best sports autobiography books

•   The best sports books and autobiographies

The best sports books and autobiographies

From gritty sports autobiographies by olympic athletes and a multiple ballon d’or winner to explorations of marathon running and the cultural impact of football, here is a trophy cabinet of some of the best sports books jostling for position on the shelves..

Determined, competitive and possessing an impressive capacity for mental endurance – the characteristics that make great athletes often lead them to live extraordinary lives. Sports autobiographies offer us the opportunity to get the full story behind the goals, records and medals, as well as help us understand the wider impact of the athletic world off the field.

Whether your favourite sport requires a ball, an engine or even a hoof, here is a compilation of the best sports books and autobiographies out there.

• Running & athletics
• Other sports

The best football books

By chris kamara.

One of the most well-known faces of the beautiful game, Chris ‘Kammy’ Kamara is a national treasure. Now, he’s sharing the story of his incredible life. From his days in the Royal Navy and a playing career that took him all over England to becoming one of the game’s best-loved commentators, Kammy lifts the lid on a career that he could never have dreamt of growing up in Middlesbrough. Told with unflinching honesty, but with his trademark humour and positivity, this is a must-read for any football fan.

The World's Biggest Cash Machine

By chris blackhurst.

In The World's Biggest Cash Machine , Chris Blackhurst meticulously unravels the controversial reign of the Glazers over Manchester United. Purchasing the club in 2005, they ignited global discontent, driving it into record debts and marking the fiscal transformation of football. Despite on-field declines, they flourished financially. Blackhurst probes their secretive lives and business acumen, while mapping the club’s captivating journey amidst the Premier League’s metamorphosis into a billionaires' haven.

On Days Like These

By martin o'neill.

With a career spanning over fifty years, Martin tells of his exhilarating highs and painful lows; from the joys of winning trophies, promotion and fighting for World Cups to being harangued by fans, boardroom drama, relegation scraps and being fired. Written with his trademark honesty and humour,  On Days Like These  is one of the most insightful and captivating sports autobiographies and a must-read for any fans of the beautiful game.

Cheers, Geoff!

By geoff shreeves.

Packed full of hilarious stories on and off the pitch – including trying to teach Sir Michael Caine how to act, a frightening encounter with Mike Tyson, as well as getting a lift home from the World Cup with Mick Jagger –  Cheers, Geoff!  is a must-read autobiography for any football fan. A natural storyteller, Geoff brings an astonishing catalogue of tales to life with his unique brand of experience, insight and humour.

The Little Red Book of Klopp

It’s debatable whether Jürgen Klopp is better-known for his charisma off the pitch or his success on it. Having brought Liverpool back to winning ways in both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, Klopp is known for captivating press conferences and charming touch-line antics. The Little Red Book of Klopp is a collection of his most iconic sayings, from light-hearted witticisms to cutting insults.

The Age of Football

By david goldblatt.

For many people around the world, football is so much more than just a game. In The Age of Football , sport historian David Goldblatt widens the lens to trace how the game intersects politics, economics and wider culture. With focuses as diverse as prison football in Uganda, the presidency of Recep Erdogan and the importance of the beautiful game in the Arab Spring, David demonstrates the extent to which the sport impacts society today.

My Life in Football

By kevin keegan.

Whether it’s being the only Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or twice, achieving European glory with Liverpool or managing Newcastle from the bottom of the Second Division to the brink of winning the Premier League title, Kevin Keegan – known as ‘King Kev’ – has proven his pedigree both on the pitch and the touchline.  His autobiography details the highs and lows of an illustrious career, including clashes with Sir Alex Ferguson and his return to Newcastle during the controversial Mike Ashley era.

The best rugby books

By rassie erasmus.

Rassie Erasmus, a rugby maverick, unfolds his unconventional journey from player to coach in the pinnacle of the sport. This candid account delves into his pivotal roles in iconic Springbok teams, grappling with injuries, and pioneering coaching methods. Most crucially, Rassie talks about his greatest contribution to South African rugby: appointing its first black captain, Siya Kolisi, without much fanfare or controversy. As his bold plans for effective racial transformation of the national team achieved immediate success, they culminated in glory at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. 

Too Many Reasons to Live

By rob burrow.

The inspirational memoir from rugby league legend Rob Burrow on his extraordinary career and his battle with motor neurone disease.

This is the story of a tiny kid who adored rugby league but never should have made it  –  and ended up in the Leeds hall of fame. It's the story of a man who resolved to turn a terrible predicament into something positive  –  when he could have thrown the towel in. It's about the power of love, between Rob and his childhood sweetheart Lindsey; and of friendship, between Rob and his faithful team mates. Far more than a sports memoir,  Too Many Reasons to Live  is a story of boundless courage and infinite kindness.

‘ He is one in a million and his story is truly inspirational ’ Clare Balding on Rob Burrows

Belonging: The Autobiography

By alun wyn jones.

Belonging  is the story about how as a boy, Alun Wyn Jones left Mumbles and returned as the most capped rugby player of all time. It is the story of what it takes to become a player who is seen by many as one of the greatest Welsh players there has ever been. What it takes to go from sitting, crossed legged on the hall floor at school, watching the 1997 Lions Tour of South Africa to being named the 2021 Lions Captain.

But is it also about  perthyn  - belonging, playing for Wales, what it takes to earn the right to be there, and what it feels like to make the sacrifices along the way. 

‘ Unbelievable player. Magnificent captain. One of the game’s greatest icons. ’ James Haskell on Alun Wyn Jones

by Eddie Jones

One of the most successful sports coaches ever, Eddie Jones took three separate nations to Rugby World Cup Finals, and enjoyed a success rate with the England team of almost eighty per cent. An expert in guiding and managing high-performing teams, Jones believes that his methods can be applied to many walks of life. From fostering ambition to following your curiosity, Jones shares his methodology, much of it learned through conversations with other successful managers and leaders, including Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola. Leadership  is the ultimate guide to being your best, in rugby and in life.

My Life and Rugby

With a career spanning four World Cups, Eddie Jones is one of the most seasoned figures in Rugby Union. Possessing an unparalleled ability to transform teams, he built the Japan national team into the side that defeated South Africa in 2015, and turned a struggling England team into finalists at the 2019 World Cup. The England coach is never afraid to speak his mind, and his autobiography is told true to unflinching form.

The best running & athletics books

The running book, by john connell.

John Connell, award-winning author of The Cow Book, takes the reader on a marathon run of 42.2 kilometres through Ireland. Over 42 chapters and 42,000 words, John reflects on his life, Irish history and the stories of his greatest running heroes. Whether you’re a keen runner or you’d just like to read what it’s like to undertake a marathon, The Running Book is the perfect endorphin-filled sports book about the nature of happiness and how it can be found on foot.

Unbelievable - From My Childhood Dreams To Winning Olympic Gold

By jessica ennis.

Jessica Ennis-Hill has been one of the poster girls for women in sport for years. Indeed, arguably the greatest moment of the London 2012 games came when Jessica secured her heptathlon gold medal. But her rise was beset with challenges. From being bullied as a child for being small to her career-threatening injury on the eve of the 2008 Olympics, Jessica has had to show plenty of perseverance to prove her doubters wrong. This sports autobiography tells the full story behind the world’s greatest female all-rounder athlete.

The best tennis books

My life: queen of the court, by serena williams.

Serena Williams needs little introduction, having won every major title going in tennis. From growing up playing on courts covered in broken glass in Compton to reaching the top of world tennis, all while being criticised for her unorthodox playing style and dealing with the tragic shooting of her older sister, Serena has proven herself an inspiration to her multitudes of fans. In My Life , she reflects on her extraordinary journey.

The Inner Game of Tennis

Recently named by Bill Gates as one of his 'all-time favourite books', and described by Billie Jean King as her 'tennis bible', this bestseller has been a must-read for tennis players of all abilities for nearly fifty years. Rather than concentrating on how to improve technique, Gallwey deals with the 'inner game' within ourselves as we try to overcome doubt and maintain clarity of mind when playing. 'It’s the best book on tennis that I have ever read,' says Gates, 'and its profound advice applies to many other parts of life.'

‘ Groundbreaking . . . It’s the best book on tennis that I have ever read, and its profound advice applies to many other parts of life. I still give it to friends today. ’ Bill Gates

The best boxing books

When fury takes over, by john fury.

Born into a family of Irish traveller heritage, Big John Fury descends from a long line of bare-knuckle fighters. So it’s no surprise that he too found himself fighting outside the ring at a young age. From his early years in Manchester, John learned to box by practising fighting within the travelling community, before graduating into the sport professionally. The ring has never been far from his sights, and John has played a crucial role in coaching and being a cornerman for his two-time British heavyweight champion son, Tyson Fury. From Netflix's  At Home With The Furys  this is the Gypsy Warrior, Big John Fury, totally unfiltered and in his own words.

Believe: Boxing, Olympics and my life outside the ring

By nicola adams.

Nicola Adams famously changed the face of sport at London 2012 when she became the first woman ever to win an Olympic gold medal for boxing. Repeating her medal haul at Rio 2016 further cemented her place in the nation’s hearts, while she has also gone on to become a champion for  LGBTQ+ rights and a contestant on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. Believe documents the grit and determination that got her to gold.

The best swimming books

By yusra mardini.

While Yusra Mardini was fleeing her native Syria for the Turkish coast in 2015, the small dingy she and many other refugees were on began to sink. Yusra, her sister and two others took to the water, pushing the boat for three and a half hours in open water until they arrived safely at Lesbos. Remarkably, Yusra went on to compete as a swimmer for the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team in the 2016 Rio Olympics, and also became a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Her autobiography is for anyone who loves true-life stories of outstanding resilience.

In the 1970s, Diana Nyad was widely regarded as the greatest long-distance swimmer in the world but one record continually eluded her: becoming the first woman to swim between Cuba and the Florida Keys. Finally, after four failed attempts and at the age of sixty-four, Diana completed the crossing. This memoir shows her unwavering belief in the face of overwhelming odds. Winner of the Cross Sports International Autobiography of the Year, this is a story of perseverance, tenacity and commitment on an epic scale.

The best books about other sports

Jan ullrich: the best there never was, by daniel friebe.

In 1997, Jan Ullrich obliterated his rivals in the first mountain stage of the Tour de France. So awesome was his display that it sent shockwaves throughout the world of cycling. Everyone agreed: Jan Ullrich was the future of cycling. He was also voted Germany’s most popular sportsperson of all time, and his rivalry with Lance Armstrong defined the most controversial years of the Tour de France. But just what did happen to the best who never was? This is an account of how unbearable expectation, mental and physical fragility, a complicated childhood, a morally corrupt sport and one individual – Lance Armstrong – can conspire to reroute destiny.

by Poorna Bell

Have you ever worried that you're not enough, or that, if you were stronger or more confident you would achieve more? In Stronger , award-winning journalist and competitive amateur powerlifter Poorna Bell investigates and unveils the potential that women can unlock when they realise their strength – both physical, and mental. Through examining her own experiences, as well as those of dozens of women, Bell shows how finding strength can work for you, regardless of your age, ability or background, and offers actionable ways for your to harness it in your life. 

Lights Out, Full Throttle

By damon hill.

Amassing 261 Grand Prix appearances between them, Johnny Herbert and Damon Hill have experienced all the highs, lows and injury records associated with the greatest names in motorsport. In Lights Out, Full Throttle , Johnny and Damon take the reader on a tour around the high-octane world of F1 racing, from Silverstone and safety to Monaco and money, as well as looking at the future of racing in the light of Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter.

Alone on the Wall

By alex honnold.

Anyone who has seen the Oscar and BAFTA-winning documentary Free Solo will be familiar with Alex Honnold’s vertigo-inducing work. As one of the world’s best ‘free solo’ climbers, Alex tackles perilous rock faces without the use of any climbing gear. Free soloists undertake one of the deadliest sports on the planet – many have died in pursuit of their sport. Alone on the Wall is a pulse-raising account of some of Alex’s greatest climbs, told with Alex ‘No Big Deal’ Honnold’s trademark calm and collected humour in the face of mortal danger. A sports autobiography for adrenaline junkies.

Dream Horse

By janet vokes.

Janet Vokes dreamed of breeding a working-class horse to take on the wealthy high-flyers. To pursue this idea she bought a mare for £350, bred it with a pedigree stallion and encouraged her Welsh mining village to band together to raise the resulting foal, Dream Alliance. Despite being raised on an allotment, Dream went on to defy the odds at Ascot, Aintree and even Cheltenham Festival. Heart-warming reading for anyone who loves a true underhorse sports book.

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The Best Sports Memoirs, According to Sports Journalists

Whether you’re a sports fan or just a history buff, looking back at sporting events has produced some of the world’s finest journalism. But it could be argued that no outside observers’ perspective can compare to being inside the heads of those who scored that game-winning point, series-winning run, or tournament-winning goal (or coached any teams that did). Which is why, with so many of our favorite sports still on pause as their leagues figure out how to resume competition, we realized getting lost in a good sports memoir could be the next best thing to spending hours watching a game itself. But with so many sports memoirs ghostwritten or scribbled in a hurry as a valedictory rite of passage, which ones are actually up to snuff?

To find out, we asked 17 experts — including sportswriters, broadcasters, and professors — for their recommendations. While their responses included memoirs written by many athletes who are household names, we also learned about stories told by others that the spotlight may have missed, and a few written by coaches or superfans with perspectives that are just as gripping as those of athletes who actually took the field. Read on for their picks, which we’ve organized by sport. In the tradition of our other reading lists, we’ve named any books with two or more recommendations as best overall. But we’ve also included titles emphatically recommended by just one person, for those who may want to dive further into any category.

Best tennis memoirs

Best overall tennis memoir.

Three people raved about this memoir, which journalist Jonathan Eig, the author of Ali: A Life , says “may be the all-time best-written memoir by a major athlete.” All who recommended it praised the book’s “shockingly” candid nature, pointing out Agassi’s honesty is especially rare for an athlete who was one of the most popular of his generation. “Few autobiographies have dared to show athletes so naked,” writer Sam Diss, the head of content at London-based soccer magazine Mundial , says, adding that Agassi is “not writing this book to stick the boot into old foes or people who screwed him out of money.” Instead, Diss says he’s “passed over, gone clear, and reveals his trauma and grudges with equal parts pain and catharsis, in a way that doesn’t feel point-scoring, but freeing.”

More recommended tennis memoirs

According to Dr. Amira Rose Davis, a Penn State professor of history and African-American studies who also co-hosts the feminist sports podcast Burn It All Down , “the long history of black women in sport” is often obscured in sportswriting. But memoirs by black female athletes, which allow them to “narrate their own careers,” can “push us all to consider whose voices we are missing when we tell sports stories.” One of those women is tennis champion Althea Gibson, who wrote two memoirs that Davis recommends. “Gibson broke the color line at Wimbledon and was the first African-American Grand Slam champion,” she tells us. The first, I Always Wanted to Be Somebody, chronicles Gibson’s journey from childhood to the majors, while the follow-up, So Much to Live For, chronicles Gibson’s transition from the game to a golf career and beyond. Davis considers both essential reading, but notes that the details of Gibson’s post-career struggles in the latter work are especially poignant, and “serve as a reminder that being the queen of the tennis court is all well is good” but, as Gibson writes, “you can’t eat a crown.”

Editor’s note: These two books are now out of print and therefore priced higher than others on this list.

Another historic player, Arthur Ashe, remains the only black male tennis player to win Wimbledon (among other major titles). Marshall Jon Fisher, author of A Terrible Splendor says Ashe’s memoir has been one of his favorites since he was 12 years old. “Ashe told his life story in the context of a diary of one year on the tennis tour — Wimbledon 1973 to Wimbledon 1974,” Fisher tells us. “If only he’d known he would finally win the hallowed tournament in ’75, he might have waited a year. But then we wouldn’t have the same searching, melancholy masterpiece.”

