Changing The Game
by Jim Host
An exclusive look into Collegiate Sports Marketing is now available to the entire Sports Marketing community!
$34.95
About The Book
HARDBACK – Changing the Game is the first complete account of the entrepreneur’s professional life, detailing his achievements in sports radio, management, and broadcasting; his time in minor league baseball, real estate, and the insurance business; and his foray into Kentucky politics, including his appointments under governors Louie B. Nunn and Ernie Fletcher. This memoir provides a behind-the-scenes look at the growth of big-time athletics and offers solutions for current challenges facing college sports.
$34.95
(Option for signed copy below.)
Looking to add a special piece to your library of great reading?
Order a
SIGNED HARDBACK COPY!
Note for Signing:
Include who you would like the book signed to in the ‘Order Notes’ on the Checkout page.
$21.95
PAPERBACK
$21.95
(Option for signed copy below.)
Looking to add a special piece to your library of great reading?
Order a
SIGNED PAPERBACK COPY!
Note for Signing:
Include who you would like the book signed to in the ‘Order Notes’ on the Checkout page.
Dan Gale –
What a book! Must read for anyone working in the industry to hear first hand accounts of how the business was built. Amazing detail and insight from the man who did more to grow sports marketing than anyone else!
bbimadmin –
I could see immediately the impact you had on the Life of our dear Friend, Jim. I am so proud of the years I was able to learn from him….I read notes that I had written listening to his presentations, which back in the day were few and far between….as huge a presence as Jim has in Life, he was always the most humble person I knew, and I was amazed how he never sought the lime light; yet was and is such a powerhouse! I don’t mean this to sound like a cliche; but I will tell you he made me a better person, showed me a better world; shared the secrets of success, hard word, honestly, ethics and being comfortable with one’s self to spend time thinking your way through challenges! Thank you Pat! Sending you both Love and Light from our Family to yours!
Tom Leach –
Great insight into some deals done at the highest levels of the college game, from the perspective of the man who essentially invented the concept of college sports marketing. It’s always interesting to get inside the mind of visionary people and that’s what you get here. Plus, if you’re a University of Kentucky fan, it’s a wonderful look back at some historical moments.
Bill Kazee –
Outstanding…an honest person who started with very little but rose to the top of his “professions” Kentucky is fortunate to have this man?
Rod Huron –
What a Book! What a Career!
If you want to read about someone who had to overcome disappointment, betrayal, changing economic times, and worse, and yet created an extraordinary career, meet W. James Host.
Mention the name Jim Host to anyone in Lexington, Kentucky, and they know who you’re talking about.
Jim is founder of Host Communications, Inc., a nationally renowned college sports marketing and association management company.
He grew up in Kentucky and played baseball at the University of Kentucky before joining the Chicago White Sox farm system. An injury finished his baseball career.
Host’s role in the construction of Rupp Arena led to his serving as its first executive director; he was founding chair of the Kentucky Horse Park Commission, was essential to the development of the KFC Yum Arena in Louisville, was influential in bringing the World Equestrian Games to Lexington, and more.
Host served in the cabinet of Governor Louis Nunn and Governor Ernie Fletcher.
From a back street in Ashland to the highest halls of business, politics, and athletics, Jim Host has touched thousands of lives and provides an example of integrity and accomplishment and overcoming adversity for anyone who wants to excel.
His story, Changing The Game, co-written by Eric A. Moyen, is published by University of Kentucky Press, and available at https://www.jimhostbook.com and on Amazon.
His outstanding career has not been easy. If you want to read about a genuine mover and shaker—and one you can admire—get a copy of this book.
I couldn’t put it down.
Jodi Moore –
Changing the Game will enlighten those interested in college sports, tourism and marketing. Throughout the book Mr. Host allows the reader to journey with him throughout his life. You can identify a common thread of honesty, integrity, hard work and the importance of developing a network based on those qualities. He implements his vision while exploring avenues best suited for the current situation. His innovative practices have forever changed the landscape of collegiate athletics. Thank you for making the world a better place for all of us.
Lee Carter –
From Kane, Pennsylvania all the way to Lexington, Kentucky and beyond, “Changing the Game” provides a detailed look at how determination, integrity, and creativity shaped the collegiate sports marketing business. Jim Host provides behind the scenes details about the conversations, negotiations and contracts that shaped college sports marketing into the multimillion-dollar industry it is today. Host also provides insight about how he took the same principles that were key to his business success and applied them to his work for the Commonwealth of Kentucky and other non-profit organizations.
For anyone who is a fan of college sports, an entrepreneur, involved in state government or non-profits, this is a must read. This book is an example for each of us that we do not have to compromise our values in order to succeed, and Change the Game!
Robert Sampson –
Just finished up reading Jim Host’s new book “Changing the Game.” Outstanding and motivating read on the success’ of Host’s amazing career in politics and collegiate athletics. The state of sports in the great Commonwealth of Kentucky at both of the state’s leading academic institutions are at high levels because of the groundbreaking work of Host. Growing up in the state, you know of the influence of Host on so many projects and initiatives, but to have them all stated in one place was an amazing reminder of his influence. Those efforts have stretched beyond the Commonwealth into every institution in the nation and is so understated.
Dan & Melissa Poynter –
The story of the real “Road to the Final Four”, Jim Host’s book Changing the Game, chronicles the journey of one man’s determination and his out of the box idea of pairing inter-collegiate sports with big business. On the way Host created a marketing phenomenon that radicalized both sports and corporate sponsorships.
Whether you are interested in college games, negotiating multimillion dollar media deals, or how 24/7 sports got in your living room, you will be fascinated by how Jim Host’s imagination and sales skills went into Changing the Game.
Terry Meiners –
In his book Changing The Game, Jim Host reveals critical negotiations that reshaped college sports, the NCAA’s initial reluctance to hype March Madness, miscues that lead Rick Pitino leaving the Knicks for Kentucky, and being offered $117 million for his companies only to see the deal collapse. Through multiple business gut punches, Host maintains his integrity, refusing to retaliate. Host learns from his experiences and goes right back to the batter’s box for another swing at success. And he finds it in life and business.
This is an excellent read for anyone interested in media, sports marketing, business challenges, perseverance, and Kentucky history.
Rick Ford –
If you are like me, you are eager to engage in any and all things sports related. This book is a must read for anyone in sports marketing or those looking to start their careers there. There are always people who can see into the future with any new idea. Jim Host filled that role in collegiate sports marketing and you can read all about it in “Changing the Game”. I highly recommend you add this book to your library!
Rick Leigh –
Just finished reading my copy of “Changing the Game” and as one who was privileged to be mentored and work alongside Jim Host, it not only was a walk down memory lane for our combined endeavors but an inside look into the negotiations and mannerisms needed to make Collegiate Sports Marketing take a step forward from what it mimicked for years past. I can highly recommend this great read, and you will end up appreciating what this man and his associates did to make such changes–that have endured and improved even today.