book club introduces four new books. The show ends with a tribute to Steve's friend Calvin Crowell. For more information follow the podcast on twitter @sports_casters Email: thesportscasters@gmail.com

#PeteCroatto #FromHangtimeToPrimetime #NBA Pete Croatto, Author of "From Hangtime to Primetime", discusses 3 events from 1975 through the 1980s that led to the NBA's rise into the mainstream. Be sure to follow Pete Croatto here: https://twitter.com/PeteCroatto And if you want a GREAT read, check out Pete's book, "From Hangtime to Primetime": https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/From-Hang-Time-to-Prime-Time/Pete-Croatto/9781982103958 Like – Share – Subscribe Listen to the full interview on our podcast feed: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsology/id1509790773 or anywhere you listen to podcasts! Join the conversation! Twitter: https://twitter.com/hoopsologypod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hoopsologypod/ IG: @hoopsologypod Thank you for your support! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hoopsology/support

Steve interviews L. Jon Wertheim (00:08:59) from Sports Illustrated and 60 Minutes to talk about his new book, Glory Days. First, Steve and Jon catch up talking about the reaction to the column that Jon wrote about The Sports-Casters. Next, Jon talks about writing Glory Days, the Karate Kid, Cyndi Lauper, Vince McMahon and more from the summer of 1984. Finally, Jon tries to explain the controversy at the French Open surrounding Naomi Osaka. Also, Brett Martin (01:01:24) joins us for the first time since 2014. Brett explains why it has been so long since he has appeared on the podcast. Brett also talks about The Sopranos, watching television and food. Steve starts the show with a very special guest. The book club has books by Pete Croatto. The show ends with a selection out of Frank Deford's NPR book about the difference between golf and tennis players. For more information follow the podcast on twitter @sports_casters Email: thesportscasters@gmail.com

On this episode of R&R on Sports, Howard and Larry are joined by Pete Croatto, author of From HangTime to PrimeTime, to discuss to history of the NBA that has led to the amazing success of the league today. Make sure to tune into this episode and the latest episodes of R&R on Sports on kudzukian.com or by downloading the Kudzukian App.   

Steve interviews Jay Mariotti (00:10:11) to talk about his career, tell his side of the story, and to remember The National. Jay is on for the first time and Steve gets into his career at The National, at ESPN, and of course writing about sports in Chicago. Jay does most of the talking, explains why he left ESPN, and mentions that Roger Ebert once called him an impolite name. Jay also talks about the future of The Athletic, his own future, and Steve wonders if he was an early victim of cancel culture. It's one of the most surreal hours in the history of the podcast and I can't wait for you to listen to it. Also, Dave Jordan (01:14:21) joins us to talk about the book he wrote with Dave Parker. Jordan explains how he met Parker, how they worked together to write this book, and how he feels about how the book has been reviewed so far. Jordan also talks about the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, the 1989 Oakland Athletics, and Parker's love of the Cincinnati Bengals. Steve starts the show setting up the Jay Mariotti interview. The book club has book by Jon Wertheim and Pete Croatto. The show ends with OLT celebrating Steve's first five years as a father. For more information follow the podcast on twitter @sports_casters Email: thesportscasters@gmail.com

Pete Croatto, who is the author of From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA, joined Matt Noonan earlier this week for a brand new Noontime Sports Podcast to discuss his book, as well as the National Basketball Association's (NBA) marketing success. Both Croatto and Noonan discuss an array of topics from the book, including the growth of the league (and yes, marketing, too) under David Stern to Dr. J, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson, and so much more! Interested in reading Croatto's book? If so, click here: https://www.amazon.com/Hang-Time-Prime-Entertainment-Modern-Day/dp/1982103957/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/noontime-sports/support