This 1978 memoir of playing the world tennis circuit in the late 1950s and early 1960s is a “hilarious and poignant gem,” Fisher tells us. “In those days, the tour was more collegial, as well as more attainable for a cast of colorful characters more interested in seeking life experience than in becoming multimillion-dollar ground-stroke machines.” And lucky for readers, Forbes jotted down observations while he toured that “should entertain tennis fans forever,” according to Fisher.

Best baseball memoirs

Best overall baseball memoirs.

Three people told us about pitcher Jim Bouton’s book about his career with the New York Yankees and other teams in the ’60s. According to writer Daniel Okrent (who is credited with inventing the scoring system for fantasy baseball), it is “the memoir that broke the mold, earning Bouton the enmity of his fellow players and the applause of generations of fans” for its honest details of legendary players’ drunkenness, womanizing, and prodigious drug use (including some tales that, Okrent admits, “are less hilarious today”). Mark Kram, Jr., the author most recently of Smokin’ Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier , calls it a “bawdy tell-all” and an “instant sports literary classic.” Bouton was known for his wild knuckleballs, and Eig says that he “tossed the perfect knuckleball with this.”

This memoir by the one-time owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns, and Chicago White Sox was recommended to us by both Kram and former Grantland editor Rafe Bartholomew . “Baseball owners were a hidebound and altogether humorless bunch until Bill Veeck crashed the party,” according to Kram, who tells us that, “with a wooden leg, Veeck lugged home from the South Pacific in World War II, sent a dwarf to the plate, gave us the exploding scoreboard, and cooked up countless other promotional stunts that imbued a gray game with jump and color.” Kram says that Veeck’s memoir is “full of colorful tales and big ideas,” adding that he was fortunate enough to spend time with Veeck on a few occasions and that he “emerges in his book just as he was in person. One can almost hear his gravelly chuckle.”

More recommended baseball memoirs

Pitcher Jim Brosnan’s memoir focuses on his time playing for the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds in 1959. Okrent says that the memoir about Brosnan’s “unexceptional season with two unexceptional teams remains the most honest — and, I suspect, most accurate — account of the daily life of a ballplayer that we’ve ever seen.” It wasn’t meant to be a book filled with shocking revelations, according to Okrent, but is now thought of as one thanks to Brosnan’s inclusion of the Cardinals’ trainer “distributing an early form of steroids and amphetamines to the players.”

This bittersweet memoir tells the story of Pat Jordan’s promising, yet unfulfilled career as a pitcher. According to Kram, it’s a “hall-of-fame, lyrical memoir of youth ascendant and the hard luck that spares only the fortunate few.” Jordan began his career as a highly regarded schoolboy pitcher in 1950s Connecticut before, as Kram tells it, “signing with the Milwaukee Braves and spending three years toiling in bush league outposts such as McCook, Davenport, Waycross, Eau Claire and Palatka.” Then, 13 years after the Braves handed him his unconditional release, he revisited that period to write this — and later become “one of our preeminent sports journalists.”

Dirk Hayhurst succeeded where Pat Jordan did not, according to Kram, who notes he actually pitched in the big leagues (albeit briefly). Kram calls this, his second memoir, a “small gem,” noting it unfolds around and during his 2008 season with the San Diego Padres and offers a “candid account of the obstacles that he faced during his climb to the highest league, including conflicts with his eccentric grandmother, alliances and tensions with teammates, and the jitters he overcame when he finally got the call and discovered he was indeed out of his league.”

Best basketball memoirs

Best overall basketball memoirs.

Seven people recommended basketball memoirs, with two directing us to this one by NBA great and former U.S. senator from New Jersey, Bill Bradley. Both Bartholomew and Mike Tollin , an executive producer of ESPN’s The Last Dance , recommend the 240-page book that chronicles just 20 days in the life of Bradley’s time as a professional basketball player. Tollin, who told us he first learned about Bradley’s prowess by reading John McPhee’s famous 1965 profile of Bradley’s college basketball career at Princeton, says that reading the memoir “gave me an even greater appreciation for his humanity, and rare insight.”

“This classic deserves a much wider audience,” Eig tells us (Bartholomew is also a fan, as is Barack Obama, who called it the “best basketball book I’ve ever read.”) At the time he wrote it, Rick Telander was a faded football prospect who spent his time freelance writing and playing pickup basketball games in New York City. The memoir tracks his time observing and playing games at Flatbush’s Foster Park in the mid-1970s, and Telander rotates between observer, player, and team coach, reflecting throughout on the darker reality his fellow players from low-income neighborhoods would return to once the sun went down. “I remember Telander’s beautiful sentences, which feature his keen eye for detail, and his effortless blend of sociology and sport,” Eig says.

More recommended basketball memoirs

New York Times basketball and culture writer Sopan Deb recommends this 1980 memoir by legendary Boston Celtics center Bill Russell (who is regarded as the NBA’s first black superstar). “ Second Wind , in which he famously refers to Boston as a ‘flea market’ of racism, is an honest accounting by one of the most important athletes in the history of mankind,” Deb says.

Editor’s note: Due to this book’s recent popularity and the fact that it hasn’t been reissued (yet), we’re seeing it priced higher than others on this list.

Northwestern University’s director of sports journalism , J.A. Adande (who also appears on ESPN as a contributor), told us this is not only his favorite sports memoir, but that Abdul-Jabbar’s “fascinating perspectives” on race, religion, love, and America itself from the 1950s through the 1980s make it one of his favorite books ever. According to Adande, even though Abdul-Jabbar is one of the greatest players of all time, “basketball feels almost like an afterthought” in this book, or “something he pursued because he was tall and suited for it, but not something he felt as passionately about as, say, jazz.” Adande notes that Abdul-Jabbar has gone on to write dozens of books and essays on timely topics, and that “you can see the genesis of those in Giant Steps .”

Sports journalist and broadcaster Taylor Rooks told us about this memoir written by Tim Grover, a basketball trainer. But she assures he’s not just any trainer: “Tim Grover is the legendary trainer to athletes like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Dwyane Wade.” The book, according to Rooks, focuses on the mental practices Grover taught these athletes (and others) to ensure they didn’t just have good seasons, but good careers. “It’s full of anecdotes and stories that make you feel closer to the players we all grew up watching,” she says, adding that it includes a favorite quote: “The only difference between feedback and criticism is the way you hear it.”

“My sports life has been consumed by two seminal NBA dynasties: the Michael Jordan Bulls and the Kobe-Shaq-Gasol Lakers,” sports and culture writer Dave Schilling says, adding that “those teams have one thing in common: head coach Phil Jackson.” According to him, anything Jackson wrote would have been a must-read given his shepherding of some of the greatest basketball players of all time, but Eleven Rings , which Schilling describes as memoir–cum–self-help book, goes the extra mile. “It gives an insight into how Jackson motivated his teams, which included a collection of massive egos, some of whom were not prone to taking orders,” he says. “It’s sort of a classic ‘Dad Lit’ book where the author delivers meme-able motivational insights.”

Best football memoirs

Best overall football memoir.

Four folks recommended books about American football, with three specifically highlighting George Plimpton’s memoir of his weeks-long athletic career (Plimpton, of course, is best known for helping to start the Paris Review). Diss describes the book as “the perfect encapsulation of a classic conversation starter: How long could you last in a match at professional level?” Spoiler alert: The answer, Diss points out (without giving the story away), is not long. “But Plimpton’s eloquence and brio propels this dive into American football in a way that’s both very funny and dredges up a newfound respect for even the lowliest pro athlete,” he explains. Okrent is also a fan, telling us “Plimpton’s weeks in uniform in the Detroit Lions’ training camp may have been a stunt, but the book is a gem. However bad Plimpton was as an NFL quarterback, he was that good as a writer — a truly winning combination.”

Another recommended football memoir

According to Rooks, this memoir, written by “one of the more polarizing figures in sports, forces us to ask many questions, especially ‘When does a person who did bad things qualify for the public’s forgiveness?’” Finally Free , Rooks says, tackles Vick’s search for that answer as he goes through his many controversies. “It stuck with me,” she says, “because it speaks to the idea that the bad things that happen to us shape us just as much as the good.”

Best soccer memoirs

Best overall soccer memoir.

While High Fidelity author Nick Hornby spent even less time playing professional sports than George Plimpton (a.k.a. no time at all), Fever Pitch was recommended to us as the ultimate fan’s memoir by three people, two of whom say they weren’t really fans of soccer before picking it up. The book “reads like a letter from a friend,” according to Diss, who describes the plot as “a fan in conversation with himself, in a doomed romance with his club, and asking what it all means to have those men chasing after a ball and those people standing there in the freezing cold and rain watching them do so.” Schilling says Fever Pitch was his entrée into the world of obsessive soccer fandom, telling us the prose “played right into my young-adult-male belief in intellectual and emotional purity. If you are going to love something — Arsenal, the Smiths, comic books, sketch comedy — you better love it to the point that it damages your ability to function in society or hold a job.” Sports journalist Sarah Baicker adds that you “probably don’t even have to care about sports to love the book, but if you do, as I do, you’ll recognize yourself in Hornby’s fandom.”

Another recommended soccer memoir

Wambach’s autobiography came recommended to us by sports reporter and commentator Kate Fagan . According to Fagan, the former star forward of the U.S. women’s national team “isn’t here to build her brand or make you love her, she’s here to be honest about her life, about her drinking, and about the inside workings about the peaks and valleys of being a professional athlete.” For that reason, she says that “if you want to really understand the grind of an athlete — read this.”

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The best sport autobiographies 2023: Memoirs from the worlds of football, cricket and more

• Calum Trenaman

Our guide to the best autobiographies, whatever your choice of sport

We live in an era where people want more access to their favourite sportspeople than ever before: interviews before matches, interviews after matches, analysis at the most granular levels. And that’s not to mention the social media presence that many sports clubs contractually require of their stars. For famous sportspeople, autobiographies are almost a guarantee once they do anything noteworthy. The market is flooded with them so we’re here to help narrow down your choices to the cream of the crop.

When a sportsperson has been in the public eye for such a long period of time, an autobiography is a time for them to reveal all, to be vulnerable and to finally open themselves up to their fans in a way they may never have done before.

The chosen autobiographies may not necessarily be from the biggest names in their field, but their stories offer something new and fresh, insightful and interesting, momentous and potentially ground-breaking. Read on for our buying guide and roundup.

Best sport autobiographies: At a glance

• Best early-career sports autobiography: A Clear Blue Sky by Jonny Bairstow and Duncan Hamilton
• Best end-of-career sports autobiography: Racing Through the Dark by David Millar in collaboration with Jeremy Whittle
• Best political sports autobiography: The Rodchenkov Affair by Gregory Rodchenkov

How to choose the best sport autobiography for you

There are so many sports autobiographies to choose from that it can be overwhelming when deciding which to commit to reading. Even more so when one sportsperson may have more than one autobiography. Try asking yourself these questions.

What’s the sport?

This may sound obvious when choosing a sports autobiography to read, but it’s crucial. If the subject of the book is someone considered the best in their field, and you want to find out more about their life and their mindset, that’s excellent. But that may be communicated through the medium of their sport and if you don’t know what they’re talking about, then that insight is going to be lost on you.

Likewise, the inverse is also true. If you consider yourself a serious fan of a particular sport, then you may not gain a lot from reading an autobiography of someone whose career you know intimately or a sport you know thoroughly. It could be a more interesting reading experience if you pick someone from a sport you know little about but that you know has had an incredible life.

How far beyond the sport does it go?

This is also important. Do you want the person to be delving deep into an analysis of a championship victory, taking you through each game and what their role in it was? Or do you want an autobiography in which the sport itself takes a back seat, with more of a focus on the feelings and inner monologue of that person as they traversed various obstacles in their career? Some of those in the former category can be very dry and clinical. But on the other hand, many sports fans are more interested in the tactics and physical aspect of the sport, and might find the mental and emotional side of things too “wishy-washy” for their reading consumption.

At what point in the person’s career was the autobiography written?

Arsene Wenger wrote his autobiography after he had completed his time as Arsenal manager. Sir Alex Ferguson did the same. They were retired and their managerial careers were over. Age also plays a factor, in the style of the autobiography. For example, when a 75-year-old is writing about their life in its entirety after a 55-year career in the sport, a lot of details will be skimmed over.

Many sportspeople write multiple autobiographies, and many may even write multiple memoirs while still playing. That means they can go into much more detail in shorter periods of time in their careers. For instance, at the time of writing, England Test cricket captain Ben Stokes already has two autobiographies, and he still has plenty of years left in his career. What kind of reading experience are you looking for and how deep do you want the person to dive into their own life and career? That will help you decide what you want to read.

The best sport autobiographies you can buy in 2023

1. a clear blue sky by jonny bairstow and duncan hamilton: best early-career sports autobiography.

England Cricketer Jonny Bairstow’s autobiography partially charts the tricky start to his international career, which began in 2013, up to his maiden Test century in South Africa in 2016.

But what sets this autobiography apart from other cricketing autobiographies, and perhaps what helped win it the Wisden Cricket Book of the Year in 2018, is its deeply personal discussion of his father’s suicide, and the effect it had on Jonny, his sister and their mum.

David Bairstow took his own life when his son was just eight-years old. His sister Becky was seven, and his mother was battling cancer for the first of two times in her life. Early in his professional career, Jonny could come across as prickly and sensitive when potentially vulnerable to the criticism of the cricketing press, but he shows a completely different side of himself here. He admits to feeling like he, Becky and their mum were survivors of a shipwreck in the aftermath of David’s suicide – and that since then they have stuck together through everything.

What makes the story of Bairstow’s life all the more compelling is that it isn’t just blue eyes and red hair that he inherited from his late father, but his cricketing talent too. While not as successful as his son, he had a long and prolific career for Yorkshire and occasionally England. The struggles of Jonny’s early career came across as laden with frustration of an unfulfilled legacy. Since his maiden Test century, Bairstow hasn’t looked back. This wonderful and sensitive autobiography explores the difficulties of establishing his career and the even tougher difficulties of his early life.

Key specs – Length: 320 pages; Publisher: Harper NonFiction; ISBN: 978-0008232696

A CLEAR BLUE SKY: A remarkable memoir about family, loss and the will to overcome

2. racing through the dark by david millar with jeremy whittle: best end-of-career sports autobiography.

David Millar was one of the many professional cyclists of the 90s and 00s to have doped. It was an era of cycling that was so juiced up, that any differentiation between real and fake was lost. It lost generations of fans who consequently turned away from the sport and will likely never return. Millar isn’t an outlier, but he wasn’t famous like Lance Armstrong. And he certainly wasn’t as lucky as Armstrong. Rather than being able to tell the truth from the comfort of a California mansion in his own words, Millar was arrested by the French police in 2004 for doping violations and was later banned by the British Cycling Federation for two years.

Millar’s autobiography is an honest account of how an enthusiastic and potentially naive young professional cyclist falls into the world of doping, having had no intention to cheat his way to the top. Often, those of us outside pro sport can’t fathom why a person would cheat in the field, and we may believe they must have been “evil” from the start. Millar’s contrition and genuine work after returning from his ban to help root out doping from the sport proves he is not one of those people. It’s a fascinating account of how a sport can be taken over by a culture of cheating, and that an individual is often powerless to confront or avoid that culture.

Key specs – Length: 368 pages; Publisher: Orion; ISBN: ‎978-1409120384

Racing Through the Dark: The Fall and Rise of David Millar

3. the rodchenkov affair by grigory rodchenkov: best political sports autobiography.

If you want to learn about contemporary Russia through the lens of sport, and how the country was able to coordinate the largest state-sponsored doping program in the history of professional sport, then this is the autobiography for you.

There’s a case to be made that Grigory Rodchenkov, while not a noteworthy professional sportsperson, had one of the biggest impacts on global sport in the 21st century. His autobiography walks us through the world of Russian sport, dating back well into the Soviet era, and how doping has always been a part of professional sport there. In the Soviet Union, it was individual coaches giving their athletes whatever they thought worked. It wasn’t an unrefined and unorganised system, but during the mid-2000s it became systematic. And Rodchenkov, now a whistleblower living in hiding in the US, was the man behind it.

