Sports books coming in 2025

So many great sports books to look forward to next year

Time for the annual look ahead to the sports books that are due to be published next year. As always, a few of these will be pushed and plenty of great projects won’t have been announced yet. However, there are plenty of fantastic looking books already confirmed. It’s looking like an especially great year for boxing books.

For those who don’t want to read the entire list (although I don’t understand why not!) the books I’m most excited for (or have read and loved) are set out first, followed by the entire list sorted by sport.

2025 Releases I’m Most Excited For:

1. 🥊 The Last Bell: Life, Death and Boxing by Donald McRae. A McRae book on boxing is a guaranteed classic. This is unquestionably the book I’m most looking forward to in 2025.

2. 🥊 The Big Fight: When Ali Conquered Ireland by Dave Hannigan. This is a new edition of a book from 2002 about Ali’s one fight in Dublin, Ireland. It’s been updated with 8,000 more words based on further research. The original is one of my all time favourites.

3. 🏈 American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback by Seth Wickersham. This promises to be fantastic as all Wickersham’s writing is.

4. 🥍 The American Game: Into the Country of Lacrosse by S. L. Price. I know nothing about lacrosse but every book by Price has been a fantastic read so this is a must for me.

5. 🥊 Blood & Hate: The Untold Story of Marvelous Marvin Hagler's Battle for Glory by Dave Wedge. Every boxing book from Hamilcar Publications is a must read. This promises to be no different.

6. 🏈 Marinovich: Outside the Lines in Football, Art, and Addiction by Todd Marinovich with Lizzy Wright. Autobiography from short-lived NFL player once dubbed the Robo QB and best known for his father’s obsession with creating the perfect QB. Promises to be fascinating.

7. ⚽ The Secret History of the World Cup by Jonathan Wilson. Any book by Wilson is an automatic must-read.

8. ⚽ Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football by Chris Lee

9. ⚽ Pasión: A Journey to the Soul of Spanish Football by Miguel Lourenco Pereira

10. 🥊 Baddest Man: The Making of Mike Tyson by Mark Kriegel. While plenty has been written by and about Tyson, Kriegel is a masterful biographer whose every book is a must-read.

11. 🏀Magic in the Air: The Myth, the Mystery, and the Soul of the Slam Dunk by Mike Sielski. I loved Sielski’s previous book on Kobe’s origins. Half way through this and really enjoying it.

12. 🏀 On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports by Christine Brennan. I couldn’t think of a better writer to chronicle Clark’s remarkable rise to fame and the wider rise in women’s sports.

13. 🏀 The Wonder Boy: Luka Doncic and the Curse of Greatness by Tim MacMahon

14. ⚾ The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball by John W. Miller. Biography of legendary Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver—who has been described as “the grandfather of the modern game”

15. 🏃‍♂️ The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine by Brendan O'Meara. A new bio of the iconic and tragic track runner.

16. 💸 Losing Big: America’s Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling by Jonathan D. Cohen.

🏈 NFL / American Football

• Marinovich: Outside the Lines in Football, Art, and Addiction by Todd Marinovich with Lizzy Wright. Autobiography from short-lived NFL player once dubbed the Robo QB and best known for his father’s obsession with creating the perfect QB. Promises to be fascinating.

• When Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL by Joe Ziemba

• Iron in the Blood: How the Alabama vs. Auburn Rivalry Shaped the Soul of the South by Jay Busbee. A behind-the-scenes look at one of the great rivalries in US sport.

• Raider: The Raymond Chester Story by Jon Gower. Bio of a Raiders legend.

• Runs in the Family: An Incredible True Story of Football, Fatherhood, and Belonging by Deland McCullough & Sarah Spain. A football coach’s story about adoption and finding meaning in football.

• 101 Reasons Why I Love the NFL by Scott Reeves

• The Big Book of Football Stories: Timeless and Compelling Tales from the Gridiron edited by Tom McCarthy

  

⚽ Soccer

• Waking the Giant: Inside the Rebirth of Aston Villa by Gregg Evans and Matt Maher. The recent history of the Birmingham club and its rise to Champions League football.

• Awakening the Giant: Inside Unai Emery's Aston Villa Revolution by

  Guillem Balague.

• The Dark Side of the Copa Libertadores: Cheats, Corruption and Violence Behind the Legendary South American Football Tournament by Luciano Wernicke

• The Secret History of the World Cup by Jonathan Wilson. Any book by Wilson is an automatic must-read.

• Dame Bola: A Journey Through the Language of Argentinian Football by Christopher Hylland

• The Dream: My winning relationship with the Champions League by Carlo Ancelotti

• Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football by Chris Lee

• BIG DUNC: The Upfront Autobiography by Duncan Ferguson.