Welcome to the 19Nine Podcast. This Evening we are putting in extra work at Station 13 Breaking down the rise of the NBA with Pete Croatto Author of From Hang Time to Prime Time The birth of the Modern NBABusiness, Entertainment and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA.https://youtu.be/2vFebEJWnLE (WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE)Marvin Gaye Anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC-Jt58FbRc  Nike Commercial Marvin Gaye Anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbZTmcIfdBQGrantland Story: https://grantland.com/features/the-marvin-gaye-national-anthem/Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Hang-Time-Prime-Entertainment-Modern-Day/dp/1982103957/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1andkeywords=pete+croattoandqid=1616786331andsr=8-1Odyssey Books(for signed copies): https://www.odysseybookstore.com/19nine | Celebrating Hardwood History 19nine knows college basketball. Officially Licensed proud to partner with the leading universities.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

On this week's show, we take a deep dive into the year 1998 to discuss Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman's involvement in Bash at the Beach '98. At the time, Malone and Rodman were arguably two of the biggest stars in the NBA and were slugging it out on the court in the most-watched NBA Finals to date. WCW was in a clash of its own, fighting with the WWE for eyeballs every Monday night. The NBA and WCW working together is not a surprise - especially given the connection with Turner Sports - but the idea that two marquee stars would step foot in a wrestling ring and risk potential injury. We're joined by author Peter Croatto. Croatto, the author of From Hang Time To Primetime, is the perfect third man in the booth. His book discusses the rise of the NBA from a sport to a billion-dollar global entertainment (and sports) business. In this episode, we talk about polar opposites that are Malone and Rodman, the strings pulled to get these two players involved with WCW, Rodman skipping practice DURING THE NBA PLAYOFFS to go do a promo on Nitro, the incident between Malone and Rodman on the court that led to impressive pay-per-view buys for the wrestling company and why something like this will never, ever happen again. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/not-about-wrestling/support

00:00-46:00:From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA author Pete Croatto joins the show to chat about David Stern's impact, what the league would be without Magic and Bird or Jordan, the game today, the most important global area dipped into, TV's rise helping the cause, NBA All-Time Teams and more!

Rohit talks with Pete Croatto on this episode of the Sneaker History Podcast. Pete is not only one of the most respected sportswriters, but he also recently wrote a book called From Hang Time To Prime Time: Business, Entertainment and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA. https://youtu.be/2vFebEJWnLE (WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE) Marvin Gaye Anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC-Jt58FbRc Nike Commercial Marvin Gaye Anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbZTmcIfdBQ Grantland Story: https://grantland.com/features/the-marvin-gaye-national-anthem/ Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Hang-Time-Prime-Entertainment-Modern-Day/dp/1982103957/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=pete+croatto&qid=1616786331&sr=8-1 Odyssey Books(for signed copies): https://www.odysseybookstore.com/ [Links contain affiliate links, we may receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking a link. A great way to support the pod!] Our podcast is proudly... Recorded on Riverside: http://www.riverside.fm/?via=sneakerhistory Distributed By Captivate: https://bit.ly/3j2muPb Join our Patreon/Discord: https://patreon.com/sneakerhistory Subscribe to our pod: https://sneakerhistory.com/podcasts/ Follow us: Robbie https://instagram.com/rahbee702 Mike https://instagram.com/madwatcher789 Rohit: https://instagram.com/rohitm13 Nick: https://instagram.com/nickengvall https://instagram.com/sneakerhistory https://twitter.com/sneakerhistory https://facebook.com/sneakerhistory https://sneakerhistory.tumblr.com More at SneakerHistory.com

Sean interviews author Pete Croatto, whose book From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA chronicles the ascent of our favorite league from the turbulent 1970s, through the bright lights of the Bird/Magic/Jordan era to the edge of the 1990s. Featuring recollections from NBA legends and the unsung heroes behind the sport's explosion, Hang Time is an engaging read for any fan of the era or hoops head wanting to learn more about the history of the game. Pete's also a dad and a fellow member of the Over 30 League. We talk about writing a 300-plus page non-fiction book with a toddler in your midst (1:45), Pete gives me a pep talk on freelancing (4:35), talks about getting into Grantland (5:57) and realizing "there's a book here" (9:38). We discuss the iconic designs of Salem Sportswear (11:29), sharing basketball with our kids (14:24), the NBA on VHS and what hooked him on the game (15:45), primitive hoops video games (22:16), the rise of NBA All-Star Weekend (24:51), the people and dynamics behind the explosion of the sport (29:23), TV's role in growing the game (32:21), and the evolution of the on-court product (37:22). Thanks, Pete - it was fun! You can check out his book here. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/over30league/support

