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The Seven Deadly Sins of Sport
WHERE THERE’S SPORT, THERE’S SINNING.
Name a global sports icon and there will be a sin or two. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Ronaldo – they’ve all committed their fair share of sins. And we’re not talking low-level transgressions like coveting your neighbour’s servant or his ox (as appealing as that might be). No, this is about the seven deadly
SLOTH The gateway sin
LUST The fun sin – until you get caught
WRATH The road rage of sins
GREED Doing bad things to get more things
PRIDE Self-love, just not the lust one
GLUTTONY Fun until the hangover, or your pants no longer fit
ENVY Feeling bad because someone else is good
Titus O’Reily leads us into the temptations of sportspeople across the globe, from elite cricket, ice hockey, NFL and baseball through to lower-league soccer and competitive eating. We meet the players, mascots and administrators whose sins over the decades have been absurd, unwise, inspired, reckless, or all of the above.
One thing’s for sinning is never boring.
Name a global sports icon and there will be a sin or two. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Ronaldo – they’ve all committed their fair share of sins. And we’re not talking low-level transgressions like coveting your neighbour’s servant or his ox (as appealing as that might be). No, this is about the seven deadly
SLOTH The gateway sin
LUST The fun sin – until you get caught
WRATH The road rage of sins
GREED Doing bad things to get more things
PRIDE Self-love, just not the lust one
GLUTTONY Fun until the hangover, or your pants no longer fit
ENVY Feeling bad because someone else is good
Titus O’Reily leads us into the temptations of sportspeople across the globe, from elite cricket, ice hockey, NFL and baseball through to lower-league soccer and competitive eating. We meet the players, mascots and administrators whose sins over the decades have been absurd, unwise, inspired, reckless, or all of the above.
One thing’s for sinning is never boring.
- GenresNonfiction
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 12, 2024
7 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 22, 2026
Learned a lot about some sports stars reading this book. Titus just tried a bit *too* hard to be funny at times. Let the sins do that for you.
March 7, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this.
November 30, 2025
A couple of months ago when I was practicing essays for my upcoming GAMSAT, my tutor said something that stuck with me as I entered my section 2 exam room. “Stop giving me too many examples, you’re just wasting your time”. I think it’s natural for us to prove what we are saying empirically rather than rationally. The scientific method is deeply embedded in our psyches throughout early education and it has probably become the largest lens through which we engage with epistemology. Gravity is real because the apples falls at 9.81 m/s^2. The proof is in the pudding. The problem with GAMSAT essays is that assessors aren’t looking for you to prove what is real and what isn’t. They’re looking to assess your character, they are looking to find out who you are to see if you are suitable candidate for medicine. As such, your GAMSAT essays must be jam packed with words that speak to your qualities and personality. Let’s take a classic PEEL-style paragraph. The bulk of your score will be assessed through the “Explanation” portion of the paragraph, as this is where your analysis and your voice can truly shine. This was something I had to work on. Before, I spent too much time making sure I had explained the example perfectly, trying to guide the reader to see exactly why my example was the “proof in the pudding”. In reality though, the purpose of an example is simply to attach something concrete to the abstract ideas you put forth in your “point” (or topic sentence). Its only use case is to prove that you aren’t talking out your ass and making things up. Once this has been accomplished, recurrent examples or explaining the example in more depth robs yourself the opportunity to engage in insightful discussion on the topic where you can really show your character.
I bring this up because this, I think, is my biggest gripe with this book. In the introduction we were posed a question: “The question is, to be a champion, do you need the kind of personality that leads you towards sin?” There are so many avenues and directions to take with this question. Some are explored in the book, but not enough to satisfy my curiosity. Instead, this book is broken down into seven chapters, one for each sin. In each chapter there are 5-6 examples of the worst sinners in each category followed by a brief paragraph of analysis about what made each champion such a big sinner. In all fairness, the examples provided in this book are told with impressive story-telling, and it is hard to believe that these are real world events that have happened. I flinched, cringed and face-palmed time and time again. I seriously cannot believe how much Russell Stephen King “achieved” purely by manipulating the greed of others. While I wouldn’t call this book particularly insightful, it definitely is entertaining and fun to read.
