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The Best American Sports Writing 2015: An Exceptional Anthology Guest Edited by ESPN's Wright Thompson
The latest addition to the acclaimed series showcasing the best sports writing from the past year
For twenty-five years, The Best American Sports Writing has built a solid reputation by showcasing the greatest sports journalism of the past year, culled from hundreds of national, regional, and specialty print and digital publications. Wright Thompson, a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine, proves more than up to the task by curating this truly exceptional collection. The only shared trait among all these diverse stories is the extraordinarily high caliber of writing, but collectively they tap into the pure passion that can only come from sports.
For twenty-five years, The Best American Sports Writing has built a solid reputation by showcasing the greatest sports journalism of the past year, culled from hundreds of national, regional, and specialty print and digital publications. Wright Thompson, a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine, proves more than up to the task by curating this truly exceptional collection. The only shared trait among all these diverse stories is the extraordinarily high caliber of writing, but collectively they tap into the pure passion that can only come from sports.
400 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 9, 2016
This year's The Best American Sports Writing, edited by Wright Thompson, is another mixed bag. I will give Thompson credit for one thing--most of it is actually about sports. Some years the only connection to sports was that it was about an athlete that had committed some sort of crime. There is only one article of that vein this year, Greg Hanlon's "The Sins of the Preacher," about former baseball player Chad Curtis, a Christian proselytizer while playing, now doing time for sexual abusing teenage girls while a coach.
Instead there are some really good pieces here about sportsmen and women, some in their twilight, like "Awakening the Giant," about Y.A. Tittle, and "Precious Memories," by Tommy Tomlinson, about Dean Smith in his last days with dementia (he had not yet died upon the original publication of the article). There is a great piece by Ariel Levy on long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad's many attempt to swim the Straits of Florida called "Breaking the Waves" and a haunting essay by Jeremy Collins about a friend who passed away and their shared love of a certain Atlanta Braves pitcher in "Thirteen Ways of Looking at Greg Maddux."
There are also some articles that may make you mad. A profile of Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, states: "No team owner in American sports is more famous and infamous, more revered and reviled, than Jones. After the 2010 death of New York Yankees boss George Steinbrenner, Jones assumed the mantle of America’s mercurial team owner, hell-bent on doing it his way and constrained only by a salary cap." That's by Don Van Natta Jr. in "Jerry Football." Tim Graham, in "Broke and Broken," vilifies the WWE and Vince McMahon for their shoddy treatment of their wrestlers, and how many have died young. Here's a few choice quotes: "The billion-dollar spectacle of pro wrestling relies entirely on the ruthless economic, mental, and physical exploitation of its performers," and "There is no such thing as a nice billionaire, and Vince is unexceptional in this regard."
What may turn many hearts and minds cold is "Who Wants to Shoot an Elephant?" by the terrific Wells Tower, who follows a couple and their guide as they hunt down an elephant in Africa. Tower tries to be objective, but he can't quite get there. The married couple come across as ruthless, vicious people, who try to rationalize their action by saying they're saving trees that elephants eat. Basically, they just want to kill things. They are the kind of people most other people hate--they spent $80,000 on a gun. "But the elephant is about 15 feet away, and I will now confess to being scared just about shitless. The elephant snorts and brandishes its vast head. Lunch goes to lava in my bowels. If not for my present state of sphincter-cinching terror, I would well be in the market for an adult diaper. This is an amazingly pure kind of fear. My arteries are suddenly capable of tasting my blood, which right now has the flavor of a nine-volt battery."
Some articles are more fun, such as "Haverford Hoops," by Chris Ballard, about a very long college basketball losing streak, or "The Sea of Crises," by Brian Phillips, about the mysterious world of sumo wrestling. There's also an article about caving, "In Deep," by Burkhard Bilger: "There, in a cloud forest in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, lay the staging area for an attempt to map the deepest cave in the world—a kind of Everest expedition turned upside down."
In the international world, there's an article about American football played in China, "The Year of the Pigskin," by Christopher Beam, and the daring escape of Dodger Yasel Puig from Cuba in "No One Walks Off the Island" by Scott Eden. But my favorite piece just may be only tangentially connected to sports. It's "Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History," by Katie Baker, who uses the unexpected success of the Kansas City Royals to tell her memories of that great American city: "When we talk about Kansas City, what we’re talking about is a certain state of mind, a bricolage of bootstrap can-do-ism and ingrained suspicion of the more lawful authorities."
