The Super Bowl is over.
Baseball won’t start Spring training for another month.
The basketball season is another month away from March Madness and the playoffs.
Hockey is in mid-season.
What is a sports fan to do? I know, read about sports!
I have read dozens of these kind of books and would like to suggest a few. This is by no means a definitive list. In fact, it reflects my own tastes more than anything else. Many of the titles are now out-of-print but I still want to suggest them to you. Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments below.
Play Ball!
Basketball
Forty-Eight Minutes: A Night in the Life of the NBA by Bob Ryan and Terry Pluto – Fascinating view of what goes on with a team in a day with a blow-by-blow account of events and the game between the Cavaliers and the Celtics in 1987.
When the Game was Ours by Larry Bird and Ervin “Magic” Johnson – A behind the scenes look at a famous rivalry.
Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association by Terry Pluto – One of my favorite sports books of all time. Everything you ever wanted to know about the founding of the ABA and its eventual merger with the NBA.
Football
I am Third by Gayle Sayers – This was the inspiration for the movie “Brian’s Song.” Takes you into the heart of an athlete and shows that, for some, it is more than a game. Read the book, it will make the movie that much more powerful.
Better Scramble Than Lose by Fran Tarkenton as told to Jack Olsen – Read this when I was a kid and it still resonates.
Long Bomb: How the XFL Became TV’s Biggest Fiasco by Brett Forrest – Sixteen years ago a group of entrepreneurs tried to take on the NFL. Read how and why it didn’t work out the way they planned.
Baseball
The Umpire Strikes Back Hardcover by Ron Luciano and David Fisher – hilarious look at baseball from behind the plate.
The Rookie – Jerry Jenkins – A delightful novel that has some of the most memorable scenes. Every young baseball player’s dream is realized in this story.
Out of the Blue by Orel Hershiser with Jerry B. Jenkins – The story of one of the greatest seasons for a Major League pitcher ever.
Hockey
Gretzky: An Autobiography by Wayne Gretzky with Rick Reilly – The “Great One” tells his own story. You’ll read his perspective of “the Trade” that shook the hockey world.
For Kids
I read every one of the Chip Hilton books (by Claire Bee) when I was a kid. B&H publishing brought all 24 of them back in the late 90s. There are still copies available in used form. See the whole series at this link. (Chip Hilton series)
The books by Mike Lupica are perfect for kid who is a sports fanatic. I’ve enjoyed a number of his books as an adult! Check out his site and try one. (Mike Lupica website)
Your Turn!