What is most interesting in Rodchenkov’s autobiography is not necessarily his revelations of secret labs or the Russian secret service’s involvement in doping control at the Sochi Winter Olympics, but his thoughts and feelings as he facilitated it all. He frequently describes life in Russia in Orwellian terms, yet fails to see the role he played in fuelling that nightmare. And while his actions arguably rob professional sport of the thrill of fair competition, he’s remarkably unapologetic: if it wasn’t him, there’d be someone else, and doping is just part of trying to gain an advantage over other competitors. It’s a brilliant autobiography that, while telling the story of doping in Russia, reveals much about the Russian psyche in relation to global sporting politics.

Key specs – Length: 320 pages; Publisher: WH Allen; ISBN: 978-0753553350

The Rodchenkov Affair: How I Brought Down Russia’s Secret Doping Empire – Winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2020

4. the mamba mentality by kobe bryant: best “coffee table” sports autobiography.

In this coffee-table-sized book, basketballer Kobe Bryant – who lost his life in a helicopter crash in 2020 – tells of his self-named ‘Mamba Mentality’ on the court.

The book is split into two main sections: process and craft. While it tells lots of Bryant’s life, as with any conventional autobiography, Bryant is more concerned with passing on his wisdom of what ‘greatness’ is and what it takes to get there. When Michael Jordan’s The Last Dance docu-series was released in 2020, the world was given an insight into a man with a deep desire to win and to be the best. Bryant is cut from the same cloth.

Just a brief look over some of his achievements will tell you the scale of his greatness. Five-time NBA champion, 18-time NBA All-Star, 11-time All-NBA First Team, nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team and an NBA Hall of Famer. He’d probably tell you that those first set of achievements are the only ones that matter. And that says a lot about his mentality.

As with many coffee table books, there is more imagery than words here, displaying brilliant photography from Bryant’s life, and focusing on his storied career with the Los Angeles Lakers. This is not an autobiography just for basketball fans. It’s not even an autobiography just for sports fans. It’s a blueprint for anyone who wants to be at the top of their chosen field from someone who knows exactly what it takes to get there.

Key specs – Length: 208 pages; Publisher: MCD; ISBN: 978-0374201234

5. Addicted by Tony Adams and Ian Ridley: Most candid autobiography

When you hear the name Tony Adams, you may think of a hard-nosed and dedicated centre back, leading Arsenal’s defence for nearly two decades. And he was a leader in every sense of the word, becoming Arsenal captain at the age of just 21 and winning four league titles, three FA Cups and two League Cups during his 19 years at the club, retiring without ever having left. He is a footballing legend.

Despite all this, Adams may argue that it was his decision to quit drinking and sticking to it that may be his biggest achievement. He admits in his book that, in doing so, it was the first time in his entire life that he had ever asked for help.

Professional football was awash with alcohol during the 1990s, perhaps most of all at Arsenal. This was a Wild West period for football, where there was a lot of money, no social media and no defined sense of professionalism instilled in the game when it came to fitness, dieting and drinking. For Adams to admit he had a problem took a lot of soul searching and courage.

This was before mental health and illness had entered the realm of mainstream health conditions and, as ever, Adams led from the front and was open about his struggles. He is by no means the only England footballer to struggle with alcoholism, but his autobiography will inspire not only those going through similar struggles, but also any sports fans who understand what it means to battle inner demons of any kind.

Key specs – Length: 384 pages; Publisher: HarperCollins; ISBN: 978-0008268749

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9 Powerful Sports Autobiographies Every Fan Should Read

“The moment you give up is the moment you let someone else win.”

To millions across the globe, sportspeople are the closest things to superheroes. Their exploits on the pitch, field or stadium conjure emotions seldom few things can match, and the memories they fashion can last for a lifetime. And on the back of this, the inspiration these athletes can wield has seen their influence grow immeasurably, especially in the world of books where their stories, motivations and beliefs can be explored in incredible detail. With that in mind, check out What We Reading for the 8 most powerful sports autobiographies! 

Why We Kneel, How We Rise – Michael Holding

Michael Holding was one of the most prolific bowlers in cricket history, leading the infamous West Indian attack that dominated the sport across the 1970s and ‘80s. He has also become one of the most respected voices in the game in the years since with his work as a pundit and commentator. 

In Why We Kneel, How We Rise, Holding explores how racism dehumanises professionals, and how the Black Lives Matter movement has triggered a counter-offensive from strong figures from across the world of sport. Speaking to various figures who have experienced the effects of racism firsthand, this sports biography is one of the most insightful, powerful, and eye-opening pieces of education. 

Check out the Best Ashes Books

Lioness: My Journey To Glory – Beth Mead

England’s win at Euro 2022 was one of the defining moments in women’s football being put on an equal pedestal, with the Lionesses being spearheaded by the exploits of Beth Mead on the pitch. The 2021-22 Arsenal Player of the Year finished as top scorer and Player of the Tournament , and Lioness: My Journey to Glory is her recounting of how she and the team finally brought football home. 

As well as all the glorious days in the 2022 sun, it is also a powerful story of Mead’s rise up the football pyramid, exploring the challenges that moulded her along the way. Powerful and honest, it is one of the best sports biographies for people of all ages to feel inspired. 

Too Many Reasons To Live – Rob Burrow 

One of the most talented Rugby League players of his generation, Rob Burrow also served as one of his sport’s most inspirational figures. Told from an early age that he was too small to make it as a professional player, Burrow’s career was one of defying expectations. 

In 2019, not long after his playing career came to an end, Burrow was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, a degenerative disease that doctors only gave a life expectancy of a handful of years. However, spurred on by his wife and three children, Burrow would showcase the sort of strength his in fight that made the entire sporting world stop and stare at him in awe. Too Many Reasons to Live is Burrow’s inspiring tale of love and courage in the face of so much adversity. 

Resilience – Elise Christie 

Shortlisted for Sunday Times’ best sports autobiographies in 2022, Resilience is the autobiography from triple World Champion speed skater Elise Christie. 

Refreshingly open and honest, the book details the torrents of mental anguish, abuse, and floods of misinformation that have followed Christie throughout her career. And yet it is also an inspiring tale of incredible strength and determination, documenting how Christie has been able to overcome hurdle after hurdle on her way to cementing herself as one of British athletics’ greatest modern competitors. 

Love Of The Game – Ricky Hill 

Ricky Hill was born under the shadow of Wembley Stadium, the home of English football for over a century. At the time, he was told only two for every hundred people could hope to make it as professional footballers; however, this was also a society where racism was prevalent and the hurdles Hill would have to scale in pursuit of his dream were far greater than most had to deal with. 

Despite this, Hill would go on to fashion a remarkable career in the beautiful game. He would become only the fourth Black player to play for the England men’s team and became a trailblazing reformer for BAME coaches across the country following his retirement. Love Of The Game is one of the pioneering sports autobiographies on how prejudice in football coaching took one of its first steps to being tackled on the back of the experiences courtesy of Hill. 

The Mamba Mentality: How I Play – Kobe Bryant 

Kobe Bryant was, and still remains, one of the biggest icons in the world of basketball. The only player in NBA history to have two jersey numbers retired, Bryant was a titan on and off the court during his twenty years in the sport and even managed an Academy Award for his 2017 film, Dear Basketball. 

His sudden death in 2020 shook the world of sports , with even those outside of basketball paying homage to Black Mamba in its wake. The Mamba Mentality is the autobiography from Bryant, detailing his passion for all things basketball and the core beliefs and values that shaped him as a player. Released just after his retirement, it is one of the most intimate sports autobiographies for those looking to get into the mind of one of the all-time greats. 

Hooked – Paul Merson 

Paul Merson is one of the most recognisable faces in the world of football punditry today. An accomplished attacker, Merson made over 300 appearances for Arsenal, won two league titles and played for his country 21 times. He has become a familiar voice to all football fans on the back of his appearances on Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports and is one of the game’s most beloved names. 

However, Merson has also become one of the most important figures in opening dialogues within the beautiful game on a number of candid subjects. His difficulties with mental health, gambling and addiction are given the spotlight in his autobiography, Hooked. An eye-opening and honest self-reflection, it is a strong reminder outside looks can be deceiving, Merson deserves huge credit for breaking the normal footy formula when it comes to sports autobiographies here. 

The Death Of Ayrton Senna – Richard Williams

Ayrton Senna was one of the most fearless and mercurial talents the world of motorsports has ever served up. The three-time Formula 1 World Champion became and endures as one of the sport’s most iconic figures for his relentless pursuit of perfection and fearlessness when it came to finding the limit.

His death in 1994, however, also remains one of the darkest moments not only in Formula 1, but also across sports history. In his beautiful and classic sports biography on the complexities and brilliance of the Brazilian, Richard Williams pays homage to the life and death of Ayrton Senna. Embodying the courage and spirit that any sports fan can admire, it is an essential Formula 1 book for anyone looking to learn more about the pinnacle of motorsport.

The First Half – Gabby Logan 

From Strictly Come Dancing, Match of the Day, all the way to the Olympics, Gabby Logan is one of the most recognisable presenters in British television. A staple fixture in the sporting world for over twenty-five years now, Logan stands as one of the most beloved pioneers on the small box and has continued to trailblaze a place for women with her columns, contributions and very-own podcast . 

The First Half is Gabby Logan’s first-ever book. In a sports autobiography that will have readers laughing and crying in equal measure, the presenter details the key decisions that have shaped her career, the obstacles she has had to navigate along the way, and how painful losses have continued to fuel her ambitions. 

Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).

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11 best sports autobiographies

From dealing with pressure on the pitch to overcoming demons in their personal lives, indybest finds sports stars whose memoirs pack a punch, article bookmarked.

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Whatever sports you're into, these books, all published in the last six months, make for absorbing reads.

{1} Gareth Thomas: Proud: Ebury, £20

Since becoming Britain’s first openly-gay professional rugby player in 2009, Thomas has been something of a pin-up for the LBGT community. But it was not an easy path to contentment, as he lays bare in this accomplished, moving effort.

{2} Nicole Cooke: The Breakaway: Ebury, £20

Before the likes of Laura Trott was making headlines for women’s road racing, Cooke was battling to give the sport the recognition she felt it deserved. Her grit and determination, spanning from childhood to the London Olympics, radiates from the page in this account of achieving in a male-dominated arena.

{3} I an Poulter: No Limits: Quercus, £20

The media has seized upon snappy dresser Poulter’s “rags to riches” story. But the one-time market trader who became a Ryder Cup master’s story has impact when it comes from the horse’s mouth. His revealing tale is an absorbing one for golf aficionados.

{4} Our Life on Ice: The Autobiography: Simon & Schuster, £20

From their gold medal-winning routine in 1984 to eight years judging Dancing on Ice, Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean have come as a professional pair. This shines a light on their individual personal struggles and how their – entirely unromantic – partnership has worked for four decades in the figure skating business. Fans will love it.

{5} Roy Keane: The Second Half: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £20

To use a sporting cliché, this blisteringly honest book - written in collaboration with Booker Prize winner Roddy Doyle — is a tale of two halves. An account of the driven Premier League star’s career, then an insight into life as a manager. Keane’s self-deprecating wit, combined with a take-no-prisoners approach, make for an entertaining read.

{6} Jimmy White: Second Wind: Trinity Mirror sport media, £20

Snooker might not be your usual bag, but White’s searingly honest account of how drugs cost him ten world titles and nearly his life, is a gripping one. “The Whirlwind” airs his dirty laundry and leaves you to make up your own mind on his legacy.

{7} Luis Suarez: Crossing the Line : Headline, £20

When you’ve gone from the street football of Montevideo to the excellence of Ajax, married your childhood sweetheart, been banned for racism and biting, almost dragged Liverpool to the title, been thrown out of the World Cup, and joined Barcelona, you’ve got a story to tell. Suarez delivers his brilliantly and honestly.

{8} Carl Froch: Froch The Autobiography: Ebury, £20.87

Froch has never been scared to take on the hardest opponents in the boxing ring. Here, alongside his in-depth analysis of fights – including his much-hyped win against George Groves to– you see a softer side, loyal to friends, family and trainer Rob McCracken.

{9} KP: The Autobiography : Sphere, £20

Former England cricket captain Kevin Pietersen takes a no-holds-barred approach to telling the stories - and apportioning blame - for his memorable moments, including being dropped before the failed 2013/14 Ashes series. Like him or not, KP’s book is compulsive reading.

{10} Brian O’Driscoll: The Test: Penguin, £20

With Ireland a favourite to take the Six Nations, now’s an apt time to delve into the life of the national side’s former rugby captain. The likeable O’Driscoll covers his turmoil over the suicide of his best friend, along with his own surprising on-pitch struggles. Buy

11. Geoffrey Boycott: The Corridor Of Certainty: Simon & Schuster, £20

The batsman-turned-commentator is always forthright on his beloved sport but here you get a unusually candid insight into his life away from cricket, notably a harrowing account of his recent cancer treatment. You sense the impact the illness had on his family in this engaging book that reads almost as if Boycott was sat next you telling the story. Buy

Verdict For books that transcend sport and are moving and thought-provoking memoirs, try Gareth Thomas' Proud or Nicole Cooke's The Breakaway .

12 Game-Changing Sports Biographies and Memoirs

These winning reads smash the competition.

A great sports story gets everyone on their feet — whether you just finished your 10th marathon or you prefer to race through your TBR stack. The following sports biographies and memoirs are packed with athletic drama that every reader will enjoy, from underdog wins and buzzer-beater finishes to the off-court scandals and triumphant personal comebacks of the greatest athletes of our time.

Magic: The Life of Earvin "Magic" Johnson

By roland lazenby.

From Roland Lazenby, the renowned biographer of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Jerry West, comes Magic, the definitive sports biography of basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Johnson reached dazzling new heights over the course of his career on the court, transforming American basketball into top-tier entertainment with his exciting playing style and leading the Los Angeles Lakers to greatness during the team’s Showtime era. Yet Johnson also faced his share of scandals and controversies, including his extravagant lifestyle and shock retirement from basketball in the wake of his HIV diagnosis. Lazenby draws on hundreds of interviews with teammates, coaches, rivals, and more to capture every facet of this complex figure, offering a gripping and comprehensive account of the renowned player and his extraordinary career.

By Andre Agassi

A striking story about the double-edged sword of success, Open by Andre Agassi tracks the tennis star’s astounding triumphs, failures, and battles both on and off the court. Agassi went pro at the age of 16; by his early 20s, he was a tennis legend. Yet with worldwide success came pain, doubt, and relentless media scrutiny. Agassi opens up about it all in this candid and bestselling sports memoir, delivering a fascinating read for fans and newcomers alike. And if that isn’t enough to draw you in, note that Open is cowritten by J. R. Moehringer, one of the all-time ghostwriting greats, whose success with this narrative paved the way for his teaming up with Prince Harry on his recent smash memoir . 

Michael Jordan: The Life

Michael Jordan transcends the sports world. You know him even if you know nothing about basketball — and if you grew up in the ’90s, he was practically everywhere you looked. In Michael Jordan: The Life, Roland Lazenby tracks Jordan’s career from college kid to NBA superstar and beyond. Along the way, Lazenby complicates our collective understanding of the sports icon, countering Jordan’s on-court image with the darker sides of his character, his rocky relationships, and his merciless ambition.

By Abby Wambach

In Forward, soccer luminary and two-time Olympic gold medalist Abby Wambach shares her journey from being put on the boys’ soccer team at the age of seven to becoming one of the all-time greatest soccer players in the history of the sport. Wambach’s compelling account is suffused with grit and determination, and it speaks to the unique challenges women face in their quest for athletic greatness. It’s a must-read for sports fans and indeed anyone in need of inspiration. For a double dose of empowerment, check out Wolfpack , Wambach’s #1 New York Times bestseller from 2019 that encourages women to join together and unleash their inner potential.