The last article is very brief, "Peyton Manning Leaves Crushing Super Bowl Loss with Reputation Intact," by Dan Wetzel. It details Manning after his devastating loss to Seattle in Super Bowl whatever. I had grown a little weary of Manning, especially after he plugged Budweiser after winning the last Super Bowl and his association with the vile "Papa John" Schnatter. But Wetzel leaves us sports fans with a nice sentiment as the book ends, with a boy asking for an autograph after the loss: "How many times through the years had Peyton Manning signed for people, stopped for photos for people, been gracious to people. Now? Here? In the harried moments after this painful and thorough loss, after a chance at a championship was lost and might never come again, in the cramped walkways of a football stadium--not some charity meet-and-greet--isn't he allowed to be, well, selfishly human? Manning didn't think so."
October 7, 2015
Any time I acquire a collection of writing, I expect there to be something great, something lackluster, and a lot in between. With the Best American Sports Writing, I will say that there is quite a theme of friendship, family and perseverance that pervades these largely American sport related stories. I say largely American sport because the inclusions lean heavily toward American Football, Baseball, and Basketball without a hint of the growing interest in proper football (aka Soccer; note the cover and the irony of that lack of inclusion), anything relating to hockey (on ice or field) or well, most sports that aren't popular in America. This is somewhat to be expected given it is American Sports writing, but the global nature of sport has largely been overlooked and one inclusion (that on Elephant hunting) could easily have been replaced with something that was, perhaps, less divisive. That said, the article about how the WWE does business, while not eye opening exactly, is well presented and hard to put down along with a bio piece of Jerry Jones that seems to paint him as both the savior and main problem for the Dallas Cowboys. The volume as a whole, though, is uneven at times and leans more toward the personal connections between writers and sports rather than readers and sports. It's not bad but it's not great. It's just good for when you want to read something long article sized related to sports.
Note: ARC received via Amazon Vine in exchange for review.
Note: ARC received via Amazon Vine in exchange for review.
November 25, 2015
Far more interesting than I anticipated. Highlights included stories on sumo wrestling, football in China, Tommy Morrison's son, two sad features on eroded brain capacity (Y.A. Tittle, Darryl Talley), distance swimming, and the tortured relationship of Michael Sam's and his father, among many other great features.
It is amazing what you can learn about the world, society, and human nature through the prism of sports.
It is amazing what you can learn about the world, society, and human nature through the prism of sports.
April 29, 2018
I'm not a big Bill Veeck fan, though I remember him as the White Sox owner in the mid-1970s. I've read two of his memoir/autobiographies, and he came across as a jerk in them. Basically, he complained that everyone in a position of power is an arrogant fool, and every "regular" guy is smart and honorable. It's a conceit that feels good for a little while and then gets old.
So, I was skeptical when my dad told me to read this book. But I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. This book does tell those same anecdotes about Veeck fighting with the baseball establishment over and over again -- his hatred of commissioners such as Bowie Kuhn and the various owners of the Yankees (Del Webb, Dan Topping, and so on). And Veeck's efforts to show up the establishment are retailed again this book, and they're still as adolescent as they seemed when he wrote about them.
But... this book gives a lot more depth about Veeck's life, his motivations and his genuine achievements in baseball and society. The biggest revelation to me was how deeply he was committed to racial equality. I knew that he hired Larry Doby as the first Black player in the American league a season after Jackie Robinson debuted, and I knew that he brought in Satchel Paige, who had some remarkable seasons for Veeck's teams while in his mid-40s or older. But I didn't know that Veeck integrated the ushers, concessionaires and others at his ballparks in Chicago and Cleveland way in advance of others. I didn't know that he maintained lifelong friendships with Black players, I didn't know he hired the 2nd Black manager ever and the first Black assistant coaches. In short, he did a ton, and he forged alliances with the Black leaders of every era from post-WWII onward. He even marched at Martin Luther King's funeral (though not at the Selma March, a myth that this book exposes).
