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Playing the Long Game: A Memoir
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
For the first time in depth and in public, Olympic soccer gold-medalist Christine Sinclair, the top international goal scorer of all time and one of Canada's greatest athletes, reflects on both her exhilarating successes and her heartbreaking failures. Playing the Long Game is a book of earned wisdom on the value of determination and team spirit, and on leadership that changed the landscape of women's sport.
Christine Sinclair is one of the world's most respected and admired athletes. Not only is she the player who has scored the most goals on the international soccer stage, male or female, but more than two decades into her career, she is the heart of any team she plays on, the captain of both Canada's national team and the top-ranked Portland Thorns FC in the National Women's Soccer League.
Working with the brilliant and bestselling sportswriter Stephen Brunt, who has followed her career for decades, the intensely private Sinclair will share her reflections on the significant moments and turning points in her life and career, the big wins and losses survived, not only on the pitch. Her extraordinary journey, combined with her candour, commitment and decency, will inspire and empower her fans and admirers, and girls and women everywhere.
For the first time in depth and in public, Olympic soccer gold-medalist Christine Sinclair, the top international goal scorer of all time and one of Canada's greatest athletes, reflects on both her exhilarating successes and her heartbreaking failures. Playing the Long Game is a book of earned wisdom on the value of determination and team spirit, and on leadership that changed the landscape of women's sport.
Christine Sinclair is one of the world's most respected and admired athletes. Not only is she the player who has scored the most goals on the international soccer stage, male or female, but more than two decades into her career, she is the heart of any team she plays on, the captain of both Canada's national team and the top-ranked Portland Thorns FC in the National Women's Soccer League.
Working with the brilliant and bestselling sportswriter Stephen Brunt, who has followed her career for decades, the intensely private Sinclair will share her reflections on the significant moments and turning points in her life and career, the big wins and losses survived, not only on the pitch. Her extraordinary journey, combined with her candour, commitment and decency, will inspire and empower her fans and admirers, and girls and women everywhere.
245 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2022
74 people are currently reading
1003 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews
January 21, 2023
I have the utmost respect for Christine Sinclair and she is a one of a kind legend with a tenured career. However, this book felt very surface level without a lot of details or explanations. Totally understand that she is a private person, but that definitely comes across in the contents of this book.
November 15, 2022
finished this in like 3 hours. i just wanna !!! that whole last chapter my god I hate soccer in canada rn
December 30, 2022
Although this isn’t explicitly queer, I love soccer so I had to read it!!
*As is the nature of a memoir, many topics are discussed and could be considered trigger warnings for many people.*
Playing the Game is a memoir written by Olympic medalist, Christine Sinclair. The memoir details her soccer life from college to the pandemic and gives an in-depth look at various key moments in the Canadian women’s National team’s history.
I absolutely loved this memoir! I may be biased for my love for soccer, but it was very awesome to see behind the veil that is CSA and FIFA. The writing was clear and well organized. I loved the honesty and truthfulness from the author. I also felt Christine was very relatable because of the flaws in her own character that she was able to recognize and point out. I love when a character or author creates human characters, rather than ones who seem flawless.
I thought the narrator did a wonderful job on the audiobook, even though I really wish Sinclair had read it herself. Her reading was clear and smooth. She also brought true emotions to the story. Overall, a fantastic book that soccer and non-soccer fans alike should read!
*As is the nature of a memoir, many topics are discussed and could be considered trigger warnings for many people.*
Playing the Game is a memoir written by Olympic medalist, Christine Sinclair. The memoir details her soccer life from college to the pandemic and gives an in-depth look at various key moments in the Canadian women’s National team’s history.
I absolutely loved this memoir! I may be biased for my love for soccer, but it was very awesome to see behind the veil that is CSA and FIFA. The writing was clear and well organized. I loved the honesty and truthfulness from the author. I also felt Christine was very relatable because of the flaws in her own character that she was able to recognize and point out. I love when a character or author creates human characters, rather than ones who seem flawless.
I thought the narrator did a wonderful job on the audiobook, even though I really wish Sinclair had read it herself. Her reading was clear and smooth. She also brought true emotions to the story. Overall, a fantastic book that soccer and non-soccer fans alike should read!