Path Lit by Lightning

By david maraniss.

Written by David Maraniss, a two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and the biographer of such figures as Barack Obama and Roberto Clemente, Path Lit by Lightning tells the fascinating story of Jim Thorpe, a renaissance athlete whose rise and fall took on mythic proportions. Thorpe was one of the best all-around athletes the world had ever seen; he won medals in the decathlon and pentathlon in the 1912 Olympics, was an All-American football player, and played baseball for the New York Giants. Yet as a member of the Sac and Fox Nation, he also faced intense racism and discrimination that hobbled his career and ultimately led to a life of hardship. Maraniss movingly chronicles Thorpe’s life in this landmark sports biography, breaking down the myth to reveal the man at its core.

The Mamba Mentality

By kobe bryant.

Kobe Bryant’s presence on the court was legendary — and it belied a complicated and often troubled life off the court. In The Mamba Mentality, Bryant shares his outlook on life and basketball and delves into his famous “Mamba Mentality” philosophy, an approach to playing that’s built on passion, tenacity, and the singular pursuit of athletic excellence. It’s a fascinating look at the gone-too-soon powerhouse player and his thorny relationship with success, fame, and sports.

By Billie Jean King, Johnette Howard, and Maryanne Vollers

The world of sports would not be the same without Billie Jean King, a legend both in tennis and for her work breaking down barriers for women athletes. All In chronicles King’s career from her formative years through the 1973 Battle of the Sexes exhibition match against Bobby Riggs and the creation of the women’s pro tennis circuit to King’s acknowledgment of her sexual identity and coming out at the age of 51. At once a story of one person’s impact on tennis and a cultural revolution in the sports world, this winning memoir offers insight and guidance on issues from political activism and personal relationships to finding your true self.

Tiger Woods

By jeff benedict and armen keteyian.

In Tiger Woods, sportswriters Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian deliver a fully realized portrait of the eponymous golf titan. The bestselling sports biography draws on interviews with more than 250 people to chronicle Woods’s meteoric rise, scandalous fall, and triumphant return to world-class athletics. The unsparing narrative also shines a light on the damage parents can do in their single-minded quest to turn their children into star athletes, drawing connections between Woods’s unparalleled achievements on the golf course and his parents’ obsession with success. 

The Last Folk Hero

By jeff pearlman.

Bo Jackson was a one-man sports phenomenon in the 1980s and ’90s, excelling in football and baseball, and starring in one of the most successful ad campaigns in Nike history. In addition to his athletic triumphs, wild tales about Jackson leaping over parked cars and helping land a plane in distress elevated the sports star to mythical levels, like a modern-day Paul Bunyan. In The Last Folk Hero, sportswriter Jeff Pearlman tells the story of the man behind the myth. Drawing on more than 700 interviews, this fascinating sports biography is a must-read for Jackson superfans and for those eager to find out more about this larger-than-life American sports icon.

Good for a Girl

By lauren fleshman.

In the bestselling Good for a Girl, elite runner Lauren Fleshman draws on her own story and the work of psychologists and physiologists to advocate for a radical transformation of sports for young women. Competing in institutions that aren’t built for them, women athletes are held back from the beginning and plagued by sexism, eating disorders, and physical and mental injuries. Many would-be elites drop out before they can truly achieve greatness. Fleshman argues that we’re long overdue for a change. Readers will find plenty to love in Fleshman’s rousing narrative, which blends sports memoir with a manifesto and demonstrates a passion for personal success as well as creating a world in which all women athletes are allowed to thrive.

Ali: A Life

By jonathan eig.

Jonathan Eig’s bestselling and award-winning biography of Muhammed Ali turns the facts of Ali’s life and career into a harrowing story of courage, activism, and athletic excellence. The storied heavyweight boxer was not just an accomplished athlete but a natural performer, civil rights activist, and political protester. Drawing on interviews, FBI files, and archival recordings, Eig weaves a gripping tale of Ali’s boxing career, his political victories and personal triumphs, and his lasting impact on American culture.

By Jeff Benedict

We round out our list with a living legend who’s playing at the top of his game. In LeBron, Jeff Benedict chronicles LeBron James’s layered and inspirational story, from his early years of struggle as the son of a young mother to becoming the No.1 overall draft pick in the NBA straight out of high school and his transformation into the greatest basketball player of the 21 st century. Based on three years of research and more than 250 interviews, Benedict’s sweeping narrative goes well beyond James’s success on the court, exploring his relationship to fame and his dual identity as a celebrity and an activist fighting for social justice .

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How many have you done? Here are the 10 best sports autobiographies ever written

• Published on
• May 21, 2024

Maybe you’ve read them all, or maybe you’re planning your next read. Well perhaps this will inspire you; here are our top 10 picks for best sports autobiographies.

You can’t beat a good old sports biography.

These sports books allow us to learn more about the fascinating lives of the athletes we follow, particularly the journey they took to reach the top of their profession. From heart-pounding triumphs to the struggles behind the scenes, these pages offer a front-row seat to the games and the glories. Here are 10 top sports autobiographies we recommend you read.

The 10 most recognisable and famous Australian athletes: Who tops the list?

The 10 best sports autobiographies ever written

Compiling this list was not easy, as thousands of these types of sports books have been written over the years.

However, when determining the top ten, we took several factors into consideration, including the subject matter, the critical acclaim the book received, the volume of sales, the popularity of the sport and how well it was received by the general public.

10. Clough: The Autobiography, by Brian Clough

Clough: The Autobiography provides a riveting insight into the life of Brian Clough, a football icon whose impact transcends the sport. With a candid and often humorous narrative that defines the man, Clough takes readers through his remarkable journey in football management.

From his early days as a player to his legendary successes at Derby County and Nottingham Forest, Clough’s storytelling captures the essence of his innovative tactics and charismatic leadership. This autobiography offers an insightful look into the mind of a maverick manager whose legacy continues to influence the beautiful game almost 20 years after his death.

Released: 1994

Amazon Book Link

9. It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, by Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong was considered the greatest endurance athlete in the world when he won the Tour de France a record seven times in a row from 1999 to 2005. However, he later was stripped of those titles after admitting that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win those titles over his career.

Twelve years before this admission, the launch of his autobiography met critical acclaim as a powerful memoir that goes beyond cycling to explore the human spirit’s resilience. Armstrong’s candid account of his battle with cancer and subsequent comeback to the sport is inspiring and moving.

The book offers a raw and unfiltered look at his physical and emotional struggles, making it a compelling read for anyone facing adversity.

Released: 22 May 2000

8. Addicted, by Tony Adams

In his book  Addicted , Tony released a raw and gripping memoir that courageously navigates the complexities of addiction and redemption.

Adams, a football legend with Arsenal and England, lays bare his battles with alcoholism, giving readers an intimate look at his struggles when playing for club and country and ultimate triumph over adversity. His candid storytelling offers insight into the dark corners of fame and the path to recovery.

Away from the pitch, Adams’ journey is a testament to human resilience and the power of self-discovery. Subsequently, his book is seen by many as a beacon of hope for those grappling with their demons.

Released: 16 August 1999

7. For the Love of the Game: My Story, by Michael Jordan

This book by fans favourite Michael Jordan is an inspiring and captivating memoir that delves into the legendary basketball player’s life on and off the court.

With eloquent prose, MJ shares his personal journey, triumphs and challenges, giving readers a deep insight into the dedication and passion that drove him to become a global icon.

The book’s candid storytelling and valuable life lessons make it a must-read for sports lovers and anyone seeking motivation to overcome obstacles and achieve greatness. Michael Jordan’s indomitable spirit shines through in this compelling narrative, including fascinating insights and never-before-told stories about his extraordinary journey to the Hall of Fame and general greatness in his sport.

Released: 27 October 1998

6. The Mamba Mentality, by Kobe Bryant

Penned by the late basketball superstar Kobe Bryant who tragically died in a helicopter crash, this book is a fascinating read that offers a unique glimpse into the mind of a true legend.

With vivid anecdotes and insightful reflections, The Black Mamba showcases his unwavering commitment to hard work and his unrelenting drive to achieve greatness extends beyond sports. This inspiring book encourages readers to embrace challenges, push their limits, and pursue their dreams with unwavering determination.

Even if you are not fans of basketball, this is one of the best sports books to read for anyone looking to unlock their full potential and achieve winning in their own life.

Released: 23 October 2018

5. Undisputed Truth: My Autobiography, by Mike Tyson

At an age of just 20 years and four months old, ‘Iron Mike’ Tyson became the youngest champion in heavyweight boxing history. By 1992, at 25 years of age, he was sentenced to six years in jail for rape, serving just over half of that time.

In  Undisputed Truth: My Autobiography , Tyson bares his tumultuous story with unflinching honesty in his own words. From his early brushes with crime to his meteoric rise in the boxing world, Tyson’s narrative is raw and captivating. 

His journey from a troubled child to being one of the greatest boxers ever is a testament to his immense talent and unyielding determination. The book also sheds light on his personal struggles including being on the brink of financial ruin, offering a comprehensive view of the man behind the ferocious fighter. Overall, Tyson’s account is a powerful reflection on fame, a plight for redemption, and the complexities of living in the spotlight.

Released: 19 May 2014

Kobe’s been announced the face of the latest NBA 2K release. So here’s every cover since 1999

4. My Autobiography by Alex Ferguson

My Autobiography  by Sir Alex Ferguson offers an unparalleled glimpse into the mind of one of football’s most iconic figures.

With candid introspection, Ferguson recounts his legendary managerial career, which included winning two UEFA Champions League titles, 13 Premier League titles with Manchester United, and five FA Cups.

From the highs of his successes to the challenges he faced, his storytelling gives insights into his strategies, rivalries and the pivotal moments in professional football that shaped his legacy. Beyond the beautiful game, the book also reveals the grit, leadership and indomitable spirit that defined Ferguson’s status as one of the game’s greatest-ever managers.

Released: 28 October 2014

3. A Clear Blue Sky by Jonny Bairstow

‘A Clear Blue Sky’ by Jonny Bairstow is a compelling and deeply personal account of his life on and off the cricket pitch. With candid emotion, Bairstow unveils his triumphs and tribulations, providing an intimate look into his life and career.

The moving story paints a vivid picture of his journey, from the highs of cricketing success to the tragic death by suicide of his late father. Bairstow’s resilience and vulnerability shine through, making this memoir a poignant exploration of the intersection between sports and life’s challenges.

His harrowing and touching story resonates beyond his international career in cricket, offering lessons in determination and the human spirit’s capacity to endure.

Released: 4 June 2018

Here are the greatest all time moments in Australian sport, ranked 10-1

2. Open: My Autobiography By Andre Agassi

Through this book ,  tennis legend Andre Agassi vividly recounts his extraordinary success on and off the court. 

With unvarnished candour, Agassi chronicles his journey from when it began as a prodigious young talent burdened by expectations to a Grand Slam champion. His account of battling inner demons, the influence of his family, his marriage to Brooke Shields, his complex relationship with tennis, and subsequent self-discovery are inspiring and introspective.

Agassi’s prose is a powerful reminder that authenticity and the course of personal growth are journeys worth sharing, even for elite tennis players.

Released: 1st September 2010

1. Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

The Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Autobiography, this book by William Finnegan is a mesmerising memoir that immerses readers in the world of waves and wanderlust.

Finnegan’s evocative prose navigates the shores of his lifelong passion for surfing, taking us on a remarkable journey through diverse cultures and personal transformations.

The book transcends the sport, becoming a meditative exploration of life’s ebb and flow. With vivid descriptions and candid reflections, Finnegan crafts a captivating narrative that captures the thrill of the ride and the profound connections between man, the ocean and the ever-changing horizon.

Released: 21 July 2015

So there you have it, our list of the best sports autobiography titles ever written. We hope these choices have inspired you to pick one of them up. Or even encourage you to begin writing one of your own.

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Top 10 Sports Autobiographies

Sports Autobiographies Top 10: the Best Reads

Sports stars books are usually written with the help of ghost writers but are no less insightful for the fact. They provide direct insight into the lives and mentality of revered heroes. This list includes ten books from eight different sports. Covering boxers and snooker players to rugby coaches, Formula 1 designers and fell runners, something will appeal to all fans. It must be remembered that sports autobiographies only tell one side of the story. Some are more even-handed than others in recounting the events of their lives. Read on to discover the next sports autobiography you should pick up.

10) Life to the Limit: My Autobiography by Jenson Button (Formula 1)

Giving the green light and a racing start to this list is ex-Formula 1 driver Jenson Button. Early in his career Button was known for an excessive playboy lifestyle that led to his talent being unfulfilled. In time he would win the world championship with the chronically underfunded, one-season-wonder Brawn team. This book is a measured, mature work from a man looking back comfortably on a successful life. A deep love and respect for his father John is woven through the book. It serves as a homage to the man who inspired and supported Button from the beginning. Deeper emotion mixes with tales revealing the more mischievous, off-track chicanery side of the circus that is Formula 1.

Button holds the distinction of one of the few drivers to beat six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton as team-mates. Button established a reputation for smooth, precise driving throughout his career, being famously easy on his tyres. His writing navigates the story of his life with the same easy assurance. The chapters hurry along with the unrelenting speed and excitement of Button’s championship-winning Brawn BGP 001 car. A fantastic addition to the long tradition of sports autobiographies, its written from the heart, with greater thoughtfulness than many might expect.

9) Behind the Mask: My Autobiography by Tyson Fury (Boxing)

Never a man to be afraid of his roots, the self-styled Gypsy King tells his story for the first time. An extraordinary career of rise and fall followed by rising again, wreathed in controversy and championship belts. Struggles with weight, depression and holding views that don’t fit with the modern progressives are all covered with startling honesty. Fellow boxer and member of the traveller community Billy Joe Saunders memorably claims: “It’s a great book. If I could read, I’d buy it.”

Fury is an enigma, an eccentric, a man who looked to have left the conscious realm when he hit the canvas against Deontay Wilder. He then leapt up after 9 long seconds and began taunting his opponent. Such moments form part of the mythology of Fury. He is an aptly named giant who can’t locate the middle ground between excessive high and troublesome low. Fury can be loved or loathed but never silenced. Heralded as the UK’s bestselling boxing book since records began, it certainly packs a few hefty punches. With an announcement of a possible upcoming fight against Anthony Joshua , now would be the perfect time to catch up on Fury’s past.

8) Interesting by Steve Davis (Snooker)

In his prime Steve Davis was a relentless winning machine, dominating snooker in the 1980s. Known for astute tactical play, mental fortitude and stand-offish nature, Davis reached eight world championship finals in the decade. He lifted the trophy in six of them. The baton of superiority had been passed from 1970s powerhouse Ray Reardon to Davis. He would then pass it on to Stephen Hendry, who swept all before him in the 1990s. This sports autobiographies delves into the mindset that gave life to Davis’ determined style of snooker and attitude that often saw opponents mentally beaten before the match begun. The personality that emerges is of a thoughtful, amusing man who cared for little beyond his obsession with snooker and its colourful characters.

Davis grumpily reports the days of promotional tours in China, being coerced into visiting world wonders such as the Great Wall of China. All he wanted to do was be back at the hotel potting snooker balls. Little emerges about his personal life. As he divorced his wife Judith in 2005, she barely features in the book. Clearly an adoring father, their two sons merit brief mentions and some pictures. Anyone hoping for an in-depth account of Davis’ time on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here will be disappointed. The show is mentioned briefly on a number of occasions but never explored in full. Steve’s thoughts about the show remain largely a mystery.

