You don’t have to be a super fan to appreciate a super book.
There will always be a market for good sports books, but that means you have to choose carefully—they aren’t all home runs! Even if you’re a serious sports nut, there are books in this genre that are move slower than a 20-inning no-hitter. Some of the best sport books are actually the ones that appeal even to non-diehard fans, because they’re well-written enough to reach a wider audience. Whether the story is fact or fiction, if it’s compelling, it can gain popularity even in the non-ESPN-watching segment of the population. These are just a few popular titles of recent years that you should watch out for the next time you need a fascinating sport-related read.
Moneyball, by Michael Lewis
This 2003 book by the future author of The Blind Side also became a major motion picture, and whether or not you’ve seen the movie, this detail-oriented story will change the way you think about baseball. It follows Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland A’s, a Major League Baseball team with a majorly small budget. By employing an unconventional method of managing his players—bucking traditional management techniques in favor of a statistical, mathematical approach—Beane transformed his team and changed the game. Part character study, part sports book and part primer on statistics, this book is a sure thing for anyone who’s ever swung a bat.
Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissinger
Anyone who’s been to a high school football game can find something to love about this bestseller. Chronicling a single season of high school football in a West Texas city, this book offers an up-close and in-depth look at how something like high school football can impact the lives of so many so heavily. The Permian High School Panthers are the backbone of the community, and its players and coaches are revered. This smash hit inspired a film and two television series, showing that the Panthers had a compelling influence even outside their hometown. The degree to which Bissinger showcases football’s impact on rural communities, and the humanity on display, makes this one of the top sports books on any football fan’s list.
Fever Pitch, by Nick Hornby
Perfect for any reader whether or not they’ve ever seen a soccer game, this heartfelt and funny memoir gives a glimpse of sports fandom in another culture. The author of such hits as About a Boy and High Fidelity, Hornby goes into wonderfully self-deprecating detail about how his love of soccer descended into an obsession that dominated his life. Whether you’re a fan of the game or simply Hornby’s typically sharp-witted tongue, Fever Pitch will strike a familiar chord.
Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer and Between a Rock and a Hard Place, by Aron Ralston
If you’ve ever considered taking up climbing for sport, these two books are nail-biting must-reads. Good sports books whether or not you enjoy sports, these are also harrowing tales of survival whenever sport climbing goes badly. In Into Thin Air, journalist Jon Krakauer finds himself in over his head while reporting a story from Mt. Everest. As he finds himself caught in the middle of a disastrous storm that would claim the lives of many of his fellow climbers, Krakauer and other survivors must battle the elements to survive.
In the similarly-themed Between a Rock and a Hard Place, climber Aron Ralston learns the risks and consequences of climbing alone when he becomes trapped in a canyon far from civilization. With his arm pinned under an immovable boulder and no help in sight, Ralston survives for days, eventually coming to terms with the horrific action he must take if he’s going to escape. These inspiring tales of survival highlight the danger posed by certain sports.
The Sweet Science, by A.J. Liebling
Named the best sports book of all time by Sports Illustrated, this sweeping account of American boxing history by New Yorker writer A.J. Liebling casts the sport in a whole new light. This collection of his essays from the New Yorker examine boxing and its stars in all its brutality and glory, combining his journalistic eye for detail and his irresistible sense of style. If you’ve never watched or understood the appeal of boxing before, this book may well change your mind—Liebling’s authoritative but accessible approach to the sport makes it not only the best book about boxing ever written, but easily one of the best sports books available today.
Best of the Rest
Other sports books worth checking out
SportsFan Chronicles, a funny sports novel you can download online
The Blind Side: The Evolution of a Game
Michael Lewis’s football book that became an Oscar-winning film
A stirring account of the 1950’s Brooklyn Dodgers
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