The most analysis we get from the book comes from the conclusion which raises a few points about athletes and sinning. It postulates that athletes face a level of scrutiny and pressure that push them utilise sins as a coping mechanism. While people like you and me “sin” moderately, the pressure cooker of being a celebrity and being judged your talents encourage them to sin more severely to cope. This, I think is a failing on society. The godlike and hero-worship status we attach to sport stars means that they have an implicitly signed a social contract to always act in accordance with a code of conduct that is deemed acceptable to our standards (one that does not always stay consistent). This feels unjust to me. Especially if you are a younger up-and-comping athlete. Where is the opportunity to partake in some tomfoolery and shenanigans? I’m certainly not excusing or justifying terrible behaviour, but a healthy upbringing (and by extension a healthy life) must allow for some room for fun and play. Without, someone may feel like they have lost their opportunity to simple have fun. Perhaps this loss of joyous youth, spending too much time training and studying the game rather enjoying life and making valuable connections, drives athletes to chase the youthful feeling of joy and happiness in sins.
Athletes are human after all, not gods despite how we treat them. Perhaps this says something about secular society and how in the absence of God, we try to uplift each other to fill that void. Athletes are the easiest thing we can comprehend as being “super-human” (even if they are, just human). They are so much stronger, taller, faster and fitter than the average person, hence it makes lot of intuitive sense as to why we deify these individuals. We rarely do this to the opposite type of individual, someone who extremely impressive academically or “smart” will rarely get the same attention and fame (barring outlier examples like Albert Einstein), even if the feats that these people create are just as ridiculous and amazing. I wonder what would happen if we did glorify these individuals more routinely, Would sin still be so rife in the public domain as it is currently with athletes? Or would the world be a little cleaner?
I think it’s also important to acknowledge the capitalistic aspect of this discussion (which isn’t really done in the book). Part of why we deify athletes is because they are physical specimens. Yet another and very large part why we deify athletes is because they have MONEY. Elite athletes in lucrative sports are never really just athletes are they? They stack paper to the ceiling and live a certain lifestyle that many of us dream of as we clock in our 9-5 jobs. We see the life of athletes and project onto them our own desires for liberation. With this much money, the temptation to sin must beckon you harder and harder and it’s understandable why so many athletes fall for this. More money, more problems right? Especially of you are a child do not have the cognitive capacity to navigate the life of fame. This raises an important question, are we paying our elite athletes too much money? It seems hardly fair to me that an NBA player gets paid millions while the ICU nurse which saves lives daily gets paid in tens of thousands. Yes, athletes bring entertainment value and in the free market as they are a high value commodity which produce an insane amount of return financially. But is that all we care about? Should people be remediated based off their potential to yield high returns in the free market? That seems unjust to me. To me, part of the picture of athletes sinning is simply down to the reality of capitalism.
There are so many more facets to this conversation which I simply am not bothered to go into. I just wish the book did!
I bring this up because this, I think, is my biggest gripe with this book. In the introduction we were posed a question: “The question is, to be a champion, do you need the kind of personality that leads you towards sin?” There are so many avenues and directions to take with this question. Some are explored in the book, but not enough to satisfy my curiosity. Instead, this book is broken down into seven chapters, one for each sin. In each chapter there are 5-6 examples of the worst sinners in each category followed by a brief paragraph of analysis about what made each champion such a big sinner. In all fairness, the examples provided in this book are told with impressive story-telling, and it is hard to believe that these are real world events that have happened. I flinched, cringed and face-palmed time and time again. I seriously cannot believe how much Russell Stephen King “achieved” purely by manipulating the greed of others. While I wouldn’t call this book particularly insightful, it definitely is entertaining and fun to read.
The most analysis we get from the book comes from the conclusion which raises a few points about athletes and sinning. It postulates that athletes face a level of scrutiny and pressure that push them utilise sins as a coping mechanism. While people like you and me “sin” moderately, the pressure cooker of being a celebrity and being judged your talents encourage them to sin more severely to cope. This, I think is a failing on society. The godlike and hero-worship status we attach to sport stars means that they have an implicitly signed a social contract to always act in accordance with a code of conduct that is deemed acceptable to our standards (one that does not always stay consistent). This feels unjust to me. Especially if you are a younger up-and-comping athlete. Where is the opportunity to partake in some tomfoolery and shenanigans? I’m certainly not excusing or justifying terrible behaviour, but a healthy upbringing (and by extension a healthy life) must allow for some room for fun and play. Without, someone may feel like they have lost their opportunity to simple have fun. Perhaps this loss of joyous youth, spending too much time training and studying the game rather enjoying life and making valuable connections, drives athletes to chase the youthful feeling of joy and happiness in sins.
