Got Your Number: The Greatest Sports Legends and the Numbers They Own - book cover
Sports & Outdoors
Biographies
  • Publisher : Hyperion Avenue
  • Published : 04 Apr 2023
  • Pages : 320
  • ISBN-10 : 1368073565
  • ISBN-13 : 9781368073561
  • Language : English

Got Your Number: The Greatest Sports Legends and the Numbers They Own

ESPN personality (Get Up and #Greeny) and New York Times bestselling author Mike Greenberg partners with mega-producer Hembo to settle once and for all which legends flat-out own which numbers. In short essays certain to provoke debate between and amongst all generations, Greeny uses his lifetime of sports knowledge to spin yarns of the legends among the legends and tell you why some have claimed their spot in the top 100 of all time.

Sports and numbers go hand in hand.
Sports and loud, assertive debate? Even better.

Cheering on, agonizing over, and being in plain awe of your favorite players has left you with a deep and intricate memory of their greatness, not to mention well-honed arguments as to why your favorites are really the best. In arenas, in front of your TV, and in bars, you've debated friends and strangers alike. You've joyfully mocked your friends' (sometimes laughable) favorites. You've spouted accomplishments, statistics: Yours won six titles, batted .350 in the clutch, or generated 82% of their team's scoring. 

But not all numbers are created equal. Some are accomplishments. Others are identity. 

Looming large over any image you have of an athlete: the number on their jersey. Numbers often provide the most visceral parts of any sports legend's identity. They are what people remember-worldwide. Jordan, Jeter, Brady-to fans, they are as much their number as they are anything else.

Sure, 1 through 100 might seem like a large range, but fierce competition across the ages has blessed only a lucky few to claim one of these as their own. For some, the victors may not be so obvious. That's why Greeny's here to help.

Ascend into discussion, fans of all stripes. Come away enlightened. Or maybe a little enraged. Either way, you are sure to be occasionally surprised-and endlessly entertained. Whatever your sport, welcome to the place where all the arguments are finally decided, once and for all.

Editorial Reviews

"Greeny looks at sports history with the eye of a storyteller. I knew I cared about these athletes, but Got Your Number reminded me of why I should care about what they accomplished."
-Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author


"Greeny's book isn't just a fun read. It's a guide to winning every sports debate for the rest of your life."
-Seth Wickersham, ESPN Senior Writer, New York Times bestselling author of It's Better to Be Feared


"The way Mike Greenberg lays things out is nothing short of spectacular. He's already in a couple of Halls of Fame, and after this book, I'm assuming another is on the way. A fantastic book with fabulous information."
-Pat McAfee, sports analyst and retired ball kicker


"Mike Greenberg and sports are synonymous-my favorite sports memories all have his voice attached."
-Emmanuel Acho, New York Times bestselling author of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man


"In the introduction to this fabulous book, Mike wisely and wonderfully notes that sports can bring people together by fostering conversation, something he has done throughout his spectacular career and now does again with these terrific essays."
-Amy Trask, sports executive and Princess of Darkness

Readers Top Reviews

MPK
Greeny does a great job of feeding us 100 snacks! We may not all agree with his choice of faire, but you can't argue with the portion size! In the world of books of lists - Joe Posnanski's book immediately comes to mind - Greeny's offering is the perfect duration. Want more? You can find larger servings to enjoy your respective sports icon elsewhere. But to wet your whistle, take a few sips of Greeny as you decide on the your plans for dinner!
JCPMPK
This book is very well written and researched. I recommend it to every parent and grandparent and great grandparent, aunts and uncles, etc..... History is vital to appreciating and loving sports. This is a great read, but also a great history. History told in stories is very powerful. Kudos to Greenie and Hembo. This is history as it should be told, with interesting and relevant facts regarding their opinions. I wish all historians were as thoughtful. We can disagree about their choices, but several of the choices are brilliant and unexpected.
Gib QuigleyDianeD
The author Mike Greenberg didn't follow the spirit of the book. He was supposed to go through every number and determine who owned them. Instead Greeny had predetermined people or things he was going to include and went to great lengths to fit them in his book. For instance, Kobe Bryant was given #8 by Greeny, this left him looking for somewhere else to fit in Cal Ripken. He have LeBron 84 for his birth year? Maybe Randy Moss? Great idea for a book but horribly executed. Author should've went through every number and truly determined who it should belong to instead of worrying about fitting people, or things, in.
Tom JohnstoneTom
A great blend of stats and storytelling. I disagreed with who “owned” a few numbers, but I think that’s kind of the whole point!
Said NasserTom Jo
This is a great book on sports numbers and sport knowledge.. Wish it was in Audible to listen in the car. Mike and Hembo did a great job.

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