He also was a huge gun control advocate in the 1970s, most likely because his little brother was killed by a friend in a gun accident. And this came from a guy who volunteered for military service in WWII and lost a leg shooting artillery in combat.
I also gained respect for Veeck as an actual baseball wheeler-dealer, as he built championship-caliber teams in Cleveland and Chicago during a time when the Yankees were almost unassailable. It seems that Veeck could either inspire players to perform better than they did elsewhere (perhaps because he was so generous with salaries, gifts, parties, etc.), or he was able to see abilities in players that other general managers didn't see. He definitely liked reclamation projects and high-risk trades, and they often worked for him.
Ultimately, I came away with a lot more respect for Veeck than I had previously. I understood how quickly he moved to fix ballpark basics that we now take for granted, such as clean bathrooms, sanitary concession stands, and rapid ways to purchase tickets. I also understand how he saw -- decades ahead of most people -- that baseball was competing for the entertainment dollar, and that it needed to appeal to different types of fans in different ways, and to do it all year. And because this book presents Veeck with his warts, too, I really respect the good and great things that he did, and his understanding that sometimes his enthusiasm could backfire.
Good book, and possibly a great book if you're already inclined to like Bill Veeck.
So, I was skeptical when my dad told me to read this book. But I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. This book does tell those same anecdotes about Veeck fighting with the baseball establishment over and over again -- his hatred of commissioners such as Bowie Kuhn and the various owners of the Yankees (Del Webb, Dan Topping, and so on). And Veeck's efforts to show up the establishment are retailed again this book, and they're still as adolescent as they seemed when he wrote about them.
But... this book gives a lot more depth about Veeck's life, his motivations and his genuine achievements in baseball and society. The biggest revelation to me was how deeply he was committed to racial equality. I knew that he hired Larry Doby as the first Black player in the American league a season after Jackie Robinson debuted, and I knew that he brought in Satchel Paige, who had some remarkable seasons for Veeck's teams while in his mid-40s or older. But I didn't know that Veeck integrated the ushers, concessionaires and others at his ballparks in Chicago and Cleveland way in advance of others. I didn't know that he maintained lifelong friendships with Black players, I didn't know he hired the 2nd Black manager ever and the first Black assistant coaches. In short, he did a ton, and he forged alliances with the Black leaders of every era from post-WWII onward. He even marched at Martin Luther King's funeral (though not at the Selma March, a myth that this book exposes).
He also was a huge gun control advocate in the 1970s, most likely because his little brother was killed by a friend in a gun accident. And this came from a guy who volunteered for military service in WWII and lost a leg shooting artillery in combat.
I also gained respect for Veeck as an actual baseball wheeler-dealer, as he built championship-caliber teams in Cleveland and Chicago during a time when the Yankees were almost unassailable. It seems that Veeck could either inspire players to perform better than they did elsewhere (perhaps because he was so generous with salaries, gifts, parties, etc.), or he was able to see abilities in players that other general managers didn't see. He definitely liked reclamation projects and high-risk trades, and they often worked for him.
Ultimately, I came away with a lot more respect for Veeck than I had previously. I understood how quickly he moved to fix ballpark basics that we now take for granted, such as clean bathrooms, sanitary concession stands, and rapid ways to purchase tickets. I also understand how he saw -- decades ahead of most people -- that baseball was competing for the entertainment dollar, and that it needed to appeal to different types of fans in different ways, and to do it all year. And because this book presents Veeck with his warts, too, I really respect the good and great things that he did, and his understanding that sometimes his enthusiasm could backfire.
Good book, and possibly a great book if you're already inclined to like Bill Veeck.
January 8, 2021
The Best American Sports Writing series began in 1991, and it made an immediate impression with me - and not just because my name was mentioned in one of the included stories for a couple of paragraphs. It was instantly judged to be a worthy successor to similar anthologies in the field. You might be able to find some of them in the dusty parts of the library.
Here we are, 25 years later, and the series is still moving along nicely. Glenn Stout has proved to be a more than capable guardian for the idea, passing along the guest editor's job to some of the top names in the business. In 2015, he handed the reins over to Wright Thompson, the fine writer for ESPN.