Athletes are human after all, not gods despite how we treat them. Perhaps this says something about secular society and how in the absence of God, we try to uplift each other to fill that void. Athletes are the easiest thing we can comprehend as being “super-human” (even if they are, just human). They are so much stronger, taller, faster and fitter than the average person, hence it makes lot of intuitive sense as to why we deify these individuals. We rarely do this to the opposite type of individual, someone who extremely impressive academically or “smart” will rarely get the same attention and fame (barring outlier examples like Albert Einstein), even if the feats that these people create are just as ridiculous and amazing. I wonder what would happen if we did glorify these individuals more routinely, Would sin still be so rife in the public domain as it is currently with athletes? Or would the world be a little cleaner?
I think it’s also important to acknowledge the capitalistic aspect of this discussion (which isn’t really done in the book). Part of why we deify athletes is because they are physical specimens. Yet another and very large part why we deify athletes is because they have MONEY. Elite athletes in lucrative sports are never really just athletes are they? They stack paper to the ceiling and live a certain lifestyle that many of us dream of as we clock in our 9-5 jobs. We see the life of athletes and project onto them our own desires for liberation. With this much money, the temptation to sin must beckon you harder and harder and it’s understandable why so many athletes fall for this. More money, more problems right? Especially of you are a child do not have the cognitive capacity to navigate the life of fame. This raises an important question, are we paying our elite athletes too much money? It seems hardly fair to me that an NBA player gets paid millions while the ICU nurse which saves lives daily gets paid in tens of thousands. Yes, athletes bring entertainment value and in the free market as they are a high value commodity which produce an insane amount of return financially. But is that all we care about? Should people be remediated based off their potential to yield high returns in the free market? That seems unjust to me. To me, part of the picture of athletes sinning is simply down to the reality of capitalism.
There are so many more facets to this conversation which I simply am not bothered to go into. I just wish the book did!
January 9, 2025
THE 7 DEADLY SINS OF SPORT by Titus O’reily
Titus has a tendency to see the light-hearted side of things with just a tad of cynicism. That’s his style and why we love him.
Sport is just a gold mine of flawed personalities, so often put under a microscope that it must have been hard to know who he kept and who he threw away.
The range of sports covered is broad, but not limitless. The Olympics have been almost ignored but many others have lots of space, particularly football. It starts with the untouchable Lionel Messi, whose appearance of sloth on the field is explained and dissected then descends into the flawed others like Abramovitch who are looked at in depth, as are Ronaldo, Romario and Ronaldinho, the trio from Brazil’s assembly line of great players who never reached their full potential, probably in part because they were so talented they failed in the work ethic side of things, ultimately stifling careers that might have been.
American sports are given significant space, the appalling (my point of view) way that teams are traded, without due reverence to their history, I find sad and it lets people whose sole interest is in money or prestige take control. American football, basketball and baseball are but a few examples.
The sin of lust is widespread among leading sports figures and some of the stories almost beggar belief. Especially how so many women made themselves available for some stars in such a short time. It’s a gold mine for Titus, especially with some noted English footballers.
Tiger Woods is Titus’ great disappointment, who knew of his transgressions until his car crash and the golf club that was used by his wife to smash the back window. Before that, he was a clean skin.
The appalling drinking habits of the Australian cricket team in their flights were once lauded, though, speaking personally, I never understood why. Details of quantities are provided and, on a medical level alone, they make shocking reading.
Titus also has a predilection for mascots and it’s an unexpected diversion into this seldom reported field and some of the badly tempered things that have happened.
This book is a real page turner and an illuminating look into an often sordid world of sport at the elite level and the tragic and sad ends post their time at the top.
Titus has a tendency to see the light-hearted side of things with just a tad of cynicism. That’s his style and why we love him.
Sport is just a gold mine of flawed personalities, so often put under a microscope that it must have been hard to know who he kept and who he threw away.
The range of sports covered is broad, but not limitless. The Olympics have been almost ignored but many others have lots of space, particularly football. It starts with the untouchable Lionel Messi, whose appearance of sloth on the field is explained and dissected then descends into the flawed others like Abramovitch who are looked at in depth, as are Ronaldo, Romario and Ronaldinho, the trio from Brazil’s assembly line of great players who never reached their full potential, probably in part because they were so talented they failed in the work ethic side of things, ultimately stifling careers that might have been.
