Yost, Mark 1962-

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Yost, Mark 1962-

PERSONAL:

Born 1962; married; wife's name Leslie; children: George.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Lake Elmo, MN.

CAREER:

Journalist. Dow Jones Newswire, New York, NY, journalist, then Detroit bureau chief; Wall Street Journal, New York, NY, and Brussels, Belgium, editorial page, for five years.

WRITINGS:

Tailgating, Sacks, and Salary Caps: How the NFL Became the Most Successful Sports League in History, Kaplan (Chicago, IL), 2006.

The 200-mph Billboard: The Inside Story of How Big Money Changed NASCAR, MBI (St. Paul, MN), 2007.

Contributor to periodicals, including New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, American Spectator, and the Wall Street Journal.

SIDELIGHTS:

Mark Yost began his career in business and sports journalism in the 1980s and worked for a number of prestigious periodicals. Yost made his start in New York, with the Dow Jones Newswire. His performance there helped land him the position of Detroit bureau chief, covering the country's automotive industry. Yost also worked for five years on the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, both in New York and Brussels, Belgium. Yost contributes regularly to top echelon periodicals, including the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Wall Street Journal.

In 2006 Yost published his first book, titled Tailgating, Sacks, and Salary Caps: How the NFL Became the Most Successful Sports League in History. In it Yost gives the reader a history of the business aspect of the National Football League from the days when television rights were negotiated individually to 2006, when the League has become a six-billion-dollar venture. Among the many topics covered, Yost highlights the shared-revenue concept pioneered by former commissioner Pete Rozelle, merchandising rights, pan-gender appeal, and the rising popularity and profitability of fantasy football. A contributor to Sports Illustrated noted that "there's little unfamiliar or earth-shattering in the tale Yost tells, but his solidly packaged overview is educational for the fan who has mostly concerned himself … with the action on the field." Wes Lukowsky, writing in Booklist, summarized the book as "a fascinating financial history of the league," adding that "it will fascinate virtually any NFL watcher" and those interested in the business side of the game.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 2006, Wes Lukowsky, review of Tailgating, Sacks, and Salary Caps: How theNFL Became the Most Successful Sports League in History, p. 50.

Money, October 1, 2006, review of Tailgating, Sacks, and Salary Caps.

Sports Illustrated, August 23, 2006, review of Tailgating, Sacks, and Salary Caps.