Thompson has picked out the final choices of articles that appear in "The Best American Sports Writing 2015." I've read every single entry in the series. Not only have I noticed how the sports journalism business has changed over the years, but I've realized the guest editor's job must be a pretty subjective one. That's because the reader's opinion of a particular year's offerings can vary with how in tune he or she might be with the editor.
I'm not going to argue here that any of the choices here feature less than top-notch work. But some of the stories in the second half of the 2015 edition have a rather liberal definition of sports, and that made them a little less compelling than the others for me. There's a family history of Kansas City, which is more geneology than sports. As I'm fond of saying, one of the few things less interesting than your fantasy sports team is your family tree. It is tough to describe what the story of people going few thousand feet into a cave is, but it's not mainstream sports. The author of an article on elephant-hunting in Africa certainly did an admirable job, but it's a tough sell for me.
So that's the good news, but there's plenty of stuff here. A story on football great Y.A. Tittle leads the book off. It was memorable the first time I read it, and sure enough those are the type of stories you want to read again. I missed the Haverford Hoops story in Sports Illustrated, and I'm glad I caught it here. Profiles of Dean Smith, Jerry Jones and Chad Curtis are all fascinating in their own ways.
I'm also proud to say that the only newspaper contribution of the bunch - talk about changing times! - came from my newspaper. Tim Graham's look at ex-Bills linebacker Darryl Talley and his concussion-related issues of retirement ranks with the best stories anywhere in 2015. Stories about head injuries have been a part of the books in this series for the past few years. In Buffalo, this one really brought the problem home for Bills fans.
I've been reviewing books in this series for several years, and they have been very popular - they rank near the top in number of hits on my blog. The review again comes down to the fact that there's always something good here - how good depending on the individual reader's point of view. In this case's, Thompson's batting average wasn't perfect for me ... but there's a good chance that the book will be even a better fit for you. So pick it up, and see how it goes.
Here we are, 25 years later, and the series is still moving along nicely. Glenn Stout has proved to be a more than capable guardian for the idea, passing along the guest editor's job to some of the top names in the business. In 2015, he handed the reins over to Wright Thompson, the fine writer for ESPN.
Thompson has picked out the final choices of articles that appear in "The Best American Sports Writing 2015." I've read every single entry in the series. Not only have I noticed how the sports journalism business has changed over the years, but I've realized the guest editor's job must be a pretty subjective one. That's because the reader's opinion of a particular year's offerings can vary with how in tune he or she might be with the editor.
I'm not going to argue here that any of the choices here feature less than top-notch work. But some of the stories in the second half of the 2015 edition have a rather liberal definition of sports, and that made them a little less compelling than the others for me. There's a family history of Kansas City, which is more geneology than sports. As I'm fond of saying, one of the few things less interesting than your fantasy sports team is your family tree. It is tough to describe what the story of people going few thousand feet into a cave is, but it's not mainstream sports. The author of an article on elephant-hunting in Africa certainly did an admirable job, but it's a tough sell for me.
So that's the good news, but there's plenty of stuff here. A story on football great Y.A. Tittle leads the book off. It was memorable the first time I read it, and sure enough those are the type of stories you want to read again. I missed the Haverford Hoops story in Sports Illustrated, and I'm glad I caught it here. Profiles of Dean Smith, Jerry Jones and Chad Curtis are all fascinating in their own ways.
I'm also proud to say that the only newspaper contribution of the bunch - talk about changing times! - came from my newspaper. Tim Graham's look at ex-Bills linebacker Darryl Talley and his concussion-related issues of retirement ranks with the best stories anywhere in 2015. Stories about head injuries have been a part of the books in this series for the past few years. In Buffalo, this one really brought the problem home for Bills fans.
I've been reviewing books in this series for several years, and they have been very popular - they rank near the top in number of hits on my blog. The review again comes down to the fact that there's always something good here - how good depending on the individual reader's point of view. In this case's, Thompson's batting average wasn't perfect for me ... but there's a good chance that the book will be even a better fit for you. So pick it up, and see how it goes.