On this episode of In the Zone, the guys welcome a special guest Pete Croatto to discuss his new book From Hang Time to Prime Time !! In this awesome episode the guys talk with Pete about the impact of Marvin Gaye national anthem at the 1983 NBA All Star game!! The importance of Larry O Brien to the NBA!! The legacy of David Stern and how he envisioned the league! The impact of NBA entertainment and the impact of The NBA on NBC and so much more!!!

Kick-ass writer, Jersey boy, and overall mensch Pete Croatto joins me to talk about basketball and his ridiculously good new book From Hang Time to Prime Time: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA. We also discuss the often surprisingly collaborative nature of writing and research.Support the show

'Twas NBA Opening Night, yet nary a TV in sight. Pete joined the scene, 'bout an hour-fifteen And the timing would only be right. (It's Christmas Eve...there had to be some poetry here.) The fellas then used "Tell Me Something I Don't Know" to expose their Christmas hot takes. Check out Pete's book From Hang Time to Prime Time! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/awardtour/message

Pete Croatto (@PeteCroatto), author of FROM HANG TIME TO PRIME TIME: Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA, joins the guys to discuss his new book. Pete provides a fresh insight into the evolution of the NBA from it's infancy in the 1970s to the juggernaut it is today. Deeply researched and hugely informative, this book is essential reading whether you're a casual or huge NBA fan. Get Pete's book FROM HANG TIME TO PRIME TIME at odysseybookstore.com (a signed copy), Amazon or wherever books are sold.