• Rebuilding Manchester United: The DNA and Future of the World's Greatest Football Club by Wayne Barton. Barton is the leading writer on Manchester United’s history and promises to be a must read for any Utd fans (and fans of good football writing).

• Football, Taught By Matt Busby by Wayne Barton

• Postcards From Santiago - The George Robledo Story by Spencer Vignes

• Pasión: A Journey to the Soul of Spanish Football by Miguel Lourenco Pereira

• Gary Lineker: A Portrait of a Football Icon by Chris Evans. Bio of the England legend from author of the excellent How To Win the World Cup.

• Kingdom of Football: Saudi Arabia and the Remaking of World Soccer by Kristian Coates Ulrichsen. A timely look at the growing influence of Saudi on the game globally.

• More Than A Shirt: 22 Football Shirts That Explain The World by Joey D'Urso

• Beyond the Rings: A History of Men's Football at the Olympic Games by Jay Stucchio

• Ipswich Town: The Glory Years 1960-1982 by Susan Gardiner. A look at the club’s glory days under Alf Ramsey and Bobby Robson.

• The Scouting Game: An Insider’s Guide to Talent Spotting Football's Next Stars by Chris Robinson.

• Not Even in Brazil: Liverpool in 1987/88 by Jonathon Aspey

• Deadlypool: Liverpool's Deadliest Partnerships by Christopher Roberts

• The Unseen Sir Alf: A Different Kind of Hero by Grant Bage

• Do You Believe In Miracles?: A Journey Through the FA Cup’s 2024/25 Season by Felix White

• Fixed: Confessions of a Match Fixer by Moses Swaibu

• The Power of the Badge: How a Football Club Created Trust in the Community by Robert Littlewood

• Wem-ber-LEE: The Goal That Kick-Started Sir Alex Ferguson’s MUFC Dynasty by John McNicol

• Bring Me Sunshine: From Non-League to the Premier League, the Inside Story of Luton Town's Remarkable Rise to the Top by Warren Turner

• Luton Town's Miracle: The Fairytale Rise from Non-League to Premier League by Rob Hadgraft

• The Little Book of Irish Football by Barry Flynn

• Outsiders: A Football Fanatic’s South American Odyssey by Rodrigo Barneschi

• 1978: The Birth of Moneyed Modern Football by Ryan Foley

• Football and Racism: How Colonialism Shaped the Modern Game by Ronny Blaschke

• FC Bayern Munich: 125 Years by Christian Eichler

• Leeds United in the 1970s by Dave Tomlinson

• Bitch Invasion: Me, Lewes FC and disrupting the culture of the men's game by Karen Dobres

• Beyond the Final Whistle: Football for a Better World by Vasilis Kostakis

• Football's Fifty Most Important Clubs: The World's Most Influential Teams of All Time by Gareth James and Ben Jones

• The Rise of Major League Soccer: Building a Global Giant by Rick Burton, Norm O’Reilly, Don Garber and Mark Abbott

• An Arsenal Life: Doubles, Invincibles, Glory and Despair by David Fensome

• Soccer Scandals: When the Beautiful Game Turned Ugly by Anton Rippon

• Life in Black and White: 18 Years at Newcastle United by Paul Ferris

• Heart of Midlothian: We're in Safe Hands by Grant Young. A look at Hearts history via a collection of match-worn goalkeeper shirts.

• Red Dawn: The Ballad of Tom Watson and Liverpool FC's First Champions by

  Jeff Goulding and Kieran Smith

• Only the Real Thing: Aston Villa & The Coca Cola Cup 1993–1996 by Ivan McDouall

• A Fistful of Doldrums: View From the North East Hotbed 1977-79 by David Snowdon

• Cup Finals: The Greatest Football Stories Ever Told by Cliff Hague

• A History of Football in 100 Objects by The National Football Museum

• Groundhopper: Tales from Football's Equivalent of Trainspotting by Matt Coughlan

• Standing Free: The Life and Times of Theo ten Caat by Theo Ten Caat with Nick Brown

• The Greatest of Great Escapes: Rotherham United's Finest Hour by Holly Hunt

• A Celebration of Anglo-Scottish Footballers by Robert Marshall and David Stuart

• The World Atlas of Football Stadiums: 1000 Iconic Grounds and Their Stories by John Gillard

• Deano: Life After Football by Dean Windass and Phil Marshall

• (Still) Ain't Got A Barrel of Money: Sheffield Untied, 1981-1993 by Jason Holyhead

• Last Man Standing: John Sainty, from Saint to Saints and Beyond by Neil Vacher

• Tiny Keeper: Steve Death, Record Breaker, Shy Genius and Maverick by Alan Hester. Bio of shortest goalie ever to play in the English Football League.