American sports are given significant space, the appalling (my point of view) way that teams are traded, without due reverence to their history, I find sad and it lets people whose sole interest is in money or prestige take control. American football, basketball and baseball are but a few examples.
The sin of lust is widespread among leading sports figures and some of the stories almost beggar belief. Especially how so many women made themselves available for some stars in such a short time. It’s a gold mine for Titus, especially with some noted English footballers.
Tiger Woods is Titus’ great disappointment, who knew of his transgressions until his car crash and the golf club that was used by his wife to smash the back window. Before that, he was a clean skin.
The appalling drinking habits of the Australian cricket team in their flights were once lauded, though, speaking personally, I never understood why. Details of quantities are provided and, on a medical level alone, they make shocking reading.
Titus also has a predilection for mascots and it’s an unexpected diversion into this seldom reported field and some of the badly tempered things that have happened.
This book is a real page turner and an illuminating look into an often sordid world of sport at the elite level and the tragic and sad ends post their time at the top.
June 23, 2025
Titus is a great author, he makes easy to read pieces of work using humour to aid in the enjoyment of each book.
An interesting idea, delving into the 7 deadly sins using examples from sport for each one, and where some met their demise and cost them their careers.
It’s a real look into the imperfect nature of the sports we know and how even high performing athletes can have major flaws that align with these sins.
Personal highlights were talking about Ben Simmons in the context of sloth, Tiger Woods and Ben Cousins in lust, going beyond just sexual lust but lust for excellence and to push yourself to your limits.
Very easy read and recommended for sports fans.
An interesting idea, delving into the 7 deadly sins using examples from sport for each one, and where some met their demise and cost them their careers.
It’s a real look into the imperfect nature of the sports we know and how even high performing athletes can have major flaws that align with these sins.
Personal highlights were talking about Ben Simmons in the context of sloth, Tiger Woods and Ben Cousins in lust, going beyond just sexual lust but lust for excellence and to push yourself to your limits.
Very easy read and recommended for sports fans.
March 20, 2025
Gee some of those 60s/70s soccer players in Europe UK were absolutely nuts, boozing, partying and womanzing, it’s incredible just how much natural talent takes some sports people to still be best in the world
Got a little bit boring in greed, when it got too sports admin heavy, but was a good little slandering on Donald Trump being fragile for continually trying to buy a professional sports team and failing.
Mixed bag this book. The author had some funny self deprecation moments.
Got a little bit boring in greed, when it got too sports admin heavy, but was a good little slandering on Donald Trump being fragile for continually trying to buy a professional sports team and failing.
Mixed bag this book. The author had some funny self deprecation moments.
January 8, 2026
This was a fairly quick and easy read. It's not very deep, but if you like reading sports anecdotes, it's the book for you. Although I do wish there had been less of a focus on soccer, which doesn't interest me much.
Also off topic, but why was it purely about men? Not sure if female athletes should feel offended about being left out of this book, or flattered (maybe both).
Also off topic, but why was it purely about men? Not sure if female athletes should feel offended about being left out of this book, or flattered (maybe both).
October 28, 2024
Another hilarious book from Titus O'Reilly who is the master of sporting trivia. His knowledge across many types of sports is impressive and his spin on outrageous sporting tales had me laughing out loud. This time he looks at elite sports through the theme of the seven deadly sins (sloth, lust, wrath, greed, pride, gluttony and envy). A great read for all sports fans!
November 13, 2024
A funny book looking at different moments in sporting history. His anecdotes are across many types of sport. Great boo for sporting fans or someone who doesn't read a lot but likes sport.
Read by Suzie
Read by Suzie
March 21, 2025
Another winner from Titus O'Reily. I already knew 90% of the stories but, like most sports fans, I can never get enough crazy tales that end careers, especially when they're written with dry humour rather than as cautionary tales.
November 27, 2024
Funny and informative...
December 6, 2024
SO FUNNY!!!
January 31, 2025
does what it says on the tin
March 16, 2025
Absolutely fantastic read with so many amazing sporting stories that I thoroughly enjoyed.
December 8, 2025
Great Read
Great read, very engaging and funny. Also a quick page turner.
Titus really provides entertainment between the pages.
Highly recommended
Great read, very engaging and funny. Also a quick page turner.
Titus really provides entertainment between the pages.
Highly recommended
December 13, 2025
Very entertaining!
January 8, 2026
Hilarious and informative, an insight into how some of the most adored people weren’t so good people.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews