{"product_id":"lucky-loser-adventures-in-tennis-and-comedy-michael-kosta-hardcover","title":"Lucky Loser: Adventures in Tennis and Comedy -- Michael Kosta, Hardcover","description":"\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom a host of The Daily Show and stand-up comic, Michael Kosta, comes a wildly funny and insightful comedian memoir about his unlikely journey from professional tennis player (#864 in the world) to professional comedian (there's no ranking system in comedy but he's probably . . . top 50?).\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore Michael Kosta was performing stand-up comedy specials and hosting The Daily Show, he was a professional tennis \"star,\" reaching the lofty heights of the #864 ranked men's singles player in the world. Stop laughing. That's better than your world ranking. As a tennis pro, Kosta traveled across the globe, competing in such exotic locales as the Netherlands, Tokyo, and even rural Illinois before making a career change to pursue a more stable and predictable career: comedy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn a completely unexpected and wild journey through the backwaters of professional tennis, Kosta shows the unlikely ways life on the court prepared him for life in front of a microphone. Like comedy, tennis is brutally competitive, and most people lose at it. Unlike comedy, no one in tennis puts a gun on the table as they count out your earnings in twenty-dollar bills at the end of the night.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd then there are the things that have more to do with what happens to you--and what you end up learning--as part of growing up. Topics include: how to properly discard an unwanted European hard-boiled egg, giving CPR to your dead grandpa, cringe-worthy \"sex\" in the Red Light District, crying so hard in a car that strangers call the cops, and also happy things like what it feels like when your dreams come true. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom misadventures in tennis to the humbling setbacks of comedy, \u003ci\u003eLucky Loser\u003c\/i\u003e is a heart-filled sports memoir of making your own luck, the universal experience of failure, and the many ways in which we all inevitably lose on the way to success.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLucky Loser\u003c\/i\u003e includes a 16-page photo insert.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne unlikely career path. Two brutally competitive worlds. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBehind-the-Scenes of Pro Tennis: \u003c\/strong\u003e Go inside the pro tour's backwaters, where a world ranking of #864 means competing in such exotic locales as the Netherlands, Tokyo, and even rural Illinois.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the Court to the Stage: \u003c\/strong\u003e Discover the surprising ways life as an athlete prepares you for stand-up comedy--and why no one in tennis pays you with twenty-dollar bills while a gun sits on the table.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHilarious Coming-of-Age Stories: \u003c\/strong\u003e Follow a series of cringe-worthy and heartfelt misadventures, from giving CPR to a dead grandpa to navigating the Red Light District in Amsterdam.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAn Underdog's Guide to Failure: \u003c\/strong\u003e A surprisingly insightful and funny take on making your own luck and learning that losing is an inevitable--and necessary--part of success.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Michael Kosta\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Harper Influence\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3\/11\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0 lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0\" H x 0\" L x 0\" W\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780063418066\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Flowerburst","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50521926730032,"sku":"9780063418066","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2712\/8368\/files\/9780063418066_ea8dab79-858f-4838-884c-94473fd9aeb6.jpg?v=1774605757","url":"https:\/\/flowerburst.co\/products\/lucky-loser-adventures-in-tennis-and-comedy-michael-kosta-hardcover","provider":"Flowerburst","version":"1.0","type":"link"}