“Tim Ryan's story of the trials and triumphs of his personal and professional life is inspirational, instructive, and important. He is a master of the play by play who turns the spotlight on his victories and defeats, and leaves us all inspired by the lessons.” —Tom Brokaw, NBC News Tim Ryan is no doubt the only sportscaster who has crash-landed in the Namib desert, been charged by a rhino in Zimbabwe, herded sheep at the beginning of a Winter Olympics telecast, and dodged flying bottles at a professional boxing match. In his new memoir, On Someone Else’s Nickel, Ryan recounts all of these tales and more in the lively, trustworthy voice that sports fans will recognize from televised sporting events of the past fifty years. Armchair travelers and sports enthusiasts alike will be taken on a riveting journey as Ryan shares anecdotes from his adventures in broadcasting that span thirty sports in more than twenty countries over fifty years. And while the events themselves are impressive—ten Olympic Games, more than three hundred championship boxing matches, Wimbledon and U.S. Open tennis, World Cup Skiing, just to name a few—it’s the lesser-known stories that happened along the way to the big events that really stand out in Ryan’s telling. As he details how he came to call the first Ali-Frazier fight for the Armed Forces Network, or hosted a tennis tournament featuring the McEnroe brothers to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association, Ryan shines a light on sports and the world beyond sports—the world of family, friends, colleagues, and connections that endure when the game has been won, the medals awarded, the champion crowned, and the mic turned off. «I couldn't put it down…Lots of great stories about someone on the other side of the microphone, someone who athletes would be hoping would be making the call, because it meant they were in the big time.» —John McEnroe, tennis legend, commentator, NBC, ESPN, BBC “Over forty-five years of calling tennis matches, none were more enjoyable than the ones I called with Tim Ryan. We became very close friends and I got a real insight into how professional and versatile Tim was in calling so many different sports. This is a book every sports lover should read.” —John Newcombe, tennis legend, four-time Wimbledon Champion “Tim's accounts of his experiences covering the sport of international boxing are hilarious. As someone who shared the journey with Tim, it brings back great memories of an era we will not see the likes of again.” —Bob Arum, founder, Top Rank Boxing “From the most storied tennis courts to the most breathtaking ski slopes in the world, Tim made covering sports fun, interesting, and downright pleasurable. … What a journey he has taken, and now he shares it with us.” —Mary Carillo, tennis commentator, NBC, Tennis Channel, reporter, HBO's Real Sports «The genius of Tim’s career lies not in the impressive range of sports he covered, nor the way his work spanned the rapidly changing world of TV broadcasting, nor the astonishing sweep of champions he covered—from Muhammed Ali to John McEnroe to Bode Miller to Lindsey Vonn—but in the way each sport was, to Tim, the backdrop for riveting human drama. That I got to chime in for a short while, was my great good fortune; that he is sharing his tales on paper is now the world’s.» —Christin Cooper, Olympic silver medalist ski racer, former ski analyst NBC Sports “There is joy to be found in these pages, along with Tim Ryan’s infectious enthusiasm for life, love, fine wine, world travel, and sport of every description. And he did it all, as he says proudly, 'on someone else’s nickel.' Enjoy!” —Terence Smith, former correspondent with The New York Times, CBS News, and PBS “Ryan's curiosity and knowledge extend to an amazing array of subjects. That range is key to his success as a sports broadcaster, and it flows through this fascinating book about his life.” —Doug Ramsey, news anchor, jazz authority, award-winning author “No one has enjoyed the TV sports business and the people in it more than Tim Ryan. A talented broadcaster, Tim was an equally talented world traveler, and has dozens of great stories about his life on the road.” —Sandy Montag, IMG Broadcasting and Entertainment “Today Zimbabwe, tomorrow Wimbledon…what didn’t Tim Ryan cover?” —Mark Mulvoy, author, former managing editor, Sports Illustrated

Radius Book Group

Published booksAll