June 12, 2024
this book was really special to me and I appreciate how hard it must have been for Christine to put all of her thoughts on paper. I admire her and all she’s done for women’s sports!!!!! I’m so happy she wrote this
December 26, 2022
If you’re a Canadian, read this book. If you’re an athlete, read this book. If you’re committed to increasing visibility, opportunities, and equality for women in any field, read this book!
April 30, 2024
I really wanted to enjoy this book. I love the theme of women empowerment, but the writing lacked emotion and you could tell that she didn’t want to be writing a book. I don’t know what I was expecting from this book, but a lot of the book was just outlining games throughout her career like “then we were 1-0. Then they tied it. We ended up losing.” I feel like I could’ve googled game scores if that’s what I was after.
February 26, 2023
laying the Long Game- Christine Sinclair
I read this book in 24 hours because this story is so important. A lot of what Christine said resonated with me. Growing up there were no female athletes in Canada to look up to. It wasn’t until Christine and the other women on Team Canada started playing soccer and Cassie Campbell in Hockey that we saw women athletes on tv. Yet still we don’t have a professional team in soccer in this country. Christine gives us a play by play of her biggest matches. Behind the scenes of the moments leading up to them. A glimpse into her life. If you’re into soccer, sports, women equality I highly recommend reading this book.
I read this book in 24 hours because this story is so important. A lot of what Christine said resonated with me. Growing up there were no female athletes in Canada to look up to. It wasn’t until Christine and the other women on Team Canada started playing soccer and Cassie Campbell in Hockey that we saw women athletes on tv. Yet still we don’t have a professional team in soccer in this country. Christine gives us a play by play of her biggest matches. Behind the scenes of the moments leading up to them. A glimpse into her life. If you’re into soccer, sports, women equality I highly recommend reading this book.
March 14, 2023
Like most of Canada, I’m a big fan of Christine Sinclair. As a player, a leader and an advocate for women in sport. But, it pains me to say: not as a writer. This book lacked flow and an attention to detail (I found two typos within the first few chapters). Sinclair gives details about games she’s played that we all have access to outside of this book. She states multiple times that she doesn’t share with people she isn’t close to and takes time to open up. Unfortunately, vulnerability is exactly what this book needed in order to have the impact it could’ve had. I am still a die-hard Sincy fan and will support the CWNT; however, this book was overall disappointing.
November 18, 2022
I'm not sure I love sports memoirs... Or perhaps it was this one? Recapping parts of the game that anyone could have already seen = not super interesting. Recapping parts of the game that were behind the scenes (thoughts, feelings, hidden moments) = more interesting! Reflections on the nature of women's soccer in Canada (and women's sports in general) were great.
January 1, 2023
As an avid fan of the Canadian National Women’s Soccer Team, I of course devoured this read. I really enjoyed getting to learn more about Sinclair’s personal journey and career through this insightful memoir. It furthered my appreciation and admiration for Sinclair and serves as a call to action for a tide to turn in Women’s Soccer in Canada and a greater issue of equality across the world.
September 8, 2023
I did not expect to have such a strong reaction to this book, I barely stopped crying the entire time.
When she was talking about how shit the Canadian soccer association was/is and how there’s not a women’s league right now, it just made me so sad about how I had to stop playing soccer when I was 17, I don’t think I ever fully comprehended what not playing soccer meant at the time. It may sound so ridiculous, but that was my ultimate dream. Christine Sinclair was (and will always be) an idol, THE IDOL, for me playing soccer for 13 years. She may have been the reason I continued to play my last season when I was told not to; she’s the reason I’ve been wanting to play again in any way that I can; she was the reason I played like I did even if I stopped playing as a forward/striker when I turned 10. There is not one point in my life that I can look back on where she wasn’t playing soccer. She is the kind of athlete I always wanted to be.
I had literally thought about how one day Christine is probably going to be apart of coaching staff or something for a women’s soccer league they eventually create in Canada and that there are girls that are gonna be able to play for her that grew up idolizing her. I envy those girls so much; I envy the girls that grew up and were able to play with her in the Tokyo Olympics and the Australian World Cup.
This book now has a special place in my heart, and will forever be one of my favourite books as well. Somehow this book as grown the love I have for soccer, but I can’t be surprised by the fact that it was done by Christine Sinclair.