7) Between the Lines: the Autobiography by Victoria Pendleton (Track Cycling)

Track cycling is a sport that receives minimal interest from the sporting public outside of narrow Olympic windows. Nevertheless, it is a brutal, high speed contest that demands total commitment from its competitors. Victoria Pendleton is a perennial winner, so has complete understanding of the demands in her chosen discipline. The book explores the mental and physical toll that the challenge of first reaching the top, and then staying there. Her haul of medals could decorate a Christmas tree, with 3 Olympic medals (2 gold, 1 silver), 16 World championship medals (9 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze), 3 European Championships medals (2 gold, 1 silver) and finally 2 Commonwealth Games medals (1 gold, 1 silver).

The medals came across four disciplines (sprint, keirin, team sprint, 500 metre time trial), demonstrating remarkable versatility. A transcendent figure, Pendleton attracted attention from magazines and newspapers beyond the sporting world. She deftly handles the topics of being a woman in the early years of Britain’s rise to a cycling superpower, when some old-fashioned views towards gender were still unfortunately prevalent. The book therefore functions as both a personal memoir and a part-history of the resurrection of British cycling.

6) How to be a Footballer by Peter Crouch (Football)

Peter Crouch is beloved by football fans for his gangly nature, the robot dance and a devious sense of humour. He famously pithily responded to the question: “What would you be if you weren’t a professional footballer?” with “A virgin.” Appreciation of the comedic side of life is ever-present in the book. It is a collection of tall stories from everyone’s favourite giant centre forward. Something of a journeyman, Crouch played for England and eleven club sides in his career. This provides ample ammunition for his book.

Styled as an expose into the life of a footballer, giving away the hidden secrets and eccentricities of the dressing room, it provides riotous fun. It’s a cross between a sports autobiography and a fly on the wall documentary, where japes and pranks abound. Crouch delivers a second dose of footballing high jinks in a follow-up book called “I, Robot: How to be a Footballer 2”. The books combine to add a different taste to the soup of sports autobiographies.

5) Jonny: My Autobiography by Jonny Wilkinson (Rugby)

This book takes a plunge into the mental madness that drives the most successful sports stars. The very best athletes tend to despise losing more than they actually enjoy winning. Jonny Wilkinson is the king of these tortured souls, who feel pained by anything less than perfection. He is famous for sealing England’s rugby world cup victory in 2003 with a drop goal using his non-dominant foot. A victory that forever secured that team’s dominance over the usual southern hemisphere champions. However, Wilkinson claims lifting the world cup was one of the most painful moments of his life. He knew it was the peak of his sport and performance; such perfection could never be reached again.

This mindset seems ungrateful and unsettling to most fans and players, but that is what separates Wilkinson from everyone else. He may not have been one of the fastest players ever , but he was undoubtedly among the most driven. It’s the relentless mental anguish that drove England’s most acclaimed fly-half to never settle for less than his absolute best. Generally, people are happy to settle for more mediocre achievements and keep their sanity. This is what makes reading sports autobiographies describing the inner turmoil of icons such as Wilkinson so fascinating, as the level of devotion is alien.

4) There is No Map in Hell by Steve Birkinshaw (Fell Running)

A niche sport that may be unknown to many sports fans, fell running is a relentless, punishing endeavour that offers minimal financial rewards. It involves running up and down hills as fast as possible, for an inordinately long time. This book is Steve Birkinshaw’s telling of his quest in 2014 to beat a record that was set in 1986 by Joss Naylor. By completing a continuous circuit of the Wainwright fells in the Lake District in seven days and one hour, Naylor set a record thought to be unbeatable. For context, beating the record equates to running two marathons and ascending over 5,000 metres a day for a week straight.

Birkinshaw quotes Miguel de Cervantes as inspiration and justification, that “in order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd.” The task is indeed absurd, for to wilfully submit to such incessant torture is surely nonsensical to most regular people. Nevertheless, Birkinshaw has produced an erudite book covering his exploits. A gratuitous foreword is provided by Joss Naylor. The Wainwright fells circuit is a challenge unlikely any other. Consequently, this book is unlike the other more sensible sports autobiographies mentioned in this list.

3) Alastair Cook: The Autobiography by Alastair Cook (Cricket)

A successful opening batsman in cricket requires mental application, reliable technique and a humble, team-orientated nature. To be a competent cricket captain requires people skills, resilience, introspection and of course leadership. Throughout his career, Alastair Cook was the ultimate embodiment of these characteristics. The book enhances this reputation, confirming what those outside the dressing room has long suspected. A quietly confident man of conviction and integrity blessed with mental fortitude rather than supreme natural talent. His career for the England cricket team spanned 161 test matches and 92 one-day internationals. Cook was relied upon to provide a solid forward defensive to both the opening bowlers and the media.

The book explores Cook’s humble, dignified approach to leadership. He is unflinching in his opinions about people, both positive and negative. Cook chastises himself for past failures, accepting fault where necessary, taking credit if deserved. It’s clear that the double responsibility of opening batsmen and captain mentally exhausted Cook, triggering retirement. He continues to ply his trade in the more sedate county game for Essex and help out on his in-law’s sheep farm. A perfect read for anyone looking for a glimpse into the mind of an intensely private man. Unlike the vast majority of his contemporaries, Cook has almost no social media presence, not even a twitter handle.

2) How to Build a Car: The autobiography of the world’s greatest formula 1 designer by Adrian Newey (Formula 1)

Hugely successful Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey took an unusual but effective approach to usual design of sports autobiographies. Newey’s life story is developed through a chapter structure following the cars he designed. Each is titled ‘How to build a (Formula 1 car name)’. The chapters cover the various different designs Newey created, starting with the generally uncompetitive March team. Success came with moves to bigger teams: Williams, McLaren and Red Bull. Innovative, fast cars ensured a plethora of championships, cementing Newey’s reputation as F1’s foremost designer.

A perfectionist to the core, Newey’s attitude can come across as cantankerous in his pursuit of excellence. Notably, his vociferous opinions create conflict with Williams’ indomitable team owner, Sir Frank Williams. Newey’s personal life is explored in some detail, along with tales of his own racing exploits and shenanigans. For example, driving recklessly around Red Bull team principal Christian Horner’s front lawn. This is an inventive addition to the long history of sports autobiographies. The structure works perfectly as a canvas to display Newey’s joint talents of technical genius and uncompromising attitude. The result is cars fast enough to regularly win the Formula 1 world championship. A must-read for anyone interested in Formula 1 car design and engineering.

1) Sevens Heaven: the beautiful chaos of Fiji’s Olympic dream by Ben Ryan (Rugby)

Topping this list is heartfelt, passionate book by acclaimed rugby 7s coach Ben Ryan. He charts Fiji’s rise from unfit mavericks to gold medal winners at the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro. Ryan was about to sign a contract in a safe, lucrative role working for UK Sport. On a whim, he accepted the role as Fiji’s rugby 7s coach instead, beginning a fabulous odyssey. The book spends more time exploring the subtleties of Fijian culture and customs than reporting on rugby matches. Ryan paints a loving picture of a country and people caught between the two extremes of geographical beauty and isolation. A similar dissonance occurs between the joyful, generous nature of Fijians and their corrupt political system riven by military coups. Rugby is practically a religion across the islands. Ryan is drawn into a complex political situation with a dynamic, compelling cast of characters.

Ryan’s respect and admiration for the Fijian scenery and way of life pours from the pages. The blending of local attitudes with Ryan’s analytical processes devised in England is fascinating. Any coach would benefit from heeding Ryan’s advice about man management and shaping a team culture. Ryan mixes a personal tale with the sporting. He details the triumphs and struggles in his player’s own lives as well as laying bare the complex emotional situation that developed in his marriage. This book would be an absolute joy to read even if you had very minimal interest in rugby, a shining example of everything that sports autobiographies should be. Just beware, you will be desperate to book expensive, excessively long flights to Fiji after reaching the final page!

We hope you enjoyed the article ‘Top 10 Sports Autobiographies.’ Are any of these sport autobiographies in your top 10? Let us know!

If you liked this article why not check out:

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Adam is a University of Reading graduate with a degree in History and International Relations. He has competed in numerous sports incuding rugby, cricket, badminton and roller hockey. Adam has a particular interest in motorcycle racing, primarily MotoGP, World Superbikes, British Superbikes and the Isle of Man TT.

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Everyone loves an underdog. That’s why we’re drawn to sports movies—there’s something special about the magic depicted in Remember The Titans , Miracle , or even something silly like The Waterboy . But good sports books, and we mean good ones, go even deeper. Whether we’re learning a lot about something we already care about, diving deep into a brand new subject, or taking in an entirely fictional world in a novel set in a universe alternate to our own, there’s always going to just be more when you’re the one painting the pictures inside your own mind.

And now with so much time—there’s still a pandemic happening, last we checked—sports fans need to find alternate ways to get their fix; just flipping to ESPN doesn’t hit the same when there’s no NBA Playoffs Game 5 to catch the end of. But that’s OK, because for every epic sports moment or figure that you can think of, there’s probably a book where you can learn more.

Want to learn more about Mike Tyson? You got it. How about Michael Jordan? Sure. Maybe you want to find a great Yogi Berra quote to text your mom to make her laugh. A solid option! All of that and more can come from picking the right book. And below, we’ve got 33 of the very best that can help to make this sports-less quarantine period that much less painful.

Pocket Books The Jordan Rules: The Inside Story of One Turbulent Season with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls

Brand: Riverhead Fever Pitch

You've probably heard of this one in its form as a Jimmy Fallon-led (remember when he used to act?) 2004 romantic comedy about a guy balancing his love life with his obsessive love for the Boston Red Sox. The movie, actually, is based on a memoir of obsessive devotion to English Football Club Arsenal, written by author Nick Hornby ( High Fidelity, A Long Way Down).  Funny, interesting, and still engrossing, if you're a sports fan who just can't figure out why you continue rooting for the loser , you'll find home here. 

St. Martin's Press 24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid

While we're all missing baseball (and believe me, we  all  wish we were at a ballpark with a hot dog and a beer right about now), why not read a brand new book from the mind of one of the game's all-time greats? Willie Mays came together with co-author John Shea to tell the story of his incredible, lengthy career (he played from 1951-1973), which saw him play through the civil rights era as one of the game's earliest superstars. 

Back Bay Books What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen

Things might not always be as shiny as they seem. That's the main takeaway in this crushing book by Kate Fagan, expanded from her ESPN Magazine story about the tragic suicide of Madison Holleran. The story looks at a college athlete who by all accounts would've seemed to "have it all," but always had an unexplainable darkness bubbling under the surface. An absolutely crushing story, but one that deserves to be read. 

Back Bay Books Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN

This nonfiction story on the past and present of ESPN is long (763 pages) but it's an oral history—so you can read through it like movie dialogue. Starting with stories of the network's very beginning in 1979, and coming up to date with many names that you'll still see on TV every day, this book is gripping, and quite cinematic. So cinematic, in fact, that a major adaptation has been in discussion for a couple years now. Read the book now and get ahead of the curve. 

Workman Publishing Company The Yogi Book

This isn't so much a book you'll sit down and read for a couple hours as much as it's something you'll pick up when sitting with family and friends and get a good laugh at. As a collection of Yogi Berra's greatest quotes and his funniest anecdotes (and with less than 200 pages) , it's hard to beat  The Yogi Book. 

Scribner Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

Did you ever wonder what goes into those cool sneakers you picked up for $120? If you have, great. If you haven't, maybe now is the time to start wondering.  Shoe Dog  is an interesting, never-before-told story from Phil Knight about founding a company you might have heard of called Nike. Where did 'Just Do It' come from? The answer is here. 

Triumph Books Doc: The Life of Roy Halladay

Todd Zolecki's brand-new book (it just came out on May 19) takes a deeper look at the late MLB star Roy Halladay. Halladay, who was inducted in the Hall of Fame last summer, and is yet another case of someone who had demons hiding beneath the surface;  Doc  tells the fascinating story behind Halladay's balancing act. He was a star on the field, and a beloved father and husband, while also dealing with the dark demons that come along with addiction. 

Plume Undisputed Truth

It can feel like there's a divide a lot of the time with celebrity memoirs. Sure, it's someone you want to read from and learn about, but the book isn't in their voice—it's some undisclosed ghostwriter's voice. Well,  Undisputed  Truth  almost certainly has its own ghostwriter, but it's a damn good one, because it reads  exactly  like a book that Mike Tyson would write. This book hops from one entertaining anecdote to the next, and never feels like you're getting your information from anywhere other than the man itself. 

Simon & Schuster Tiger Woods

When  The Last Dance  ended, a popular conversation emerged: Who else could possibly be as compelling as Michael Jordan? Who could possibly power their own 10-part documentary series? A common response was Tiger Woods, and as this biography by Jeff Benedict—published just before his incredible 2019 Masters win—proves, there's quite a lot to mine.  Tiger Woods  talks to more than 250 people in the golfer's orbit, and paints as clear a picture as you could possibly imagine. 

Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster The Dynasty

OK, we'll be up front with you— The Dynasty  isn't out yet. It comes out in September. But you're going to want to pre-order this book from writer Jeff Benedict—who wrote the above  Tiger Woods . Here, he has a book of the same ilk on the way about the New England Patriots, with more than 200 interviews conducted about the team's three lightening rods: Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady .  With Brady now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, we're guessing there might have been some last-minute edits—and we can't wait to read them. 

PublicAffairs The Victory Machine: The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty

If you liked  The Jordan Rules,  this book from NBA writer Ethan Sherwood Strauss might be the closest thing to a modern-day version of it. Focusing on the late-2010s Golden State Warriors dynasty years, this book takes inside looks at Warriors ownership and the emergence of the dynasty, and at Kevin Durant's entry and exit into the story. The mercurial Durant refused to be interviewed for the book—which, in a lot of ways, that makes it even juicier. 

The Cactus League: A Novel

Do you love baseball? Do you love good writing? Then  The Cactus League —the debut novel from  Paris Review  editor Emily Nemens—is for you. You know the baseball player stereotypes: the tobacco-chewing, steroid-using, meathead beefcakes.  The characters in  The Cactus League  are not this. Instead, it  looks at the inverse; the guys in spring training. Guys who don't know their future; who don't know if they're even going to make the team. It's fiction, but it's a baseball fan's dream—especially when games aren't currently being played. 

H. G. Bissinger Friday Night Lights

The book that launched the critically acclaimed film and television show, Bissinger’s chronicle of high school football in West Texas is a snapshot of the gridiron’s grip on small town America.

John McPhee A Sense of Where You Are: Bill Bradley at Princeton

The legendary New Yorker writer’s brilliant profile of Bill Bradley—the former U.S. senator and New York Knicks star.

Jim Bouton Ball Four: Twentieth Anniversary Edition

The ex-pitcher’s chronicle of his 1969 season with the New York Yankees is one of the greatest books about baseball not because it glorifies the sport, as so many baseball books do, but because it serves as an insider account of the seedier side of the game: the infighting, the womanizing, and Mickey Mantle’s heavy drinking. With its unblinking look at the side of locker room culture most of us will never see up close, it was critically lauded at the time and has become a non-fiction classic—even though it cost him friends on the diamond.

Andre Agassi Open: An Autobiography

Memoirs by former athletes are almost always dull, self-glorifying, and cliche. But tennis great Andre Agassi threw out the formula for his 2009 memoir, in which the Punisher peels back the curtain to show readers the price he paid for his success on the court—an unhappy childhood in which he was groomed for tennis greatness at an early age that gave way to a stressful adulthood which found him unfulfilled by his accomplishments.

Michael Lewis Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

You’d be hard-pressed to find a book that’s had more of an impact on the sport it’s about. Lewis’s insightful 2003 profile of Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics, which was later turned into the Brad Pitt movie of the same name, inspired front offices across the MLB and beyond to rethink their approach to assembling their teams—for better and for worse.

A. J. Liebling The Sweet Science

No list of sports books could be complete without Liebling’s collection of essays on boxing. The late author and New Yorker writer wrote about boxing the way he wrote about food, another of his favorite subjects—with insight and wit in equal parts. He was so renowned for his meditations on the sport that the Boxing Writers Association of America named a damn award after him.

