The best sports books of 2023 so far
12 sports books worth checking out
Inspired by this Esquire article on the demise of sports books, I thought it might be more fun to look back at the first 6 months of the year and shine a light on some of the excellent sports books that have come out so far in 2023. Hopefully some of you will grab some of these for your summer holiday reading.
And a Bang on the Ear: Reclaiming My Life After a Brain Injury by Phil Quinlan & Steve O'Rourke. Really enjoyed this. It's the story of Phil's recovery from a brain injury suffered playing football as a young lad. It's raw, powerful, emotional, and immensely readable. Reminded me of Agassi's book Open in terms of its raw openness and honesty. Phil isn't looking for our sympathy though, but rather our understanding. As well as being a deeply personal story it also shines a light on less appealing aspects of Irish attitudes towards disability and disabled people. Phil's warmth and charisma also shines through in the book. Phil was the third or fourth person to follow me on twitter and he told me 5 years ago he would one day write a book. Together with @steveohrourke, he's written a great one.
🥊Brick City Grudge Match: Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano Battle in Newark, 1948 by Rod Honecker. This is a very an entertaining biography of both fighters as well as capturing a wider cast of characters including Jake La Motta and Marcel Cerdan. Captures the time and place in vivid fascinating detail - a really enjoyable slice of boxing history.
⚽ The Three Lives of the Kaiser: A Biography of Franz Beckenbauer by Uli Hesse. A really entertaining book looking at the life of one of the greatest footballers of all time who lived a second life as a manager and a third as an administrator. I’d have liked a little more on his fall from grace but overall a great book. Especially the highlighting of the many inconsistencies and inaccuracies in Beckenbauer’s own 5 autobiographies!
🏀 The Education of Kendrick Perkins: A Memoir by Kenderick Perkins and Seth Rogoff. A powerful, compelling book which reflects as much on the experience of being Black in America as on Perkins’ NBA career.
The Natural: The Story of Patsy Houlihan, the Greatest Snooker Player You Never Saw by Luke Williams. A great bio and also the story of snooker at a time the game and its' place in Britain was changing. A simply fantastic book.
⚽ On Days Like These: The Lost Memoir of a Goalkeeper by Tim Rich. The lost autobiography of Les Sealey, former Man Utd goalie who tragically died at just 43 years of age. Rich has turned long ago recorded tapes from Sealey into a rich, entertaining and vibrant account of Sealey’s life and career.
Game of Edges: The Analytics Revolution and the Future of Professional Sports by Bruce Schoenfeld. A great addition to the growing number of books on sports analytics by taking a multi-sport look at how numbers and stats came to have ever growing influence in every sport. Loved the breath of it, the highlighting of the commanalities between sports.
🏌️♂️ Feherty: The Remarkably Funny and Tragic Journey of Golf's David Feherty by John Feinstein. Very much a collaborative effort, Feherty's openness and honesty is remarkable. Captures the charm and humour which made Feherty such a huge TV success. Such a disappointment he went to LIV but book at least gives some context to why.
The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team by Kara Goucher and Mary Pilon. Very powerful on the particular challenges facing female athletes and the brutal world of professional running. A damning critique of Nike and treatment of athletes under contract with them who get injured or need support. The Longest Race focuses heavily on Project Oregon and the horrific behaviour of Salazar and Co. Pretty convincing on the likelihood Farah, Rupp and others were doping.
🥊 Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, Fixed Fights, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing by Sean Nam. A look at the rise and demise of star-crossed Philly lightweight Tyrone Everett. A great read on an fascinating piece of boxing, and Philadelphia, history. Highly recommended
🏀 LeBron by Jeff Benedict. A fantastic bio of the superstar which is particularly good on his early years.
⚽1992: The Birth of Modern Football by Rob Fletcher. A warm nostalgic overview of where world football stood as the premier league was born.
Thanks for reading. Let me know your thoughts, opinions, any improvements I can make etc. Catch me on Twitter. More books next issue!
Great selection !