When she was talking about how shit the Canadian soccer association was/is and how there’s not a women’s league right now, it just made me so sad about how I had to stop playing soccer when I was 17, I don’t think I ever fully comprehended what not playing soccer meant at the time. It may sound so ridiculous, but that was my ultimate dream. Christine Sinclair was (and will always be) an idol, THE IDOL, for me playing soccer for 13 years. She may have been the reason I continued to play my last season when I was told not to; she’s the reason I’ve been wanting to play again in any way that I can; she was the reason I played like I did even if I stopped playing as a forward/striker when I turned 10. There is not one point in my life that I can look back on where she wasn’t playing soccer. She is the kind of athlete I always wanted to be.
I had literally thought about how one day Christine is probably going to be apart of coaching staff or something for a women’s soccer league they eventually create in Canada and that there are girls that are gonna be able to play for her that grew up idolizing her. I envy those girls so much; I envy the girls that grew up and were able to play with her in the Tokyo Olympics and the Australian World Cup.
This book now has a special place in my heart, and will forever be one of my favourite books as well. Somehow this book as grown the love I have for soccer, but I can’t be surprised by the fact that it was done by Christine Sinclair.
December 3, 2022
And now I get to go listen to Christine at the Vancouver Writers Festival next week!!
December 22, 2022
Title:
Playing the Long Game: A Memoir
Author: Christine Sinclair
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: November 1, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Quick • Informative • Empowering
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Christine Sinclair is one of the world's most respected and admired athletes. Not only is she the player who has scored the most goals on the international soccer stage, male or female, but more than two decades into her career, she is still the heart of any team she plays on. She captains both Canada's national team and the top-ranked Portland Thorns FC in the National Women's Soccer League. In Playing the Long Game she shares her reflections on the significant moments and turning points in her life and career, all while attempting to bridge the gap between women's and men's sports.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I've never been a huge soccer fan, but as a Canadian I definitely know who Christine Sinclair is. I've watched some of her biggest moments on the world stage, and in her memoir she paints a picture of her love of the game, as well as a portrait of women's soccer in Canada.
Christine considers herself to be somewhat of a closed book, and I think that was evident in the writing. Yes, I got to know her better on some fronts, but it didn't peel back as many layers as I'd been anticipating, which made it feel more autobiographical that anything else. She brings insight and knowledge to the evolving landscape of women's sports and focuses on advocating for equity. I enjoyed getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse into some of the biggest moments of her career
Playing the Long Game didn't have the wow factor I'd been hoping for, but Christine herself says that this book is about more than just her. It is about growing the game, about leveling the gender playing field, and about women is sports on a whole. And on that account, she'd succeeded in raising the bar. If you enjoy a good sports memoir, as I do, than this one is definitely worth a listen.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Soccer fans (sports fans in general)
• readers who want to be inspired
⚠️ CW: sexism, misogyny, body shaming, injury/injury detail
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Talking about myself has never been something I've liked to do. But we are at a point in time, and I am at a point in my career, to create change in sports and beyond - to create equality for the next generation. So here I am, doing what I can by talking about my life in soccer, about my wins and losses, and about what's at stake for women and girls in sports."
Author: Christine Sinclair
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: November 1, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Quick • Informative • Empowering
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Christine Sinclair is one of the world's most respected and admired athletes. Not only is she the player who has scored the most goals on the international soccer stage, male or female, but more than two decades into her career, she is still the heart of any team she plays on. She captains both Canada's national team and the top-ranked Portland Thorns FC in the National Women's Soccer League. In Playing the Long Game she shares her reflections on the significant moments and turning points in her life and career, all while attempting to bridge the gap between women's and men's sports.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I've never been a huge soccer fan, but as a Canadian I definitely know who Christine Sinclair is. I've watched some of her biggest moments on the world stage, and in her memoir she paints a picture of her love of the game, as well as a portrait of women's soccer in Canada.
