Cut to Black: A Legendary Life in Sports (and Maybe a Few Beers)

Rod Black
With Jim Lang
Foreword by Joe Carter
Skip to product information

Cut to Black: A Legendary Life in Sports (and Maybe a Few Beers)

Rod Black
With Jim Lang
Foreword by Joe Carter
Release date:
Regular price $36.99
Sale price $36.99 Regular price $0.00
Final Sale. No returns or exchanges.
Oversized: This item will be shipped by appointment through our delivery partner.
Overweight: This item will be shipped by appointment through our delivery partner.

Digital download

Immediate access in your Kobo library

Deliver to

In stock online. Free shipping on orders over $49

Buy online, pick up at Bay & Floor

Free pick up today

Find it in store

Out of stock

Found in: Sports, General Sports

Earn 185 plum points and save more with plum Rewards. Learn more

View full details

Overview

CANADIANGLOBE AND MAIL BESTSELLER304 PAGESENGLISH

Promotional Details

Overall rating: 4.5 / 5 from 2 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Summary topics

Review topics: [read, reporter].

Review highlights

Reviews

Rod Black gives it his all and keeps it real!

"Rod black is a national treasure. For more than 40 years he has been involved in bringing us solid real reporting at all levels of sport in Canada. He has been relied upon to bring you, inside, personal stories of people that matter to Canadians in all forms of sport. This book captures these stories in a personal and very real way. What's more impressive to me, is Rod black as a person. Haven't gotten to know him over the past few years, what strikes me is that he's a better person than a journalist. Kind, thoughtful, modest and caring, he gives back to the community, to his friends, and family and supports his profession in a way that is unique to the industry. Rod black is a gem, and this book captures his life and experiences, from being a small boy in Winnipeg to center stage in Canada sport."

Steven S. (5/5)

A Great Read for Sports Lovers

"Some Canadians might know Rod Black for his work as a commentator for hockey, football, baseball or golf. . . but to many of us, he will always be best remembered as the voice of Canadian figure skating. In figure skating's glory days in the 1990s, Black and Barbara Underhill narrated so many incredible moments in the sport that none of us will ever forget. Black's upcoming memoir, ""Cut to Black: A Legendary Life in Sports (and Maybe a Few Beers)"" introduces us to the man behind the microphone. Did you know that one of Rod Black's first gigs CTV Sports was hosting the Tournament of Roses Parade down in the States on New Year's Day with Tracy Wilson? In his youth, he was so captivated by sports broadcasts that he would imitate Johnny Esaw’s voice. He once played a round of golf with Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Earlier in life, he worked as a “skate boy” and DJ at the Saints Regent Roller Skating Centre in Winnipeg, boogieing like Disco Stu on roller skates to ""Staying Alive"". At the roller rink, they called him ""Hot Rod. "" If you're a sports lover - and you really should be if you're reading this book - you'll recognize plenty of names mentioned, including Mark Tewksbury, Ben Johnson and Silken Laumann. Figure skating is not as heavily featured in the book as other sports, but fans will appreciate some of the tidbits featured throughout - like the revelation that it was Black’s hot mic that captured Nancy Kerrigan famously complaining about the delay before the women’s medal ceremony at the 1994 Winter Olympics. Black also sets the record straight about an interview with Kurt Browning at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. He received a great deal of hate mail for interviewing the Canadian favourite after a rough program and supposedly “making him cry. ” In reality, the interview was filmed about 30 minutes after Browning skated and later edited to appear as though it happened immediately afterward. Speaking of the men’s event in Lillehammer, Black also shares some intriguing backstage chatter about the judging. If gossip's your bag, you might find it interesting. Remember the toe-tapping judges that were caught on camera at the 1999 World Figure Skating Championships? It was Rod Black who told a CTV camera operator to film them. He showed the footage to someone very famous in the figure skating community, who shrugged it off and told him it ""was nothing"". The Russian and Ukrainian judges in question, Sviatoslav Babenko and Alfred Korytek, both ultimately received suspensions from the International Skating Union. Rod Black proves to be as engaging a storyteller on the page as he was behind the microphone as a skating commentator. Again, figure skating isn’t the central focus of the memoir, but it’s an entertaining read nonetheless, peppered with just enough skating anecdotes to keep fans interested. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the advance review copy of the book."

RyanHFX (4/5)

Q&A

  • Published date: May 19, 2026
  • Language: English
  • No. of Pages: 304
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster
  • ISBN: 9781668034552
  • Dimensions: 6.0" W x 1.0" L x 9.0" H
“You can’t just show up at a sporting event and talk about the game. You have to do a lot of due diligence and homework. I didn’t know how good Rod was and talented he was until later. Rod is a special talent.”
— CHARLES BARKLEY

Rod Black reported sports stories for CTV and TSN for four decades. A devoted family man, Rod has spent countless hours giving back to numerous charities around the world, including the Special Olympics, the Giants of Africa, Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, Children’s Aid Foundation, SickKids, and Plan International Canada. Rod Black is a sportscaster, host, emcee, and a philanthropist. Black was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his volunteer work. He lives outside Toronto with his wife, Nancy. Follow him on Instagram @RodBlackTV.

Jim Lang is a sportscaster, journalist, and the coauthor of hockey memoirs by Tie Domi, Max Domi, Wendel Clark, and Bryan Berard, as well as Everyday Hockey Heroes Volumes I and II with Bob McKenzie, Everyday Hockey Heroes III and My Day with the Cup. He lives outside Toronto with his wife and kids. Follow him on Instagram @LangersWorld.

Recently Viewed