The Best American Sports Writing 2008

by William Nack (Editor), Glenn Stout (Series Editor)

In this exciting new collection, William Nack, veteran sportswriter and author of the classic Secretariat, honors the year’s finest sports journalism and thus upholds the tradition that began seventeen years ago, with David Halberstam at the helm. In these pages, you will find the most provocative, compelling, tragic, and triumphant moments in sports from 2007, captured by the knights of the keyboard who make sports come alive for us day after day, week after week, year after year.
Here you’ll find Paul Solotaroff’s excellent and uncompromising take on the neglect that a growing number of crippled NFL players continually face from the NFL players’ union. Jeanne Marie Laskas’s “G-L-O-R-Y!” offers a rousing inside look at the pregame rituals of the Cincinnati Bengals cheerleaders. A riveting online diary by Wright Thompson reveals a bleak and merciless landscape in China, which that country’s government would rather not have the world see during preparations for the Olympics.
Nack finds a place for the fascinating offbeat story as well as the sensational. Alongside Eli Saslow’s captivating article about an obscure seventeenth-century sport, similar to a giant rugby scrum, carried out in the streets of Kirkwall, Scotland, stands Franz Lidz’s “scoop of the year,” a controversial and rare look into the life of George Steinbrenner, baseball’s largest but recently most enigmatic figure.
This year’s collection marks another wonderful addition to “one of the most consistently satisfying titles in the Best American series” (Booklist).
Contributors include Scott Price, Rick Bragg, Gary Smith, J.R. Moehringer, and others.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Essays, Anthologies

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

William Nack is an American journalist and author. He wrote about sports, politics and the environment at Newsday for 11 years before joining the staff of Sports Illustrated in 1978 as an investigative reporter and general feature writer.

Since leaving S.I. in 2001, Nack has freelanced for numerous publications, including GQ and ESPN.com. He also served as an adviser on the made-for-TV-movie Ruffian (2007) and the Disney feature Secretariat (2010).

Reviews

[J.C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The articles I liked the most in this collection...

Forgive Some Sinners by Mark Kram Jr.: A story about his famous journalist father after his passing.

Dogged by Steve Friedman: An extreme athlete is hurt on a hiking trail and is saved by her dog.

Following Terry Fox by John Brant.

Two stories about Bo Jackson by Joe Posnanski and Michael Weinreb.

Michael Lewis on Adam Vinatieri and NFL kickers.

Scito Hoc Super Imnia by Mike Sager, on Kobe Bryant

Behind the Bamboo Curtain by Wright Thompson, on China

Run like Fire Once More by Sam Shaw. The worlds longest marathon takes place around four city blocks in New York City.

JR Moehringer on football coach Pete Carroll.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to this site, I got this book for Christmas. Thanks, Leila!

This is a great series, every year. This year's editor is Bill Nack, the former Sports Illustrated writer who has written the best stuff on horseracing and also did some memorable pieces on baseball, boxing, and chess over the years. Nack has his own style, and I'm betting he finds some gems that others would miss.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really liked the piece on retired NFL players who can't get medical coverage.

I admire the courage/fortitude of the runner-athlete who survived after breaking her leg in the wild but it read more like a Reader's Digest "True Life Adventure" or something.

I was so-so on the profile of Pete Carroll.

[Brenda Dunfee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the review on Pete Carroll! This is a great collection of stories - from the article about NFL casualties to a hiker's rescue this definitely covers an array of different sports experiences . . . Have to admit I skipped over a few articles that weren't holding my interest, but overall a good read.

[Vince Darcangelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faves:

S.L. Price, "A Death in the Baseball Family"
Tom Clynes, "Above and Beyond"
Michael Lewis, "The Kick is Up and It's... a Career Killer"
Paul Solotaroff, "Casualties of the NFL"
Rick Telander, "Atkins a Study in Pride and Pain"
Rick Reilly, "Getting a Second Wind"
Eli Saslow, "The Old Ba' Game"

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always with this kind of anthology, the quality is uneven; there's definitely some filler, and some typically hokey, cliched sportswriting (Rick Reilly, I'm looking at you), but there's lots of excellent material as well. This was very good bedtime reading.

[Hunter]

This book I got out of the cvsd liabrary it was donated by Dennis Fisher Ms.Fishers husband who was a sports editor at lancaster news era. We just got book two days ago so I dont really know about it yet I've been to busy with homework and lacrosse

[Ray Charbonneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every book in the series is good. This one is better than most, as the stories are all interesting. Sometimes, the editors go for "literary" quality, and forget that the story needs to be clear and interesting.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy these essay collections. And this one I enjoyed all the more because it included an essay from a high school classmate of mine!

[Alpha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know, Alice reading a sports book. But it has great profiles of athletes.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always loved this series, so I'll continue with it.

[Becki]

I love this book series...starting reading these I think in 2003, great stories.