Christine considers herself to be somewhat of a closed book, and I think that was evident in the writing. Yes, I got to know her better on some fronts, but it didn't peel back as many layers as I'd been anticipating, which made it feel more autobiographical that anything else. She brings insight and knowledge to the evolving landscape of women's sports and focuses on advocating for equity. I enjoyed getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse into some of the biggest moments of her career
Playing the Long Game didn't have the wow factor I'd been hoping for, but Christine herself says that this book is about more than just her. It is about growing the game, about leveling the gender playing field, and about women is sports on a whole. And on that account, she'd succeeded in raising the bar. If you enjoy a good sports memoir, as I do, than this one is definitely worth a listen.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Soccer fans (sports fans in general)
• readers who want to be inspired
⚠️ CW: sexism, misogyny, body shaming, injury/injury detail
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Talking about myself has never been something I've liked to do. But we are at a point in time, and I am at a point in my career, to create change in sports and beyond - to create equality for the next generation. So here I am, doing what I can by talking about my life in soccer, about my wins and losses, and about what's at stake for women and girls in sports."
November 20, 2022
This was a nice little book but it didn’t wow me. I respect Sinclair to the moon and back but I was hoping that this would give more insight into who she really is and I don’t feel like I got that. I think I expect memoirs to peel away layers of a person’s history and it didn’t go very deep. She mentions several times in the book that she is a very private person, so perhaps she considers her admissions to be quite vulnerable.
July 10, 2023
Decent book to read if you're Canadian or a soccer fan in general. From the start, Sinclair announces that she's a private person and this sentiment is constantly reiterated. I hoped that reading this memoir would give me a better insight into Sinclair's life as well as the Canadian women's soccer scene. Instead, the retelling of her own life story felt superficial and lacked introspection which you would expect from a memoir. It wasn't exciting listening to a basic narration of highlights from various soccer matches.
I have a great amount of respect for the legend Christine Sinclair and how much she's contributed towards Canadian sports. Sadly, this memoir only provides a basic understanding of her life and career, but I'm happy she ventured out of her comfort zone and this memoir will be inspiring for the right people!
I have a great amount of respect for the legend Christine Sinclair and how much she's contributed towards Canadian sports. Sadly, this memoir only provides a basic understanding of her life and career, but I'm happy she ventured out of her comfort zone and this memoir will be inspiring for the right people!
April 24, 2024
Sinc is incredible and the absolute 🐐.
The book reads like a very factual retelling of her career (where the game was, what the score was, and when the next tournament was) that left me really wanting more. However, by the end, I almost cried a bunch of times and felt really inspired/angry/excited about women's sport. I understand now that writing this book was a huge leap outside her comfort zone, and that any of the personal stories she shared took a lot, so while I am greedy and want more, I am really grateful she wrote this in the first place.
If I ever see Christine in Vancouver I will make sure I don't say hi or ask her for a photo HAHA. But I hope she knows the impact she has had on countless athletes.
The book reads like a very factual retelling of her career (where the game was, what the score was, and when the next tournament was) that left me really wanting more. However, by the end, I almost cried a bunch of times and felt really inspired/angry/excited about women's sport. I understand now that writing this book was a huge leap outside her comfort zone, and that any of the personal stories she shared took a lot, so while I am greedy and want more, I am really grateful she wrote this in the first place.
If I ever see Christine in Vancouver I will make sure I don't say hi or ask her for a photo HAHA. But I hope she knows the impact she has had on countless athletes.
April 22, 2024
I have a ton of respect for Christine Sinclair and was so excited to read her book, but the entire time I was reading it, I couldn’t help but think about how dry it was. The beginning few chapters were incredibly surface level and provided little to no emotion. I could finally feel some of her passion in the last couple of chapters, however, and it was really interesting to read parts of her career that I was unfamiliar with. Overall, I’d definitely still recommend reading the book if you’re interested in soccer and her career, but otherwise it isn’t the most captivating memoir.
July 19, 2024
A great memoir about a record-setting Canadian women's Olympic Gold medal soccer player. This was a really fascinating look into the world of professional women's soccer and in particular the effect that the pandemic had on the game, her team, and the player herself.
I also enjoyed the MS rep part of the story from her experiences caring for and losing her mother to that disease. Great on audio narrated by the author herself and perfect for fans of books like Megan Rapinoe's One life or Briana Scurry's My greatest save.
I also enjoyed the MS rep part of the story from her experiences caring for and losing her mother to that disease. Great on audio narrated by the author herself and perfect for fans of books like Megan Rapinoe's One life or Briana Scurry's My greatest save.