September 23, 2020
Once again, the annual installment of Best American Sports Writing does not disappoint. The yearly edition that features the best sports writing collected from the year keeps up its tradition of having the actual sport covered play a primary role in the story such as the article covering starting up a American Football team in China. Others have the sport play a simple means to a greater story like how a trail runner gets kidnapped by a pair of woodsmen and how she recounts her tail of survival and the fallout from the rescue attempt. An entry that got to me was an again retired football player suffering from Parkinson's trying to cling on to his precious few remaining memories at his yearly get together shindig. I also like how it closed with a lighter story at the end again, with this one covering how Peyton Manning keeps it together after a humiliating loss to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Another excellent installment!
August 18, 2018
One of the best “The Best American” nonfiction collections I’ve read. It’s interesting to see what some in the media would call “fluff subjects” get their chance in the spotlight here, proving sports articles actually have some depth and deft to them.
Favorites are: Chris Jones’ profile of the Gronkowski family, Jeremy Collins’ absolute gem of an essay (and, honestly, one of the top 5 essays/articles I’ve ever read) about Greg Maddux and his gone-too-young best friend’s obsession with the pitcher, Don Van Natta’s profile of Jerry Jones, Greg Hanlon’s article on the rise and fall of child molester/MLB player Chad Curtis, and Flinder Boyd’s essay on the rise and fall of Javaris Crittenton.
Favorites are: Chris Jones’ profile of the Gronkowski family, Jeremy Collins’ absolute gem of an essay (and, honestly, one of the top 5 essays/articles I’ve ever read) about Greg Maddux and his gone-too-young best friend’s obsession with the pitcher, Don Van Natta’s profile of Jerry Jones, Greg Hanlon’s article on the rise and fall of child molester/MLB player Chad Curtis, and Flinder Boyd’s essay on the rise and fall of Javaris Crittenton.
June 20, 2017
I've read all the books in this series through 2015 and rate this one as average to slightly below average which means it's only great not awesome. Lots to like in 2015 including a fascinating piece on Diana Nyad. There were a few longer pieces that were too long for what was covered and more feats of investigative journalism than great storytelling or writing which is what I love so much about the series.
November 10, 2017
Not as good as 2016's version.
June 11, 2024
The series is always a great anthology to read. There are only one or two stories in this year's version that are really worth of reading again though.
September 8, 2016
A strong collection this year. These books are consistently worth reading.
A piece of advice for potential readers. For at least two years running Amazon has offered the complete set of Best American books for that year ( published each fall ) for purchase on the Kindle for 1.99 each. This offer usually is extended for a day or two only in the second half of December.
The edition this year begins with three football stories. First we see the sad decline of Y A Title, though as he is at least an octogenarian I am not sure his decline can be related to the brain injuries rampant amongst younger NFL players. The Gronkowski family, not just famous Rob, but his four, very athletic in their own right, brothers as well as their one of a kind Father are profiled. Trust me, that must have been an experience growing up in that house. The third football story centered on Michael Sam and how he has written his family out of not only his public story, but his life.
Next Jeremy Collins write " Thirteen Ways of Looking at Greg Maddux. It is not only a strong profile of the perfectionist pitcher but an ode to a friend of the author who, when they were growing up idolized Maddux and, who at times, when Maddux was pitching, seemingly was of one mind with the hurler. Even today the author struggles with the conflicted memories of Maddux, his friend, and the accident that changed everything.
" Money in the Bank " is an absolutely stunning takedown of the practices of the World Wrestling Entertainment company. When one reviews step by step, year by year, the process that the company follows, the way they treat their employees or " athletes " as disposable pieces of meat is pretty shameful. One can also easily draw a straight line from many of those WWE stories to how the NFL treats its players.
To that point, that is, disposable NFL players a story on Daryl Talley, a longtime Buffalo Bills player is pretty disheartening. Still young, in his fifties, Talley faces a bleak future with his degenerative physical condition and concussive related mental diminishment. Needless to say neither the Buffalo,Bills or NFL comes off very well in this story, entitled " Broke and Broken."
So what better to put some shine back on the NFL than a story on Jerry Jones the irrepressible owner of the Cowboys. Don Van Natta writes a strong, fair, and balanced portrayal of the owner, though, most people, one suspects, have long formed their opinions on Mr. Jones.
Additionally we see a sad story on Dean Smith's final years ( this before he died ), Chris Ballard writes a nice story entitled " Haverford Hoops " which revisits the small colleges ( at that time ) record breaking losing streak in basketball in the nineties. Interestingly the players from those teams have met with high levels of success in the real world and remain close today.
