Book Report #5 – You Can’t Make This Up
Date Finished: March 17, 2025
287 Pages
You Can’t Make This Up by Al Michaels
Why did I choose to read this book?
Each of the first four books I’ve read while at the Camp had incredible meaningful life lessons. I decided to read this book as I grew up listening and watching Al Michaels as a sports broadcaster since I was 15 years old when I heard him say “Do you believe in Miracles” during the semifinal match between Team USA vs Team Russia at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. Team USA were the underdogs and beat the mighty Russian Team which had veteran players who had played together for 15 years. I was looking for a more light hearted book for the 4th book.
What did I learn from reading this book?
– Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Owners of companies that used to be at lower corporate positions hired Al Michaels after they knew him for years.
– Always be networking. Al Michaels seemed to always be meeting and connecting with professionals on and off the court as well as the golf court to propel his career.
– Take chances. Move if necessary. Al Michaels always had the loving support from his wife and together they moved their families multiple times to support his family and dream job.
– Learn to be yourself – safe to say Al Michaels’ voice and persona is what made him who he is today.
– Learn to love your job and profession and you’ll never work a day in your life – Al Michaels knew very early on during his teen years he wanted to be a broadcaster, and made his dream a reality. To think he had the best seat at sporting events and got paid doing his job around the globe was a dream job he loved.
How will reading this book contribute to my success upon my release?
One of my faults that got me into trouble was that when things were good, I wasn’t a risk taker. I believe now after reading this book, I’m way more receptive to pivoting to new jobs or new opportunities especially if I deem things aren’t aligned with my moral ethics. I believe this will help me upon my release. Al Michaels made it his top priority to pivot to new opportunities as often as possible. His broadcasting career spanned 5 decades and crossed over from minor league baseball to pro baseball, the NFL, The World Series, The Olympics, the NBA to Pro Gold and more. Not many professional broadcasters covered that many sports in their lifetimes. Al Michaels has become a tremendous role model by reading his book.