Wayne Coffey The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team

The former New York Daily News sportswriter’s 2005 book is perhaps the definitive account of the 1980 U.S. Men’s Hockey Team—the group of amateur Americans who took on the superb Russian squad in Lake Placid and performed a “Miracle on Ice.”

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The 25 Best Sports Books of All Time

By Camille Hove

Camille Hove

Contributor

• Share This Article

We all miss the way sports used to be, but what better way to reconnect than with one of the best sports books of all time? The greatest books transport you to another world, and sports books are no exception.

Take a deep dive into the life of your favorite players, coaches and legends through a classic sports biography, memoir or even a playbook. Sports novels are another great way to experience your favorite game in a new way, especially when told through the lens of a sports fanatic who also happens to be a novelist. Or, if you’re more interested in bettering yourself, coaches like Pete Carrol have written how-to guides to help you improve your mental game on and off the field. Whatever it is you love about sports, be it the entertainment factor, the history or hometown pride, there’s a book here for you.

Get back into the game with the best sports books ever written. These 25 books are also great gifts for sports fans . So whether you love baseball, basketball, football or more obscure sports like trail running, we’ve got something for every type of player and fan.

1. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

What better way to start a new hobby than with one of the most beloved American brands? Reading about the beginning and lasting legacy of Nike is an astute form of sports knowledge and entertainment. You’ll have plenty of fun facts and trivia to impress your friends with by the time we can all watch a game together again. Knight went on to sell his Nike shoes from the back of his car to being a worldwide phenomenon. His story is intriguing and brilliantly told: you won’t regret picking up a copy of this enthralling life story of the man behind the brand.

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Psa: adidas golf gear is up to 67% off on amazon right now, this pickleball paddle set is just $25 on amazon today, $9.08 $20.00 55% off, 2. born to run by christopher mcdougall.

If you’re an avid runner, then you probably have plenty of running memoirs and advice books but Christopher McDougall’s exploration of the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico’s Copper Canyon is the ultimate adventure story. McDougall set out to discover why his foot was hurting and discovered an entirely new (to him) way of running from the Tarahumara’s ancient practice. They can run for hundreds of miles without stopping, chasing deer and Olympic marathoners with equal glee, but what’s their secret? Why have we all been running wrong this entire time? McDougall’s book explores all of these questions and seeks to answer his own initial question of why he’s been taught the wrong techniques his entire life. Pick up this book if you’re interested in a new way of running and to explore an untold history.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

$16 $35.00 54% off, 3. the mamba mentality: how i play by kobe bryant.

Famous all-star player Kobe Bryant’s book has been an all-time favorite since its publication in 2018. The basketball star goes on to explain his role in the game and how he personally approaches it with a strong mindset and something called “the Mamba Mentality” which he cites is his key to success. A teacher, mentor, and fan favorite, Bryant has given the world a gift with this book, a how-to guide for young players around the world to play in his style. As one of the most successful and creative players, Bryant has a thing or two to say to young people or anyone seeking to find their way into the game. A great book for any basketball fan and aspiring player.

The Mamba Mentality: How I Play by Kobe Bryant

$18.00 $40.00 55% off, 4. one line drive: a life-threatening injury and a faith fueled comeback by daniel ponce de leon and tom zenner.

At once a horrific story of injury and an amazing recovery story, Daniel Ponce De Leon was drafted four times by the MLB, only to take a hard one line drive to the skull that landed him in the hospital. Told with the help of writer Tom Zenner, De Leon’s story is a tale of how faith can take us as far as we want to go. The book follows De Leon’s miraculous recovery 14 months later to show one of the most impressive baseball pitching debuts in history. A great read for anyone seeking encouragement that your dreams are never over.

One Line Drive: A Life Threatening Injury and a Faith Fueled Comeback by Daniel Ponce De Leon and Tom Zenner

$19.59 $26.00 25% off, 5. i came as a shadow: an autobiography by john thompson.

Georgetown University’s famous basketball coach has finally gifted us with a book of personal secrets. Having spent the last three decades inside the lives of famous players, on the front lines of racial disparity, and coming to terms with his childhood in the Jim Crow south, Thompson opens up and lets readers in. You won’t want to miss this autobiography for all of it’s insider stories, basketball lore, and plain good history. A great book for any basketball hopeful or fan.

I Came as a Shadow: An Autobiography by John Thompson

$20.59 $29.99 31% off, 6. finding ultra by rich roll.

Rich Roll may be known best for his podcast but it all started with the book. His inspirational story covers the transformation he made from slightly overweight and not exercising, abusing alcohol and feeling depressed to becoming an Ironman athlete. His story is at once an inspiring tale and a cautionary one, foretelling what we can let happen to our bodies but also how we are capable of so much wonderful change. This is a great book for anyone on the cusp of changing their life or for those who are realizing they need to.

Finding Ultra by Rich Roll

$15.50 $18.00 14% off, 7. the bona fide legend of cool papa bell by lonnie wheeler.

The historical legend that is Cool Papa Bell is a baseball player rich in stories and history. Born to sharecroppers in the south, baseball saved him from a life working in the slaughterhouses. A player known for his speed, Bell’s story is told by baseball writer and historian Lonnie Wheeler, who charts his ups and downs throughout the US during racial disparity and Bell’s escape to Mexico and the Dominican Republic to be free of the MLB color line. This is a fantastic story for all baseball fans and contains legends and lore you won’t want to miss.

The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell by Lonnie Wheeler

$21.11 $28.00 25% off, 8. montana: the biography of football’s joe cool by keith dunnavant.

This epic football biography covers the life of the legend Joe Cool, one of the most famous and influential players out there. Writer Keith Dunnavant takes readers along for a sweeping view of the life and struggles of Joe Cool as he portrays a keen-eyed portrait of the man who again and again defied the odds of the game. This competitive player’s life was a routine of tension on and off the field from back surgery to the father who pushed him to the college coach who nearly got rid of him and every football fan who’s ever played a sport will relate to his harrowing journey. An excellent choice for anyone missing out on the action.

Montana: The Biography of Football's Joe Cool by Keith Dunnavant

$11.05 $26.00 58% off, 9. qb: my life behind the spiral by steve young and jeff benedict.

Steve Young started out as an eighth-string quarterback at BYU — slim chances of ever getting to the big leagues but his story changed when he became All American and was the first pick of drafting season. But the more intense and deeply personal story of Young comes with the revealing of his anxiety and the consequences that led him to almost leave the NFL forever. An instant New York Times Bestseller, Young’s story is a lesson for all young sports players about mental health and where the intensity can lead you, on and off the field.

QB: My Life Behind the Spiral by Steve Young

$14.49 $21.99 34% off, 10. tiger woods by jeff benedict and armen keteyian.

The inspiration for the HBO series directed by Alex Gibeny, the real untold story of Tiger Woods, one of the greatest golfers that ever lived. Dive deeper than ever before for the harrowing account of the superstar’s childhood, relationship with his father, and his narrow focus on golf and how he came to be the best player in history. As the most famous player in 2009, to the terrible Thanksgiving Day crash that set his personal and professional life over a cliff, who is Tiger Woods, really? A fantastic story told by two excellent sports writers, this is a great book for any fan of Woods looking to continue the story.

Tiger Woods by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian

$13.49 $20.99 36% off, 11. talking to goats: the moments you remember and the stories you ever heard by jim gray.

Jim Gray is one of the best sports historians and sportscaster of all time and he’s written an enticing tell-all book about his adventures with and around some of the best players during some of the best games in the world. Why not read about the juiciest tales in sports lore by anyone other than Jim Gray? From his view on the sidelines to the dugout, Gray has written memorable tales from his career as a sportscaster to insider never heard before stories. A great book for any sports junkie with a keen ear for legendary players.

Talking to GOATs: The Moments You Remember and the Stories You ever Heard by Jim Gray

$11.54 $28.99 60% off, 12. gods at play: an eyewitness account of great moments in american sports by tom callahan.

A prolific sports writer and columnist for Time magazine, Tom Callahan witnessed many memorable moments in US sports history and has decided to document the stories for everyone to read. Told in vignette-style prose, Callahan writes about the smaller scenes that no one else witnessed to the heavy hitters like Muhammad Ali fighting George Foreman in Zaire. He keeps his stories interesting and intriguing, leaving the reader wanting more and more. Callahan was a great witness to sports history and every avid fan will enjoy this book.

Gods at Play: An Eyewitness Account of Great Moments in American Sports by Tom Callahan

$16.39 $26.95 39% off, 13. best american sports writing 2020 edited by glenn stout and jackie macmullan.

These pieces are the best sports writing published in 2020 and edited by the esteemed Glenn Stout and Jackie MacMullan. Take a tour through the past year and relive your favorite moments again and again through some of the best journalism from around the world. A few stories include “For People Suffering from Alzheimer’s and Dementia, Baseball Brings Back Fun Memories” by Bill Plaschke in which the journalist Plaschke interviews patients and observes their fondness for the game brighten their eyes to Bryan Burrough following a man-eating tiger hunt in India. More than just play-by-play coverage of your favorite games in the States, the Best American Sports Writing follows journalists as they travel the world and bring back intriguing stories for their audience. A must-have for any sports fan.

Best American Sports Writing 2020 edited by Glenn Stout and Jackie Macmullan

$13.34 $16.99 21% off, 14. tom seaver: a terrific life by bill madden.

A biography of one of the greatest pitchers of all time, Tom Seaver, recounts the life and achievements of baseball’s favorite star. One of only two pitchers with 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts, and an ERA under 3.00, he was a twelve-time All-Star and inducted into the Hall of Fame with the highest ever percentage at the time. Seaver was quite the popular player among fans and teammates alike, often putting the success of the team over his own personal glory. Bill Madden sweeps through his life and career with excellent storytelling, finding the true joy that baseball and its amazing players to the fans at home. A must-have biography for any baseball buff.

Tom Seaver: A Terrific Life by Bill Madden

$16.82 $28.00 40% off, 15. alone on the wall: alex honnold and the ultimate limits of adventure by alex honnold and david roberts.

We all gasped at the film Free Solo , right? If not, head to Disney Plus and watch it immediately . Well, guess what, it’s the same guy, and this is the book he wrote along with David Roberts that explores seven of his most insane climbs, From Yosemite’s breathtaking Half Dome to Mexico’s El Sendero Luminoso, follow along as Honnold explores the why and how he free climbs all of these giants alone. He gets across the singular focus and drive it takes to look morality in the face every time he goes for a climb and takes us on his harrowing journey through the world’s best climbs. A great read for anyone seeking adventure and thrills.

Alone on the Wall: Alex Honnold and the Ultimate Limits of Adventure by Alex Honnold and David Roberts

16. barbarian days: a surfing life by william finnegan.

Surfer and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist William Finnegan explores the different surfing locales around the world and with them, the local people and culture. Take a trip with Finnegan as he surfs his way to paradise and offers insights on humility, surfing, and traveling. He gives us stories of his childhood growing up in Hawaii, being in an all-white gang when his best friend was Hawaiian, dropping LSD while surfing one of the biggest waves in the world on Maui, and traversing the black market in Indonesia, all while keeping the reader engaged. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2016, this will forever remain a popular book, one of the best on surfing ever written.

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

$15.19 $19.00 20% off, 17. it’s not about the bike: my journey back to life by lance armstrong.

The legendary Lance Armstrong may be America’s most controversial athlete of all time, and his tell-all book is an intriguing read into the life of the strong cyclist. If you’re at all curious about what happened before and after Lance’s big scandal in the early aughts, to his early racing career, to his battle with cancer, then you’re in for a treat. If you’re a cycling fan or not, this is an epic sports book for any endurance junkie who’s interested in other’s lives in and around the sport that has focused their life.

It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life by Lance Armstrong

18. why we swim by bonnie tsui.

If you’re a curious swimmer, you’ll enjoy Bonnie Tsui’s exploration of the history of humans swimming, our collective obsession with water and the idea of relaxation it comes with, and of course, the long laps some of us enjoy. Why do people swim? Why do we enjoy it? Tsui explores these questions as well as her own love of swimming in this comprehensive look at our history as a whole with water. A truly beautiful book that any swimmer will love it and want to share with their friends.

Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui

19. to shake the sleeping self: a journey from oregon to patagonia, and a quest for a life with no regret by jedidiah jenkins.

At once a cycling journey and a spiritual journey, Jenkins quits his job on the eve of turning 30 in search of a more profound existence. As his journey unfolds, we see him begin to question his relationship with God, his family, and his sexuality. He goes on many curious adventures that are breathtaking to read and that won’t let you put the book down. Travel along with Jenkins as he makes his way through South America while tackling his own ideas of religion and the power of family. A truly engaging read for anyone who wants to cycle across a continent and survey their own life and its trajectory.

To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret by Jedidiah Jenkins

$15.00 $26.00 42% off, 20. miracle in lake placid: the greatest hockey story ever told by john gilbert.

One of the best-known stories in US hockey history as told by journalist John Gilbert, Miracle in Lake Placid is a book of the great details and the aftermath of the player’s lives. What happened after that fateful game with the Soviets? How did hockey change in our collective memory? The effects that rippled out to reach a generation of readers is here in one epic book. This is the story you’ll want to give any hockey fan in your family.

Miracle in Lake Placid: The Greatest Hockey Story Ever Told by John Gilbert

$14.86 $24.99 41% off, 21. the art of fielding by chad harbach.

Maybe the greatest baseball novel of all time and the most talked about, Chad Harbach’s famous book is not to be missed by any reader, sports fan or not. The love of the game certainly comes through in this epic saga of one pitcher’s destiny and the fates of five others as the story spirals outward. At once a harrowing tale of friendship, choice, and regret, Harbach writes with great empathy and precision about how our decisions may alter more than just ourselves.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

$10.95 $19.99 45% off, 22. the cactus league by emily nemens.

In this character-driven world obsessed with baseball, writer Emily Nemens transports readers to a new land where protagonist Jason Goodyear is stationed with his team for their annual spring training in Arizona. But Goodyear is hiding more than he lets on and is beginning to unravel, affecting all of his coaches, friends, fans, and family. What will happen to him? As his diehard fans watch closely to find out, Nemens spins a tale bright with the Arizona sun and the humility of the player’s psyches. Told in breathtaking prose, an expert at baseball herself, Nemens weaves throughout her knowledge of the game on and off the field. Not a book to be missed.

The Cactus League by Emily Nemens

$12.63 $17.00 26% off, 23. beneath the surface: my story by michael phelps and brian cazenevue.

In this startling memoir, Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps takes us into his world pre-swimming and after the limelight. He describes his struggles with ADD, his parent’s divorce, and how the amount of attention in the spotlight affected him in and out of the pool. Like any great athlete, Phelps shares his story for the world to see, honest and tender, touching and heartbreaking. The inner lives of athletes always seem to be a mystery to most but when they open up in a memoir, we are allowed to see a truly unique peek into their souls. If you’re interested in swimming, the inner workings of high caliber athletes, or just love the Olympics, Michael Phelps has a story for you.

Beneath The Surface: My Story by Michael Phelps and Brian Cazenevue

$11.79 $16.99 31% off, 24. the boys in the boat by daniel james brown.

One of the oldest and revered sports in American history is rowing and Daniel James Brown has written a beautiful and compelling story of the nine young men trying for the Olympic gold in 1936. Individual stories tell this harrowing account and the fight for Olympics glory. Brown takes us from Seattle Washington to the rivers in Berlin where the boys in the boat must stake their final claim for victory. A breathtaking and captivating story for all sports fans to enjoy.

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

25. the champion’s mind: how great athletes think, train, and thrive by jim afremow.

More than a guide, this instructional book by sports psychologist Jim Afremow, PhD, shows us how to thrive like a professional athlete by sharing their stories, successes, and failures. Why not up your own ability by researching how the pro’s do it? Most of sports is the mental challenge, the competitive edge they thrive on during a race or game versus physical ability, but that’s important too. Can you change your mindset to thrive on the court? Better your pitch or stroke? Afremow shows us how humans are capable of change and has given us a wonderful guide into how to do it that includes workouts, tips, and tricks.

The Champion's Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive by Jim Afremow

$14.39 $15.99 10% off, honorable mention: win forever by pete carroll.

Pete Carroll first rose to fame as the head coach of the USC Trojans, and under his leadership, the team won six bowl games and a BCS National Championship. After graduating to the NFL, he would coach the Seattle Seahawks to their first-ever Super Bowl win. Carroll has a proven track record of elite success, and he shares his secrets to cultivating a winning lifestyle and mindset in this inspirational sports book. Carrol shares his tips for playing and living like a champion, and while that might sound like a typical self-help book, this best-selling book has so much more to offer.

Camille is a writer and amateur bike racer in New York City. She has an MFA from the New School and is currently at work on a novel.

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The 35 Best Sports Books Ever Written

Fill the gaps between watching sport with the greatest writing about Muhammad Ali, Brian Clough, Diego Maradona and more

We’re not the first to observe that the thing about sport is that it comes with a built-in narrative arc. There will be heroes and there will be villains. There will be triumphs and there will be disappointments. There will be winners and there will be losers (unless it’s a sport like football which, to Ted Lasso’s continuing befuddlement, allows for a “tie”). But what happens off the pitch, or outside the field, or court-side, can often be as dramatic – if not more so – than what happens on, as it takes a certain type of person to excel at sport: gifted, driven, and sometimes, yes, a little psychotic.

A Woman's Game: The Rise, Fall and Rise Again of Women's Football by Suzy Wrack (2022)

Timed to land just as the Lionesses started their tilt at winning the Euros and immortality, the Guardian's Suzy Wrack traces women's football from the mid-Great War, post-Suffragette days when huge crowds would flock to see women's teams – Dick, Kerr's Ladies drew 53,000 to Goodison Park on Boxing Day 1920 – to a backlash that saw women banned from playing on FA pitches between 1921 and 1971 on the grounds that football was "unsuitable for females". Then, the slow climb back to prominence, and a big decision to make: does women's football try to 'catch up' with the global reach of the men's game, or make the most of what makes it different and joyful? This is a thorough run through a backstory which rarely used to make the back pages.

The Game of Our Lives: The Meaning and Making of English Football by David Goldblatt (2014)

In the men's game, however, things have rarely been more weird. At the time of writing, Manchester United may still be bought out by former Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Jassim, and the season has stretched into late June thanks to a mid-winter World Cup. How did we get here? Goldblatt shows how English football as we know it was liquidated and reformed as an entertainment product to beat them all in the wake of the Thatcher years, knitting it together with the ways England itself has changed in the 21st century. A lot has changed in the last decade – Chelsea cop a lot of flak, despite the ownership now looking positively quaint next to Manchester City and Newcastle United – but to understand how we got here, start with this.

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan (2015)

Finnegan’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning memoir about his lifelong obsession with surfing – starting in California as kid, then Hawaii as a teen, taking him right though to New York in the present (a lesser-known surf spot, certainly) – is a searing and startling paean to the sport. Yes it can seem pointless, and yes it can be punishing, but Finnegan is able to encapsulate the feeling of freedom and euphoria like few others, while also describing his own meandering personal history, which somehow transformed him from a twentysomething stoner surf-bum into a renowned political journalist for the New Yorker, particularly for his reporting from Apartheid-era South Africa.

Blood Horses: Notes of a Sportswriter’s Son by John Jeremiah Sullivan (2004)

Like so many of the titles on this list, John Jeremiah Sullivan’s first book – printed in the UK for the first time in 2013 after the success of his brilliant 2012 essay collection, Pulphead – is a sports book but also something more. It began as a consideration of the life of his late father, Mike Sullivan, who had been a sportswriter for a Kentucky newspaper, and whose fascination with sport in general, and with horse racing in particular, his son had never quite managed to understand. In telling the story of the legendary racehorse Secretariat, one of whose Kentucky derby wins his father attended, he unpicks a sport that is both fascinating and mystifying in equal measure.

Land of Second Chances: The Impossible Rise of Rwanda’s Cycling Team by Tim Lewis (2013)

If sport can be accused of providing neat story arcs (see intro!), or clear-cut heroes and villains, Lewis’s British Sports Book Award-winning exploration of the attempt – by a group of American former professional cyclists – to set up a cycling team in Rwanda a decade after the genocide there in which 1 million people were slaughtered, is as nuanced and fascinating as they come. Lewis, a contributing editor to Esquire , spent time in Rwanda with the would-be riders, including the talented Adrien Niyonshuti, who lost six brothers in the 1994 genocide, and also the professionals who helicopter in to set up the country’s first team, but who, in the case of coach Jock Boyer, turns out to have a dark past of his own.

Football Against The Enemy by Simon Kuper (1994)

Football against the enemy.

Financial Times columnist Simon Kuper wrote this accomplished and quirky footballing travelogue when he was still only in his early 20s. And it's remarkably good; arguably the first and even best in the now-not-so-new wave of 'literary' football tomes that have followed in ever-greater numbers. Kuper travels to 22 countries to find out how football has shaped individual national politics and culture – and vice versa – meeting players, politicians and picking up anecdotes and observations along the way. We all know football as a global obsession, but these fascinating tales – from the tragic to the bizarre – show just how far its reach extends.

Touching The Void by Joe Simpson (1988)

Simpson's harrowing account of his and Simon Yates's calamitous assault, in 1985, on Siula Grande, Peru, has rightly transcended the sport of climbing and become a legendary fable for what humans are capable of doing to survive. It centres, of course, on one of the most amazing escapes ever achieved: with Simpson hopelessly hanging off one end of a rope, Yates is faced with cutting it to prevent them both being killed. Somehow, Simpson survives the fall. But alone in a crevasse with a shattered leg, his situation is hopeless. What follows is a staggering tale of will and courage that also addresses the perennial question of what drives people to climb mountains in the first place. As Churchill said: "When you're going through hell, keep going".

A Good Walk Spoiled: Days And Nights On The PGA Tour by John Feinstein (1995)

Even if you're not a golf fan – though it certainly helps if you are – this groundbreaking account of the highs and lows of the 1993/4 season on the American pro circuit is ultimately a human drama. With unprecedented access to the stars – Greg Norman, Nick Price, John Daly and Nick Faldo to name just a few – and rookies alike, it reveals the disparate personalities and personal travails behind the TV images and how these combine with the particular demands of a sport where the margins between success and failure are so thin. A gripping and always entertaining account of what can justifiably be called the cruellest sport of all, whatever your level.

Addicted by Tony Adams (1998)

Harpercollins pub ltd addicted.

Adams was still a regular for Arsenal and England when his jaw-droppingly frank autobiography was published at the start of the 1998–99 season. His drinking problem destroyed him personally yet seemed to leave his football unaffected (wearing bin bags under training kit to sweat out the booze served him well). If any stories were left out, they must have been truly hideous. Here are remembrances of picking through jeans on the bedroom floor to find the least-piss-soaked pair to wear. Expect fights, prostitutes, broken lives, redemption.

Paper Lion by George Plimpton (1966)

To millennial sportswriters who never leave the office (or sofa) to live blog sport on TV, Plimpton’s participatory journalism (“that ugly descriptive”, in his words) must seem preposterous and grand. That Plimpton himself came across ever so slightly preposterous and grand was not lost on the man himself, who pricked that public persona with a terrifically witty, inquisitive writing style that worked best applied to sport. Of his five books about taking part in pro-level match-ups in boxing, baseball, ice hockey, golf and US football, Paper Lion , on the latter, is the finest.

Pocket Money by Gordon Burn (1986)

Burn, known for his mixing of fiction with non-fiction in the New Journalism style, spent a year documenting snooker during its mid-Eighties’ boom, and produced one of the lesser-known classics of British sportswriting. Reading it now, Burn is not the Hunter S of the green baize: his write-up is as straight as Steve Davis’s cue action, yet all the better for it. Every endorsement deal, every shit hotel room from Stoke to Guangzhou, every hour on the practice table, every string pulled by the promoter Barry Hearn: Burn recorded the lot with great skill.

Provided You Don't Kiss Me: 20 Years With Brian Clough by Duncan Hamilton (2007)

“A spurious intimacy evolves between you,” writes Hamilton, of the relationship between a football club reporter and the club’s manager. In his case, from the age of 18 for two decades in Nottingham, with Clough, “an extraordinary journey with a contradictory, Chinese box of a man — idiosyncratic, eccentric, wholly unpredictable.” Clough’s one-liners are magnificent, for example, on a time before blanket player representation: “the only agent back then was 007 — and he shagged women, not entire football clubs.” Hamilton’s poignant, revealing book is a wonder.

I Think Therefore I Play by Andrea Pirlo (2013)

Sh123 andrea pirlo: i think therefore i play.

I Am Zlatan is held up as the foreign footballer’s must-read memoir, but entertaining though the Swede’s book is, time spent rubbing up against his ego isn’t so enlightening. Pirlo’s, however, has the sort of insight you’d expect from the thinking man’s Greatest Player of his Generation. "You won’t believe me, but it was right in that very moment," about to take the first penalty in the 2006 World Cup Final shoot-out, "I understood what a great thing it is to be Italian. It’s a truly priceless privilege." Also learned: he adores video-game football and always plays as Barça.

Laughing in the Hills by Bill Barich (1980)

As mid-life crises go, Barich’s, aged 35, is special. Five rejected novels, mother and mother-in-law dead of cancer five weeks apart, no money, no job, wife with suspected brain tumour. Craving structure, he found it only studying the Daily Racing Form , picking horses methodically and placing small bets. He then told his wife (tumour: false alarm), he’d be moving to a motel next to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Fields racetrack, “convinced there was something special about racing and I wanted to get to the heart of the matter.” There was. He did. His write-up of that time is spectacularly good.

Ball Four by Jim Bouton (1970)

On the face of it, a diary of the 1969 season by a second-string pitcher for the Seattle Pilots baseball team, the only year that team existed, does not leap to the top of the to-read pile. But the total frankness in terms of locker-room talk, player drug use and womanising, bad blood, gamesmanship and other off-topic matters means this is the most inside-a-team book you’ll ever read. It offended baseball so much, Bouton’s 1971 follow-up was called I’m Glad You Didn’t Take It Personally . David Simon, creator of The Wire , put Ball Four in his six all-time favourite books.

The Damned United by David Peace (2006)

Faber & faber the damned utd.

Brian Clough (see elsewhere on this list) spent 44 days as manager of Leeds United in 1974. Peace’s self-styled “fiction, based on a fact” unpacks this mistake via an unrelenting Clough inner monologue that brings the great man vividly to life. (The Clough family, and Leeds’ Johnny Giles disagreed, the latter winning an apology though the courts.) As a study of football partisanship, one of the game’s most important emotions, it is astonishing. Said Gordon Burn (see elsewhere on the list), “if the English novel needs a kick up the pants... consider it wholeheartedly kicked.”

Muhammad Ali by various

Taschen gmbh greatest of all time: a tribute to muhammad ali.

The Greatest has a whole shelf to himself in the sporting library (including, naturally, The Greatest Coloring Book of All Time ). Four books in particular stand out, together covering every angle you could wish for. Jonathan Eig’s Ali: a Life (2017) is the best cradle-to-grave account, as good on the flaws as the fabulous. King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero (1999) by David Remnick focuses on the Clay-becomes-Ali era of the early Sixties. The Fight (1975) is Norman Mailer’s amazing retelling of the Rumble in the Jungle, and the giant, glossy Greatest of all Time (2003; 2010 reprint) by Taschen, is the coffee table book to top them all.

Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour de France by Richard Moore (2011)

The badger, or more correctly, Le Blaireau , is Bernard Hinault, the last Frenchman to win the Tour de France and one of cycling’s all-time greats. Out to get him is his American teammate Greg LeMond, who finished second to Hinault in the 1985 Tour and wants the result reversed in 1986’s race. Reliving the latter contest, Moore forces the reader to pick sides — grizzled veteran versus young upstart, old ways versus new ways, USA versus France — which only heightens the drama. Journo props to Esquire contributor Moore, too, for tracking down both men more than 25 years later for illuminating postscripts.

Open by Andre Agassi (2009)

According to The New York Times : "one of the most passionately anti-sports books ever written by a superstar athlete." Says Agassi: "I knew in the book I had to expose everything." So: the unceasing slog, from toddler to champ, that prevented him from loving tennis, or anything, until he met his second wife Steffi Graf. His failed first marriage to Brooke Shields, crystal meth: it’s all here. Props to Agassi and his quest for truth, and also his ghost, JR Moehringer, who got 250 hours of interview time with his subject instead of the typical 30.

All Played Out by Pete Davies (1990)

English football’s second-finest hour — Italia ’90 — led to its finest book. Having spent the year before the World Cup earning the trust of the England players and manager Bobby Robson, Davies was let into the camp during the tournament. He also observed, close-up, the press, fans and hooligans. An epic journey for the team and their chronicler, superbly told with sharp reportage, dry humour and real feeling. In 2010, the book was retitled One Night in Turin , to tie in with the documentary of the same name.

Chinaman by Shehan Karunatilaka (2011)

First, to get ahead of any Twitterstorm, we recognise the decision of cricket bible Wisden (the greatest annual sports book ever, of course) to stop using the term “chinaman” to describe a slow left-arm wrist-spin bowler. Such a player is one of cricket’s rare gems, and this novel is about a washed-up journalist trying to find a slow left-arm wrist-spinner who has faded from the spotlight. The author knows a lot about cricket, but he also knows a lot about myth, mystery, obsession, drinking and noble pursuits undertaken by the ignoble.

Mystery Spinner: the Story of Jack Iverson by Gideon Haigh (2002)

Hold your right hand out in front of you, palm facing you, fingers spread, then bend your middle finger at the knuckle. Now try bowling a cricket ball held between thumb and middle finger. Jack Iverson mastered it, and bamboozled batsmen so much that when he played for Australia, the captain, also Iverson’s club captain, would move players from other clubs around in the field so they couldn’t watch Iverson up close. This biography, by the writer many think is cricket’s current best (they’re correct), reveals, at times movingly, why Iverson didn't become an all-timer.

Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby (1992)

Hornby could not have imagined that his book would be relevant to the football fan’s experience 26 years after it was first published. (That it is still in print, after several bestselling years, would also be a surprise to him.) It’s harder for fans to follow Hornby’s best piece of advice — be seen reading the papers’ back pages on the first days of a new job, to attract fellow supporters — but he absolutely nails the inexorable pull of football fandom. And he had to do it all with boring, boring Arsenal.

Aurum Press Ltd Levels of the Game (Sports Classics)

Levels of the Game by John McPhee (1969)

This writers’ favourite began life, as most of its author’s books do, as an article in The New Yorker . It is an account of the 1968 US Open semi-final between Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner, a profile of both men and their place in US society at the time. Ashe is black, Democrat, bookish, skinny; Graebner the opposite. Every sportswriter ever has played the sport-is-life-and-life-is-sport card. In this slim volume, which punches far beyond its weight, McPhee plays it best of all.

The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro by Joe McGinniss (1999)

Castel Di Sangro is a small-time football club that miraculously rose through the Italian pyramid to Serie B’s second tier for the 1996–97 season. Equally extraordinary was the presence of McGinniss, a US writer famous for a revealing Richard Nixon book and true-crime doorsteps, as the upstarts’ Boswell. He had fallen hard for soccer after the 1994 World Cup and moved to Italy to document the fairy tale. Instead: corruption, cocaine smuggling, car crashes and conspiracy to go with the calcio .