• Trailblazers: The Ground Breaking History of Nottingham Forest Football Club by Matthew Oldroyd

• The Glory Years: Oxford United in the 1980s by Scott Walkinshaw

• Mad Dog: The Mickey Lewis Story by Leo Ackerman and Alex Urwin

  

🥊Boxing

• The Last Bell: Life, Death and Boxing by Donald McRae. A McRae book on boxing is a guaranteed classic - the book I’m most looking forward to in 2025.

• Blood & Hate: The Untold Story of Marvelous Marvin Hagler's Battle for Glory by Dave Wedge. Every boxing book from Hamilcar Publications is a must read. This promises to be no different.

• The Legend of Mitch "Blood" Green and Other Boxing Essays by Charles Farrell. Another potential gem from Hamilcar.

• Baddest Man: The Making of Mike Tyson by Mark Kriegel. While plenty has been written by and about Tyson, Kriegel is a masterful biographer whose every book is a must-read.

• When in Doubt Stop the Fight: A Revolutionary Approach to Boxing Safety and Reform by Mike Silver

• Heavyweight Title Fights of the 1980’s by Steve Hunt

• Boxing's Greatest Controversies: Blunders, Blood Feuds, and Mob Corruption by Louis Joshua Eisen

• Shadow Boxers: The Lost Era of Club Fighting by John Cole

• Arum and King: Six Decades of Boxing Gold by Marty Corwin

  

🏀Basketball

• Magic in the Air: The Myth, the Mystery, and the Soul of the Slam Dunk by Mike Sielski. I loved Sielski’s previous book on Kobe’s origins. Half way through this and really enjoying it.

• On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports by Christine Brennan. I couldn’t think of a better writer to chronicle Clark’s remarkable rise to fame and the wider rise in women’s sports.

• The Wonder Boy: Luka Doncic and the Curse of Greatness by Tim MacMahon

• What You're Made For: Powerful Life Lessons from My Career in Sports

  by George Raveling with Ryan Holiday. Memoir from the legendary basketball coach.

• Moses Malone biography (title pending) by Paul Knepper

• The Last One Out of Town Turn Out the Lights: The Epic 1975 Foxcroft Academy Basketball Season by David Albee

• A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s Hawks by Aaron Bracy

• Moses and the Doctor by Luke Epplin (not certain if this is coming in 2025)

• Shattering the Glass: The Remarkable History of Women’s Basketball (Revised Edition) by Pamela Grundy

• Michael Cooper memoir and a Tim Hardaway memoir (both written with Jake Uitti)

  

⚾ Baseball

• The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball by John W. Miller. Biography of legendary Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver—who has been described as “the grandfather of the modern game”

• The Whiz Kids: How the 1950 Phillies Took the Pennant, Lost the World Series, and Changed Philadelphia Baseball Forever by Dennis Snelling

• A Time for Reflection: The Parallel Legacies of Baseball Icons Willie McCovey and Billy Williams by Jason Cannon. I loved Jason’s last book on Charlie Murphy.

• Jim Gilliam: The Forgotten Dodger by Steve Dittmore

• Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America by Will Bardenwerper

• White Sox Redemption: The Road to World Series Victory in 2005 by Dan Helpingstine

• Selling Baseball: How Superstars George Wright and Albert Spalding Impacted Sports in America by Jeffrey Orens

• Yankees, Typewriters, Scandals, and Cooperstown: A Baseball Memoir by Bill Madden

• A Giant Among Giant: The Baseball Life of Willie McCovey by Chris Haft

• Talking Baseball with Major League Stars by Wayne Stewart

• Baseball's Two-Way Greats: Pitching/Batting Stars from Ruth and Rogan to Ohtani by Chris Jensen

• One More for the White Rat: The 1987 St. Louis Cardinals Chase the Pennant by Doug Feldmann

• Interstate '85: The Royals, The Cardinals, and the Show-Me World Series by Marshall Garvey

• Play Harder: The Triumph of Black Baseball in America by Gerald Early, in collaboration with the National Baseball Hall of Fame

• Field Work: On Baseball and Making a Living by Andrew Forbes

• Skipper: Why Baseball Managers Matter and Always Will by Scott Miller

• Big Loosh: The Unruly Life of Umpire Ron Luciano by Jim Leeke

• I Felt the Cheers: The Remarkable Silent Life of Curtis Pride by Curtis Pride. Memoir of the first deaf player in Major League Baseball.

