I’ll start with a confession: I’m from Liverpool. And although I’ve been insisting for years that I know absolutely nothing about football, it turns out that through some kind of Merseyside osmosis, I probably know as much as the average person who’s ever been within shouting distance of Anfield.

I was vaguely aware of the sneaker wars too - mainly because Reebok were made just up the road in Lancaster. And I did know about Peter Moore’s gaming background, because that’s where our worlds overlapped - if the mouse can look at a king, that is. So I thought I’d have a fair idea what Game Changer was going to be about.

Dear Reader, I didn’t.

Who is Peter Moore?
Peter Moore was born in Liverpool in 1955. He’s the lad who made it global - from the Garston to the world stage. His CV reads like a masterclass in reinvention:

  • Reebok – where he helped turn a small British brand into a global sports powerhouse during the ‘Sneaker Wars’.
  • Sega – where he led marketing during the Dreamcast years – this sounds dismissive ‘the marketing guy’ – it isn’t, he wasn’t, it’s ironic that he followed with Xbox 360 – he’s the ‘all over it guy’.
  • Microsoft/Xbox – where he launched the Xbox and Xbox 360, steering one of gaming’s biggest success stories and a fundamental shift in how games are played, purchased and paid for.
  • EA Sports – where he oversaw FIFA and Madden becoming cultural institutions.
  • Liverpool FC – where he returned home as CEO, helping guide the club through a transformative period and celebrated huge successes.

And yes, he also has his very own South Park cameo as Mr Peter - immortal proof that he’s part of the pop-culture pantheon.

You can also catch his Ted Talk, which gives you a sense of his fearless honesty and dry Scouse humour.

About the book — and why it surprised me
There’s a whole other book that should be written about Peter Moore. A hard-nosed, business-bible kind of book - do this, don’t do that, four times the length of Game Changer. And someone else should write it - an investigative journalist unafraid to dig, prod, and demand detail.

Because having heard Peter speak for over two and a half hours the other day, I can tell you he’s not afraid to answer difficult questions. He’s fearlessly honest, self-deprecating, and his openness both disarms and deflects those who might want to “go for him.”

I’m not saying he’s without ego - but he’s harnessed it. He uses it, instead of being its slave.

That I’m saying another book should exist is not a criticism of Game Changer. Far from it. Game Changer is something else entirely. It’s a memoir - deeply personal without being sentimental, reflective without being indulgent. The stories and the “oh wow” moments are there, but he doesn’t dwell on them. It’s a book, rather like the man himself, full of forward motion.

A memoir without melodrama
It’s strange to read a book that doesn’t pry into intimate details, doesn’t get flowery, doesn’t ask for sympathy or applause. It’s factual, measured, and respectful and somehow, that restraint makes it feel more vulnerable.

This isn’t an ode to football, or business, or sneakers, or games. It’s an ode to love, family, and resilience - to getting up and keeping going. It’s a gift to his children: This is where I came from. This is what I did. I love you.

We’re just lucky to have been given access too.

What you’ll learn if you pay attention:
There are layers of meaning for the careful reader. He tells you, again and again, the secret to his success:

  • Leadership means bringing people with you.
  • Teamwork.
  • Hard bloody work.
  • Turn up.
  • Listening.
  • Faking it until you make it.
  • Knowing when to change direction.
  • You don’t have to be the cleverest person in the room … you need to have the cleverest people in the room.
  • Understanding that for any deal to work, both sides need to feel they’ve won.
  • Respect, communication, humour.
  • And the understanding that mistakes are inevitable - it’s how you respond that matters.

A Sunday with Peter Moore
On Sunday, me - a non-footie, non-sporty, non-gamey book nerd - stood for over two hours listening to Kevin MacDermott, an extraordinary writer and journalist in his own right, in conversation with Peter Moore. And honestly, I could have stood there another two hours. There’s still so much more to say, to ask, to learn, and to do.

Where to find Game Changer (and other sporty, businessy things)
Now, I’ll be honest - I’m not really a reader of sports books and I read business books through guilt. But luckily, here at Chapters Bookstore Dublin, plenty of you are. And we’ve got shelves full of the good stuff, both new and secondhand: from Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog, to the big hitters like Atomic Habits by James Clear, Start With Why by Simon Sinek, and The Culture Map by Erin Meyer - for anyone who wants to read their way to world domination. Game Changer, could be, but isn’t this type of book and is the better for it.

It is a memoir that doubles as life lessons, it belongs with Andre Agassi’s Open and Conor Niland’s The Racket. In its own very Scouse American way, it manages to be both tough and tender and leaves you wanting more. I never thought I’d find myself recommending a sports or business book. But here I am, heartily doing just that and I am even more delighted to say that we are in the only bookshop in the country that has signed copies!

Read Game Changer.
Then watch his TED Talk.
Then look up everything you can about the man.
Then light your own fire - and change your own game.

The how-to is right there in the book.