In the athletes doing wrong profiles are done of two jailed athletes, former baseball player Chad Curtis and NBA player Javaris Crittendon. A reader can judge for themselves who, of the two, is the sadder story, and more reprehensible.
Other notable stories include one on cave diving, the persistent efforts to swim the straits of Cuba by Diana Nyad, and a profile on Tommy Morrison's son who, of course, is attempting to rise in the ranks of boxing.
Two fantastic stories from the Far East include " the Year of the Pigskin " in which we meet an American man attempting to coach a football team in China and Brian Phillips writes " The Sea of Crisis " which is an excellent, and very interesting story in which we learn more than we ever thought we would want to know about Sumo Wrestling. Trust me you will enjoy this story.
For me the best story was the one called " No One Walks off the Island. " In this story we learn about how all of these Cuban baseball players end up on American shores. Different levels of shady people, from the Americans that work to get them here, to the gangs that arrange transportation, to the smugglers who actually attempt to get these athletes to America. Along the way the whole process of how international played are signed by MLB is examined as well. This story details the remarkable story of Yasuil Puig who in his adventure might have set up other Cuban athletes ( to take the spotlight off himself to gain his freedom ) but who also was virtually held for ransom while awaiting his baseball future in Mexico.
All in all a strong collection.
A piece of advice for potential readers. For at least two years running Amazon has offered the complete set of Best American books for that year ( published each fall ) for purchase on the Kindle for 1.99 each. This offer usually is extended for a day or two only in the second half of December.
The edition this year begins with three football stories. First we see the sad decline of Y A Title, though as he is at least an octogenarian I am not sure his decline can be related to the brain injuries rampant amongst younger NFL players. The Gronkowski family, not just famous Rob, but his four, very athletic in their own right, brothers as well as their one of a kind Father are profiled. Trust me, that must have been an experience growing up in that house. The third football story centered on Michael Sam and how he has written his family out of not only his public story, but his life.
Next Jeremy Collins write " Thirteen Ways of Looking at Greg Maddux. It is not only a strong profile of the perfectionist pitcher but an ode to a friend of the author who, when they were growing up idolized Maddux and, who at times, when Maddux was pitching, seemingly was of one mind with the hurler. Even today the author struggles with the conflicted memories of Maddux, his friend, and the accident that changed everything.
" Money in the Bank " is an absolutely stunning takedown of the practices of the World Wrestling Entertainment company. When one reviews step by step, year by year, the process that the company follows, the way they treat their employees or " athletes " as disposable pieces of meat is pretty shameful. One can also easily draw a straight line from many of those WWE stories to how the NFL treats its players.
To that point, that is, disposable NFL players a story on Daryl Talley, a longtime Buffalo Bills player is pretty disheartening. Still young, in his fifties, Talley faces a bleak future with his degenerative physical condition and concussive related mental diminishment. Needless to say neither the Buffalo,Bills or NFL comes off very well in this story, entitled " Broke and Broken."
So what better to put some shine back on the NFL than a story on Jerry Jones the irrepressible owner of the Cowboys. Don Van Natta writes a strong, fair, and balanced portrayal of the owner, though, most people, one suspects, have long formed their opinions on Mr. Jones.
Additionally we see a sad story on Dean Smith's final years ( this before he died ), Chris Ballard writes a nice story entitled " Haverford Hoops " which revisits the small colleges ( at that time ) record breaking losing streak in basketball in the nineties. Interestingly the players from those teams have met with high levels of success in the real world and remain close today.
In the athletes doing wrong profiles are done of two jailed athletes, former baseball player Chad Curtis and NBA player Javaris Crittendon. A reader can judge for themselves who, of the two, is the sadder story, and more reprehensible.
Other notable stories include one on cave diving, the persistent efforts to swim the straits of Cuba by Diana Nyad, and a profile on Tommy Morrison's son who, of course, is attempting to rise in the ranks of boxing.
Two fantastic stories from the Far East include " the Year of the Pigskin " in which we meet an American man attempting to coach a football team in China and Brian Phillips writes " The Sea of Crisis " which is an excellent, and very interesting story in which we learn more than we ever thought we would want to know about Sumo Wrestling. Trust me you will enjoy this story.
