I love reading and I love sports.
So combine the two and VOILA! Sports books. I read them whenever I can.
So here are my Top Five Sports Books of all time:
5. Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer. One of the first “behind the scenes” look at modern pro sports, this one is well-written and incisive. Even though I have never been a fan of the Green Bay Packers — especially when they’d beat my Dallas Cowboys in the late 60s — Instant Replay is still a must read.
4. The Punch by John Feinstein. An exploration of how one moment in time can permanently alter the direction of two lives. I’m glad I wasn’t at that game on that night.
3. Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger. A compelling read about the influence of high school football on every day life in Texas.
2. Open by Andre Agassi. You knew a tennis book would be on here, didn’t you? The second person narrator draws you in from the opening sentences. The raw honesty keeps you turning the pages. And the revelations, of course, make for continuing conversation fodder among tennis fans.
1. The Boys Of Summer by Roger Kahn. In my view, the seminal sports book of all time, primarily because it’s not about sports. It’s about life and its complications. When I read this book in the mid-1980s, I decided I wanted to be a sports writer. Oh well.