March 26, 2023
Pretty surface level and vague overview that touches on some important topics, but doesn’t delve deep into them. It’s an easy read with a strong closing chapter on equality in women’s sports. Only thing I didn’t like is twice she said something like “we got PTSD from PKs”, “that gave me PTSD”, I could be wrong and don’t want to speak for an experience I’ve clearly never had, but I felt like this was a hyperbole in poor taste/wording.
May 12, 2023
I adored this book. Getting to hear her voice through so many amazing Canadian soccer moments was so satisfying and illuminating. It is full of heart with fun and interesting behind the scenes moments. She's clearly a very private person so it felt privileged to get to know her on this level. It's a lovely read regardless, but that much more enjoyable if you are a soccer player and fan of Canadian soccer and Sinclair herself.
June 2, 2024
Quick and easy read - maybe best for teen girls. I realized when I picked it up that, even though I’m a soccer fan and love Christine Sinclair, I actually don’t know a lot about her as a person. After reading her memoir, I don’t feel like I know much more. There’s a LOT of game recap and reporting on various rosters, but it felt very surface. Even the last chapter, which digs into the current state of affairs for women’s soccer in Canada, doesn’t dig deep enough to have far-reaching impact.
November 9, 2022
Binged this while I was waiting for my tires at Costco haha
I love Christine Sinclair- and it was sweet to hear her story! 3 stars because it fell into the trap of memoirs that would be really great as a conversation, and not as fun read. If she ever records it in audio, I think I’d enjoy it even more!
I love Christine Sinclair- and it was sweet to hear her story! 3 stars because it fell into the trap of memoirs that would be really great as a conversation, and not as fun read. If she ever records it in audio, I think I’d enjoy it even more!
December 21, 2022
I’d definitely recommend this for anyone interested in achieving equality / equity in professional sports (well and in life). It’s a great read full of game recaps and highlights of an incredible player. Additionally, Christine is just a cool human who has experienced a lot of adversity and has persevered with the support of her loved ones, but also just generally a good perspective on life.
January 27, 2023
This is a great introduction to Christine Sinclair in her own words. It's pretty short and to the point, but she covers the important stuff - including why you rarely see her in front of the camera or above the fold.
If you're interested in the evolution of women's soccer, this is a great book to read!
If you're interested in the evolution of women's soccer, this is a great book to read!
January 8, 2024
God, Christine Sinclair is so cool, but I wish there were more TO this book. It was pretty surface level and I could've probably found most of this stuff from a quick google search. She repeats over and over how private of a person she is, and it really shows! Love you Sinc, thank you for all you've done for soccer in Canada, but give me some deets!
April 30, 2025
I'm glad I saved all my rage for the last chapter discussion of women's wages in professional/national sports. Let's do better, Canada. Let's remind the women that they matter by paying them as much as the men. I really enjoyed the stories with all the other soccer great she's played with over the years.
April 28, 2023
4.5⭐️
Women empowering women. Advocating for women's rights and equal rights across the board. Christine Sinclair does a beautiful job of articulating her soccer career, the obstacles she faced, the barriers she has lessened for the upcoming women in the sport, but does not take away from the hardship the women in sport before her faced.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read.
Women empowering women. Advocating for women's rights and equal rights across the board. Christine Sinclair does a beautiful job of articulating her soccer career, the obstacles she faced, the barriers she has lessened for the upcoming women in the sport, but does not take away from the hardship the women in sport before her faced.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read.
May 27, 2023
What a legend. Really enjoyed hearing about how she thinks during those intense tournaments! Love her passion for the game and also how she hates being public but is doing it anyways to spread awareness about how fucking backwards Canada is about their women athletes. Badass.
June 29, 2023
I absolutely loved this book!!! As a female soccer fan in Canada, this book felt like home. I watched so many of the matches/tournaments that Christine reflects on…. It was like reliving some of the best/worst moments and all from an different perspective… an inside view. It was so neat hearing her insight. She was so honest yet still respectful of everyone in the game.
Sinclair helped change & progress the game, and I think this book will truly hit home with soccer fans, young & old, across the country!
Sinclair helped change & progress the game, and I think this book will truly hit home with soccer fans, young & old, across the country!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews