There isn’t much that Joe Giglio hasn’t done during his career in sports media. From writing for Bleacher Report and other outlets to hosting national radio programs, Giglio currently calls middays on Philadelphia’s SportsRadio 94WIP home. For the past three years, alongside co-host and Philadelphia Sports Hall of Famer Hugh Douglas, the tandem has witnessed the highs and lows of sports in the ‘City of Brotherly Love.’
Every individual market has its own unique elements. What defines Philadelphia sports is, without question, a level of passion unlike any other market in the country. Every play, loss, win and hire earns the maximum spotlight. Creating plenty of questions surrounding nearly every aspect of Philadelphia sports. Those questions led Giglio to conceptualize a new venture. Writing a book about some of the biggest “what if” questions in Philadelphia sports history.
“This was the first time I’ve written a book. It was challenging in a unique way,” explained Giglio. “The fun part was each chapter was its own thing. So, it didn’t feel overwhelming. The idea of writing a book when I first came to an agreement to do it did feel overwhelming. Can I really do this on the side of a full-time job? But I went one chapter at a time, which made it less challenging.”
A Journey To Publication
Giglio is no stranger to the written word. He’s published articles and columns for several publications over the years. However, shifting from a single piece of 1,000 words or less to more than 65,000 words gave him a newfound respect for authors in the process.
The new book, titled What If? Tackling the Biggest Unanswered Questions in Philadelphia Sports History, asks many of the same questions that come up regularly among Philadelphia sports fans. Giglio takes a historical perspective. Examining what might have happened if a pivotal moment had gone in the opposite direction and how the fallout could have changed the impact of the moment itself.
“I always thought ‘what if’ questions tend to linger. The ones I put in the book always come up a lot. But there’s no right or wrong answer for them because we have no idea,” said Giglio. “There are 25 different ‘what if’ moments in the book. Five to seven immediately came to mind. Others I had to go back and think, ‘People aren’t thinking about this.’ But something happened along the way that would have changed a lot about Philadelphia sports.”
From asking what if the Philadelphia Athletics never left town to examining what might have happened if a penalty flag thrown in the Super Bowl hadn’t been used, Giglio provides his perspective on how those events could have changed the landscape of Philadelphia sports.
Each hypothetical is its own story, utilizing research and events from the past to craft a narrative about an alternative future. Giglio did it without artificial intelligence playing a role in shaping his potential outcomes.
“I’m not a big user of AI. In the contract with the publishing company, it included a clause not to use AI. I’m not sure if that is a thing with this publishing company or becoming a bigger thing all around,” noted Giglio. “Everything I created was literally from my head and what I thought could happen. But I am interested in asking AI about the same ‘what if’ questions to see if its outlook would match mine.”
The process took Giglio a year and a half, with nine months dedicated to writing. Finding a balance between writing the book, hosting a daily radio show and maintaining his home life as a husband and father became part of the challenge.
“I really enjoyed it, and can see myself doing it again,” said Giglio. “I have thought about variations of this book. When I was going through it, I thought this is Philadelphia’s version of this. But think about how many NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball ‘what if’ questions there are. I could see myself doing something like this, but I haven’t landed on a yes or no.”
King James Impact On Philadelphia
With a mid-October release scheduled, the book will become available to the public around the same time another Philadelphia “what if” question will begin to be answered. For much of the summer, Philadelphia sports fans asked themselves: What if LeBron James signed to close his career here?
After months of speculation, James announced in July that he would be taking his talents to the Philadelphia 76ers.
“We were live on the air when the LeBron James news broke. It was nuts. The excitement and tone of the listeners was palpable. It was a combination of the world’s most famous athlete choosing Philadelphia, plus the 76ers now having an actual chance to win a title,” said Giglio.
With James now playing in Philadelphia, Giglio admits the content approach and balance will change somewhat as the 76ers and Eagles compete for attention. While others in the market may approach content as a 50/50 split between the Eagles and 76ers, Giglio doesn’t feel James’ presence should cause such a drastic change in the content model for fans.
“The Sixers are kind of just there till the Eagles are done. During the NFL season, you keep an eye on them because it’s all focus on the Eagles. This season will be different because we’ll have two eyes on the Sixers, not just one,” explains Giglio. “We’ll certainly talk more about the 76ers, and it will make the discourse when we get into February and March better.”
Finding A Formula For Succes
Giglio leans on the audience to help navigate the direction of the content. He sees each listener as a customer. If they want to discuss the Eagles, the program obliges with content designed to satisfy that demand. Giglio says the formula works, and the ratings prove as much. While there is criticism on social media and competing radio stations about the content mix and approach, Giglio doesn’t tend to give it much attention.
“I let the audience tell us what they think is right,” said Giglio. “With so many ways to consume our content today, I do wonder about the entry point for those who criticize. Is it someone who listened to the full context of the conversation, or is it something they caught in their algorithm? I do know that the audience we know is there for our show likes what we do.”
With so many avenues for discovery, providing engaging content is vital for future growth and success. While he’s never considered elevating to a brand manager position, Giglio remains a student of the industry. He understands that audiences coming to radio on their own are no longer something broadcasters can count on in today’s media landscape.
“It’s great that a lot of sports radio brands have moved to putting their content out there, and everywhere. People aren’t going to seek you out unless you’re part of their routine. You have to throw yourself at them, and maybe they’ll stick around with you,” said Giglio. “I think we’ve found a lot of great avenues as an industry. But now it’s about finding ways to stabilize it.”
For Giglio, that search for stability in a changing media landscape comes back to the same thing that inspired his first book: the questions.
Every day on the radio, Philadelphia sports fans debate what happened, what could have happened and, inevitably, what might happen next. Those conversations have fueled Giglio’s career behind a microphone and now, in a different way, on the page.
“I hope people enjoy going down paths they may not have expected,” says Giglio. “I like to read. A lot of sports books I read, you know what happened already. You know the ending. The one thing about my book is you don’t know the ending. Take the ride and see where it goes. Then I close by asking if it would have been worth it to change the moment, for the good or the bad. It’s reflective in the end and asking a ‘what if’ to the reader that I enjoy.”
What If? Tackling the Biggest Unanswered Questions in Philadelphia Sports History gives Giglio the opportunity to take those conversations beyond the immediacy of the daily sports cycle and explore the possibilities that have lingered with fans for decades. There may never be definitive answers to those questions, but perhaps that is precisely why they continue to matter.
In a city where every game can create a new argument and every decision can become part of sports history, there will always be another “what if.” Giglio simply decided to take some of Philadelphia’s biggest questions, step beyond the immediate answer and give them the time, research and imagination they deserved.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