• Leveling the Playing Field: Women Breaking Barriers in Major League Baseball Coaching and Leadership by Al Lautenslager

• Get Your Tokens Ready: The Late 1990s Road to the Subway Series by Chris Donnelly

• Justice Batted Last: Ernie Banks, Minnie Miñoso, and the Unheralded Players Who Integrated Chicago's Major League Teams by Don Zminda

• Ring the Bell: Memorable Moments that Made Philadelphia Phillies Fans

  by Kevin Reavy and Jack Fritz

• Baseball's First Superstar: The Lost Life Story of Christy Mathewson by Alan D. Gaff

• All the Way: The Life of Baseball Trailblazer Maybelle Blair by Kat D Williams

• The Dad Coach: How to Lead Kids to Succeed On and Off the Baseball Field by

  Mike Matheny and Jerry B. Jenkins

  

🏏 Cricket

• Test Cricket: The Definitive History from 1877 to Today by Tim Wigmore

• The Art of Batting: The Craft of Cricket's Greatest Run Scorers by Jarrod Kimber. An examination of what made great batsmen achieve success.

• The Final Test: The Uncertain Future of Cricket's First-Class Game by Huw Turbervill. A look at the future of long format cricket in the face of T20s global expansion.

• The Club: Class, Power and the Governance of World Cricket by Rod Lyall

• Victory in Australia: The Remarkable Story of England's Greatest Ashes Triumph 1954-55 by Richard Whitehead

• Deadly: The Life of English International Cricketer Derek Underwood by Mark Peel

• England and Eternity: A Book of Cricket by Declan Kiberd

🏏 Rugby

• Triumphs, Trophies and Troubles: In Search of the Soul of Irish Rugby by Peter Bills

• Roy Francis: Rugby's Forgotten Black Leader by Tony Collins. Story of a pioneering rugby league coach.

⛳ Golf

• The Year of the Tiger: The Major Run That Made Tiger Woods by Brody Miller.

• The Playing Lesson: A Duffer's Year Among the Pros by Michael Bamberger. The great golf writer goes behind the scenes - including caddying, playing pro-ams and more - of professional golf.

• Together We Roared: Alongside Tiger for His Epic Twelve-Year, Thirteen-Majors Run by Steve Williams with Evin Priest. A lot has been written on Tiger’s career but long time caddy Williams should bring an interesting new perspective.

• Rory Land: The Up-and-Down World of Golf's Global Icon by Timothy M. Gay. An interesting looking bio of Rory McIlroy.

🎾 Tennis

• Changeover: A Young Rivalry and a New Era of Men's Tennis by Giri Nathan. A look ahead at the future of tennis as the Big Three leave the stage.

• The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay by Christopher Clarey.

Miscellaneous

• The American Game: Into the Country of Lacrosse by S. L. Price. I know nothing about lacrosse but every book by Price has been a fantastic read so this is a must for me.

• Legends and Soles: The Memoir of an American Original by Sonny Vaccaro with Armen Keteyian. Memoir from the legendary sportswear exec who played a key role in Nike’s rise and its connection with Michael Jordan. Keteyian is a great choice as ghostwriter too.

• The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine by Brendan O'Meara. A new bio of the iconic and tragic track runner.

• Losing Big: America’s Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling by Jonathan D. Cohen.

• The Forgotten Winner: The Notorious Vancouver Marathon 1954 by Joe McGhee

• Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro-Wrestling's New World Order Changed America by Marc Raimondi

• Sport and Crime by Ellis Cashmore, Kevin Dixon, and Jamie Cleland

• Gamechangers and Rainmakers: How Sport Became Big Business by David Stubley

• The 1980 Moscow Olympics: A Day-By-Day History by Tommy A Phillips

• Death of a Racehorse: An American Story by Katie Bo Lillis

• Eve Muirhead: Ice Queen: The Autobiography by Eve Muirhead with Eric Nicolson. Memoir from the Scottish Olympic Curling champion.

• Barbara Ann Scott: Queen of the Ice by Ryan Stevens

• Sacrifice by Oisin Murphy

• New Black Cyclones: Racism, Representation and Revolutions of Power in Cycling by Marlon Lee Moncrieffe

• The Escape: The Tour, The Cyclist, And Me by David Walsh and Pippa York. York, the iconic cyclist formerly known as Robert Millar, returns to the Tour de France together with Walsh, one of the great cycling writers.

• Road Captain by Luke Rowe

• The Accidental Tour-ist: Dispatches from the Road by Ned Boulting

• The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Steve Cooper

• I'm That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams by Jordan Chiles. The US Olympic gymnast should have a pretty interesting story to tell.

• Coach of Champions: D.L. Holmes and the Making of Detroit’s Track Stars by Keith D. Wunderlich and David L Holmes Jr.

• On the Grid: Life Behind the Scenes of Formula 1 by Luke Smith

• Fast Money: The Backroom Deals, Corporate Espionage, and Legendary Power Struggles that Drive Formula One by Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid

• Forza Ferrari: How F1’s Most Famous Team Can Win Again by Nate Saunders

• Forever Forward: The inside story of McLaren by Ben Hunt

• Petty vs. Pearson: The Rivalry That Shaped NASCAR by Mike Hembree

• Daredevil At The Wheel: The Climb and Crash of Joan LaCosta by Tony St. Clair