For me the best story was the one called " No One Walks off the Island. " In this story we learn about how all of these Cuban baseball players end up on American shores. Different levels of shady people, from the Americans that work to get them here, to the gangs that arrange transportation, to the smugglers who actually attempt to get these athletes to America. Along the way the whole process of how international played are signed by MLB is examined as well. This story details the remarkable story of Yasuil Puig who in his adventure might have set up other Cuban athletes ( to take the spotlight off himself to gain his freedom ) but who also was virtually held for ransom while awaiting his baseball future in Mexico.
All in all a strong collection.
February 8, 2017
All the stories are at least good, except Squat King and Jerry Football.
If I had to pick a favorite I'd have to say Sins of the Preacher and "Broke and Broken".
The stories' subject are so diverse from Sumo to cave exploring.
If I had to pick a favorite I'd have to say Sins of the Preacher and "Broke and Broken".
The stories' subject are so diverse from Sumo to cave exploring.
January 3, 2016
I have received The Best American Sports Writing collection as a Christmas gift for 15 years running. Each year I start reading on Christmas night and finish within the week before the year ends. As I made my way through the book this time around, I found this to be the most enjoyable collection of writing I have read in years. The stories touched more on people than events. It showed us not only something about the athletes or sportsmen and sports women, but also about the authors. My favorites included "Thirteen Ways of Looking at Greg Maddux", "Awakening the Giant" and "Who wants to Shoot an Elephant." There were, however, many more gems to be found in this collection of 21 stories.
May 31, 2016
I wanted to give this book four and a half stars, but alas that is not an option. If there is a theme to the book, it might be loss; loss of memory, of family, of identity, of life, even loss on the field of play. There are a number of excellent stories, especially Awakening the Giant, Who Wants to Shoot an Elephant, No One Walks Off the Island, The Two Michael Sams and Being Tommy Morrison's Son. But the story that surprised me was Breaking the Waves. I read it last thinking I wouldn't care much for the subject - a profile of long distance swimmer Diana Nyad, but boy was I wrong. It gripped me from first word to last and taught me a something about life too. That's a pretty good deal.
September 11, 2016
A really good year for this anthology - many fascinating, thrilling, and heartbreaking pieces.
Read
July 15, 2024Best Essays, in my opinion (of course):
Thirteen Ways of Looking at Greg Maddux
Haverford Hoops
Jerry Football
Sins of the Preacher
The Sea of Crises
In Deep
Who Wants to Shoot an Elephant
The Year of the Pigskin
None of the other pieces were bad at all, though. Overall a solid collection.
Thirteen Ways of Looking at Greg Maddux
Haverford Hoops
Jerry Football
Sins of the Preacher
The Sea of Crises
In Deep
Who Wants to Shoot an Elephant
The Year of the Pigskin
None of the other pieces were bad at all, though. Overall a solid collection.
October 31, 2016
This was a really different yet interesting book. This is a compilation of different sports articles of all different types. These stories range from wrestling to football players to retired coaches. There are even stories about dementia and people fleeing their countries to play baseball in America. Overall this was a very interesting book with a wide variety of stories for everyone to enjoy.
December 9, 2015
4.65/5
October 23, 2015
There are some real gut-punchers in here. Yet another great collection, the gold standard and north star for people like me.
February 26, 2016
Painful, almost absent of women, and ends with a boring rah rah to Peyton Manning. I only read this because it is for Barak's and my book club. I do not recommend it.
March 4, 2016
I've been reading this series for several years. This had some of the better stories of the year in it.
March 6, 2016
The writing is uniformly great, but your interest will vary according to the subject matter. A bit too much football & baseball for my tastes.
April 29, 2016
Couldn't finish it. Good premise, but too many stories about sports I don't like
January 6, 2017
Excellent addition to an always-entertaining series. Nice mix of mainstream and less-well-known sources, with some very interesting pieces on caving and sumo wrestling.
June 26, 2017
Kind of disappointing. There were some great stories, but even more dragged on and didn't even seem well-written.
April 23, 2017
Should probably be called "Old Sports Heroes Fade Into Death: a collection". Greg Maddox one worked on me, though.
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