  Show Notes and Links to Pete Croatto's Work On Episode 31, Pete is honored to talk with Pete Croatto about freelance writing, chill-inducing texts and lines, the importance of the David Stern and Larry O'Brien years in the growth of the modern NBA, athletes and activism, and much more. The bulk of the discussion is centered around Pete Croatto's recently-published From Hang Time to Prime Time, Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA, an impeccably-researched and engrossing read. Pete Croatto is a freelance writer in Ithaca, New York. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Grantland, SI.com, VICE Sports, and Publishers Weekly. His first book, From Hang Time to Prime Time, Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA, about the revolutionary change in the NBA between the years 1975-1989, is published by Atria Books and is out now.    Buy From Hang Time to Prime Time, Business, Entertainment, and the Birth of the Modern-Day NBA! Pete Croatto's Twitter Account Marvin Gaye's 1983 National Anthem at the NBA All-Star Game-video Pete Croatto's 2013 Grantland Article about the Marvin Gaye National Performance Authors/Books Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode: *unless otherwise noted, "Pete" refers to Pete Croatto   *Pete shouts out Linkedin and talks about the incredible writing connections he has taken of advantage through the website-at around 3:30   Pete talks about the evolving and open definition of “journalist” and how there is so much room at the writing table for committed and persistent writers-at around 7:30   Pete talks about his word-rich household and his childhood surrounded by books and voracious readers-at around 12:00   Pete talks about his early days of writing, prompted by the groundbreaking work of Roger Ebert, Phillip Roth, James Thurber, sports biographies, and the great annual Complete Handbook of Pro Basketball written by Zander Holland and Fred Kerber, and talks about how he loved the basketball handbook so much that the book became two halves-at around 13:30   Pete talks about being nominated as a “Noble Selection” for Best American Sportswriting 2020, featured with heroes of his like Howard Bryant-at around 20:40   Pete talks about the love of writing and the subjectivity of accolades and the need to be persistent in the writing business, and shouts our fabulous writer from Slam Magazine, Russ Bengston-at around 23:00   Pete talks about being let down as a kid by Pete Rose, yet the “Never meet your heroes” cliche, he says, doesn't apply to the writing world; he talks about writing heroes like Susan Orlean and Jancee Dunn and how they were overwhelmingly nice and accommodating-at around 27:30   Pete talks about chill-inducing writers and texts in his life, particularly lines from Jonathan Lethem's The Fortress of Solitude and Curtis Sittenfield's Prep -at around 28:30   Pete and Pete Riehl talk about great writing trumping the supposed genre (i.e. the best sports books can always “stand on their own”) and Pete reads from writing hero's Roger Ebert's writing advice-its chill-inducing nature stands out for him-at around 31:25   Pete Riehl talks about a memorable anecdote from The Jordan Rules-at around 36:40   Pete notes which interesting and unique stories he remembers from the impeccably-researched Showtime by favorite Jeff Pearlman-at around 37:00   Pete talks about wanting to write a substantive story that will be of interest to sports fan and non-sports fans alike-at around 38:00   Pete talks about his book, which is available in autographed form from Odyssey Books in Syracuse-at around 40:40   Pete “pitches” his book-at about 42:50   Pete talks about the choices in starting the book off as he does, with a scene from 2017's Dancing with the Stars juxtaposed with Marvin Gaye's famous (infamous?) singing of the national anthem at 1983's national anthem-at about 46:15   Shout out to rap legend Kurtis Blow and his reaction to the 2017 Derek Fisher routine-at about 49:30   Pete talks about the chronological beginning of his book, with the “heroic” Larry O'Brien, transitioning into a discussion of David Stern as “the best commissioner in the history of professional sports”-at about 51:00   Pete and Pete talk about David Stern's fastidiousness as part of his greatness, leading to a comparison to the famous “blueberry” scene from DeNiro's Casino -at about 57:00   Pete talks about his persistence in trying to talk with David Stern for the book, and shouts out helpful writer friend, Shawn Fury-at about 1:01:45   Pete talks about the connections between Marvin Gaye's 1983 performance and the recent activism in the sports world around Black Lives Matter, “I Can't Breathe,” etc., as shown through the -at about 1:11:00   LeBron James, activist, as seen through the eyes of the brilliant sociologist Harry Edwards-at about 1:13:40   Pete and Pete talk about the connections between being open to listening and being a voracious reader-at about 1:23:40   Pete and Pete gush about Beautiful Ruins by author/baller Jess Walter-at about 1:27:30   Pete reads the Introduction from Hang Time to Prime Time-at about 1:29:40   Pete talks about his book as literary fiction and subtly irreverent and humorous, showing influences from James Thurber to Mad Magazine to his father-1:35:40   Pete talks about how tenuous writing for humor can be-at about 1:37:00   Pete talks about future projects and the recent article he wrote (Pete Riehl truly enjoyed it!) about Tom Chambers and Jeff Wells' YouTube channel devoted to Chambers and crusade to get him into the Basketball Hall of Fame-at about 1:44:00 If you have enjoyed The Chills at Will Podcast, pause your podcast player right now, and go to Apple Podcasts to leave me a nice review.  You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Spotify and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form. The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.

So thrilled to have Pete Croatto (@petecroatto) back on the podcast after a 202-episode drought. His new book, From Hang Time to Prime Time (Atria Books), is out now. In over 300 interviews, Pete tells the story of how NBA became the behemoth it is today. But it all started in the late 1970s to the late 1980s.  You can now become a CNFin' Member by hitting up patreon.com/cnfpod and keep the conversation going on social media, @CNFPod. Show notes, get your show notes! at brendanomeara.com. Promotional support for this episode is brought to you by The Writers' Co-op Podcast.

On this Quick Hitters version of Catch and Shoot 2.0, author Pete Croatto of the upcoming book "From Hang Time to Prime Time" reflects on how Michael Jordan's awareness made him a unique athlete and catapulted the NBA into becoming a dominant league.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pete Croatto celebrates 10 years of freelancing by sharing what he's learned over that time.