Fast Company by Jon Bradshaw (1975)

Brilliant, evocative profiles of winning gamblers including Bobby Riggs (of the 1973 'Battle of the Sexes' tennis match), pool legend Minnesota Fats and Tim Holland, backgammon’s best ever. The author, who wrote for Esquire , New York magazine and Vogue , understood these rascals because he admired and shared their qualities. In his introduction to a later edition, writer Nik Cohn remembers Bradshaw’s "conscious roguery, a Rothmans perpetually dangling from one corner of his mouth, and that lopsided shark’s grin plastering the other. He sported Turnbull & Asser silk shirts and Gucci loafers, flashed gold lighters and a Piaget watch." Touché.

Beware of the Dog by Brian Moore (2010)

England’s 64-cap hooker begins this second account of his life by effectively apologising for the less-than-candid nature of the first, then describing the sexual abuse he endured as a child, why he came to deal with it as an adult and what happened when he told his mum. It’s genuinely stunning. But this book is not on this list because of just one chapter. Everything that follows, including pissed-up rugby tales, personal and professional highs and lows, feels like it’s in the book for the same reasons as that prologue: honest, insightful and crucial to Moore’s life.

The Hand of God: the Life of Diego Maradona by Jimmy Burns (1996)

Burns was the right choice to decode Diego in the post- Fever Pitch wave of sportswriting. As the former FT man in Buenos Aires, he knew Argentina and its favourite son perhaps better than any other English-language writer. The beats of the player’s life are storyteller’s gold: shantytown upbringing, national team aged 17, FC Barcelona aged 22 (when he also had his first line of coke), World Cup winner aged 25, roaring into a camera at the World Cup, full of illegal stimulants, aged 33. Also: mafia, money, mayhem. Burns weaves it all together magnificently.

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis (2006)

The blind side: evolution of a game.

Lewis’s Moneyball , about disruptive baseball analysis, often appears on lists of this sort, but The Blind Side is more entertaining, with a you-couldn’t-make-it-up human-interest core that some felt was over-egged in the film version starring Sandra Bullock. Back in the book, two stories are told: how a black US high-school football prospect (crack addict mother, dad killed in prison) changes after adoption by a rich white family, and how the game itself has changed with respect to the “blind side”, a quirk of player growth and tactics.

A Life Too Short: the Tragedy of Robert Enke by Ronald Reng (2011)

Reng and Enke were planning to write a book together; Reng wrote it alone after Enke killed himself in November 2009. Three months peviously, Enke had kept goal for Germany for the last time. Three years earlier, his two-year-old daughter died after lifelong heart problems. More than once, the pressure of top-level football had come down hard. Rene uses Enke’s diaries, interviews with the keeper’s wife and family and the material the two men generated together in a masterful, moving account of depression and its devastating consequences. Once read, never forgotten.

The Death of Ayrton Senna by Richard Williams (1995)

Williams, former editor of Melody Maker and chief sportswriter of The Guardian , is both the man you want over your shoulder when playing HQ Trivia and the sort of writer who can make you listen to, or care about, someone you had no interest in before reading his take on them. Of course, Senna is beloved; even more so since the 2010 documentary biopic. Williams even-handedly dispels the myths surrounding the Brazilian’s remarkable life, his tragic death and the afterlife of his legend, yet maintains his heroic aura through concise, insightful analysis.

The Illustrated History of Football by David Squires (2016)

Squires has just completed another season of football cartoons for The Guardian , with no sign of let-up in quality, hilarity or niche Simpsons references. His first book, a history of the game with all-new work, is the funniest football tome since Viz ’s Billy the Fish Football Yearbook , published 26 years earlier. The second volume, The Illustrated History of Football: Hall of Fame , is more of the same excellence.

Full Time: the Secret Life of Tony Cascarino by Paul Kimmage (2000)

Everything you’d think the 21st-century footballer is advised to leave out of an autobiog is here: infidelity, itemised career earnings, dialogue with the internal voice of crippling self-doubt (“you pathetic fucker, Cascarino!”), mystery injections from club physios and, most candidly, the fact you were not really qualified to play for your country. “Tony Goal”, as the Republic of Ireland (perhaps) centre-forward was known in France, teamed with Irish writer Paul Kimmage, whose cycling book Rough Ride and rugby book Engage , had a shot at being on this list.

A Lot of Hard Yakka, Triumph and Torment by Simon Hughes (1997)

A lot of hard yakka.

“There’s nothing exceptional about me; never was,” claims Hughes, in what is the only duff note in a book that proves his statement incorrect. His lid-lift on the jobbing cricketer’s lot is a celebration of shortfalls, on and off the pitch. After all, what is sport if not mostly mediocrity punctuated by rare moments of glory and despair? Hughes has neither of those. He has kit sponsors rewarding improved performance with “a couple of short-sleeved casual shirts” and that time he interrupted coitus to turn over the Donna Summer tape. Very funny stuff.

My Father and Other Working-Class Football Heroes by Gary Imlach (2005)

Stewart Imlach played for Scotland at the 1958 World Cup and won the FA Cup with Nottingham Forest a year later. Now you know about as much about Stewart as did his son Gary when the old man died. Holding a cigarette card of his dad at a collectors’ fair a few months after the funeral, Gary laments, “How had I managed to let him die without properly gathering together the details of his career, his life story?” Surely doubly galling for Gary, the TV sports journalist, who had likely researched thousands of other sporting lives. This book triumphantly redresses his oversight.

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Ali: A Life by Jonathan Eig

Muhammad Ali needs no introduction. This book draws on more than 500 interviews with those who knew him best, including friends, family members and mentors. Thanks to some specially commissioned research, it paints a vivid picture of one of the most significant personalities of the 20th century. Readers are taken inside the ring for some of the most famous bouts in boxing history, before learning about Ali’s activism, conversion to Islam, personal life – which included several affairs and controversies – and his decline from Parkinson’s disease. 

Available here

Provided You Don't Kiss Me: 20 Years With Brian Clough by Duncan Hamilton

Brian Clough made a name for himself as the outspoken non-nonsense manager of Nottingham Forest during the mid-70s. Those who knew him say he was unpredictable and volatile, relying on alcohol to deal with failure and success on and off the pitch. Duncan Hamilton was a young journalist in the middle of Clough’s empire who saw it all. In this book, he paints a vivid portrait of Clough, from Nottingham Forest's double European Cup triumph to his descent into alcoholism.

The Death of Pantani by Matt Rendell

Italian cyclist Marco Pantani is widely regarded as one of the sport’s greatest. His unrivalled stamina and climbing abilities led to historic wins at the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia in 1998 – becoming one of only seven men to win both in the same year. Just six years later, Pantani was found dead in a cheap hotel. The autopsy revealed he had cerebral edema and heart failure as a result of cocaine poisoning. It transpired that he’d been addicted to coke for 15 years. This account includes exclusive interviews with his psychoanalysts, family and friends, who paint an indelible picture of an extremely talented – and flawed – athlete. 

Proud by Gareth Thomas

In 2009, Gareth Thomas made headlines around the world when he announced he was gay. One of the few top athletes to have come out, Thomas made news again a decade later when he revealed he was HIV positive. For years, he’d been hiding who he really was, but on the pitch, he had it all – national hero, sporting icon, leader of men, and captain of Wales and the British Lions. For Thomas, rugby was an expression of cultural identity, but his secret was slowing killing him, and he was scared what would happen to his wife and family if news got out. Thomas’ inspiring and moving story has given him – and his readers – a fresh perspective on what masculinity really means. 

Open. An Autobiography by Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. But, as talented as anyone, he quickly came to hate the game. Coaxed to swing a racket while still in the crib, forced to hit hundreds of balls a day by his violent father, Agassi resented the constant pressure, even as he drove himself to become a prodigy. After winning the Wimbledon Championships in 1992, he became a fan favourite. What makes this book so captivating is Agassi’s near-photographic memory – every pivotal match is described as if it took place yesterday, while personal highlights (like his brief fling with Barbra Streisand) are colourfully recounted. 

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

This book won the Pulitzer Prize for biography and made its way onto Obama’s summer reading list back in 2016. For many, surfing is an adrenalated hobby, but for some it’s more than that. New Yorker writer William Finnegan started surfing as a young boy in California and Hawaii. Barbarian Days takes readers on a journey through a life spent chasing waves across the South Pacific, Australia, Asia, Africa and beyond. Describing the intense relationship between himself, the board and the water, Finnegan details his most dangerous surfs and razor-sharp survival instincts in the water. A fascinating and compelling read from a man battling a “beautiful addiction”.

Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography

His career wasn’t always plain sailing, but Sir Alex Ferguson eventually became the greatest football manager of his generation. A player back in the 60s and 70s, Ferguson went on to manage a string of Scottish teams before taking charge of Manchester United for nearly 30 years. Here, he reflects on a managerial career that included unprecedented European success for Aberdeen and many triumphant seasons with United, and reveals how he stayed sane at the peak of his profession. An entertaining, insight-filled must-read for all football fans. 

Put Me Back On My Bike by William Fotheringham

Tom Simpson was one of Britain’s most successful cyclists until his tragic death on the barren moonscape of the Mont Ventoux during the 1967 Tour de France – aged just 30 years old.  A man of contradictions, Simpson was one of the first cyclists to admit to using banned drugs, and was accused of fixing races, but he still managed to inspired awe and affection. Put Me Back on My Bike revisits the places and people associated with Simpson to show how he became a sporting legend in just a few short years.

Coming Back To Me by Marcus Trescothick

England cricketer Marcus Trescothick surprised fans and teammates when he prematurely ended his international career. At 29, Trescothick was widely regarded as one of the batting greats. With more than 5,000 Test runs to his name and eternal status as a 2005 Ashes hero, he’d already achieved more than he’d set out to. On Saturday 25th February 2006, four days before leading England into the first Test against India, Trescothick walked from the field in the midst of a mental breakdown. In the dressing room, he broke down in tears, overwhelmed by a blur of anguish, uncertainty and sadness he had been keeping at bay for longer than he knew. His account of performing at the top highlights an important conversation about the unique pressures and mental struggles many athletes face.

Undisputed Truth by Mike Tyson

No doubt Mike Tyson was a phenomenal boxer. But some of his antics in and outside the ring are much more questionable. There’s the rape conviction early in his career, the biting off of Evander Holyfield’s ear, and the cocaine addiction which led to his bankruptcy in the early noughties. In his own words, Tyson’s talks openly and movingly about a troubled childhood (he was arrested 38 times before he was 13), his financial ruin, and playing up to his ‘bad boy’ persona on a world stage.

The Accident Footballer by Pat Nevin

Pat Nevin never wanted to be a professional footballer, but went on to captivate audiences around the world with his quick footwork in the wing. Growing up in Glasgow's East End, he loved playing football, but he also loved reading classic literature, nights out with his mates, and listening to indie music until the early hours. With spells at Chelsea and Everton, Nevin became a household name, but here he discusses the joys of professional football alongside its contradictions and conflicts – and what it means to be defined by your job.

Lewis Hamilton: The Biography by Frank Worrall

Sir Lewis Hamilton has redefined British racing, and what it means to be a Black athlete at the top of the game. In this new biography, Frank Worrall charts his rise to stardom, starting with Hamilton's debut season in 2007, which won him fans around the world. Hamilton’s performance on the track has led to legendary status, but his personal life has also landed him on the front pages of the tabloids time and again. Then in 2021 he received a knighthood, making his unexpected journey to the top even more unbelievable. 

The Mamba Mentality: How I Play by Kobe Bryant

American basketball great Kobe Bryant spent his entire 20-year career with the LA Lakers. Then, in January 2020 he tragically died alongside his daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash in California. Known as ‘Black Mamba’, he was a master of mental preparation and using a unique game plan to win time and again. Written before his untimely death, this book takes readers inside the mind of one of the most intelligent, analytical and creative sportsmen ever.

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24 Best Sports Biographies Books of All Time

Our goal : Find the best Sports Biographies books according to the internet (not just one random person's opinion).

• Type "best sports biographies books" into our search engine and study the top 5+ pages.
• Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
• Rank the results neatly for you here! 😊 (It was a lot of work. But hey! That's why we're here, right?)

(Updated 2024)

As an Amazon Associate, we earn money from purchases made through links in this page.

Last Updated: Monday 1 Jan, 2024

• Best Sports Biographies Books

An Autobiography

Andre Agassi

Born to Run

A hidden tribe, superathletes, and the greatest race the world has never seen.

Christopher McDougall

The Blind Side

Evolution of a game.

Michael Lewis

A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

Phil Knight

The Final Pitch

Barbarian Days

A surfing life.

William Finnegan

Eleven Rings

The soul of success.

Phil Jackson

Tiger Woods

Jeff Benedict

Michael Jordan

Roland Lazenby

The Boys in the Boat

Nine americans and their epic quest for gold at the 1936 berlin olympics.

Daniel James Brown

A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Laura Hillenbrand

The Mamba Mentality

Kobe Bryant

Touching the Void

Joe Simpson

An American Legend

Rafael Nadal

Alone on the Wall

Alex Honnold

Mariano Rivera

The Captain

The journey of derek jeter.

Ian O'Connor

My Autobiography

Steven Gerrard

The Story of My Life

Coming Back Stronger

Unleashing the hidden power of adversity.

The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero

David Maraniss

• The 33 Best Sports Books Ever Written | Esquire www.esquire.com
• The best sports books and autobiographies - Pan Macmillan www.panmacmillan.com
• The 25 Best Sports Books of All Time To Read in 2021 – SPY spy.com
• 50 Great Sports Biographies - Sports Management Degree Guide www.sports-management-degrees.com
• 100 Best Sports Biography Books of All Time (Updated for 2021) www.shortform.com

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20 best sports autobiographies you should grab today.

Table of Contents

A Legendary actor, Eddie Cantor once said, “It took me 20 years to make an overnight success” . And he couldn’t be more correct. When we, the fans, watch our beloved sports stars creating records and winning trophies, we only see the successful side of their lives.

But how did they get there, at the top, where millions can only imagine? Hence the sports autobiographies, which tell us all about the difficulties faced by players, their years of hard work and fight against the odds.

Usually, a good movie is the one with a fantastic storyline and a perfect ending. And although that obviously holds true for books, sports biographies/autobiographies are more than that.

Along with the difficulties faced by an athlete, those books teach us more about the game we love. A behind the scenes overview of both athletes and the sport.

Here are 20 such sports biographies/Books on athletes that you must add to your library.

These books will inspire and motivate you to come out of your comfort zone and conquer the world.

Also READ | Top 10 Best Cricket Books Ever | Dive into the World of Cricket

List of Top 20 best sports Autobiographies

The greatest: my own story – biography of muhammad ali.

It is not just the name of his autobiography, ‘The Greatest’ is also Muhammad Ali’s nickname. And why wouldn’t it be? Ali is without a doubt the greatest boxer to even enter the ring!

The Olympic Gold medallist and three-time World Heavyweight Champion fought another fight outside the ring, which is described in the book. Ali was stripped of the WBA title after joining the Nation of Islam and was completely banned from boxing for more than three years when he refused to be drafted in the armed forces. Despite facing such difficulties he came back and wrote his name in the history books as ‘The Greatest’!

This book will take you through the ups and downs of Ali’s life. Sports enthusiasts must have the book of one the most controversial and the most celebrated athlete in their collection.

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A Shot at History – Biography of Abhinav Bindra

Unlike most other athletes Abhinav might not have come from a very difficult background and did not have to face much hardship coming from a relatively privileged home. For instance, his father even built an indoor shooting range for him to practice. Despite of that there is no doubt that he reached where he is today only and only because of his talent and handwork, which is a testimony to how sports does not look at the class or background you come from but only on what you can do as a sports person.

Yes, the story of the first ever Indian individual gold medallist is as inspirational as it can get. His book, A Shot at History, explains how the hunger for success and a craving to achieve something can make you successful – regardless of how you train and who you are coached by. Bindra has also written about finishing 7 th at the 2004 Olympics, “the darkest hour” of his career. His failure in Athens forced him to work harder than ever.

The Indian shooter has also mentioned how an Olympian has to wait four years to redeem himself/herself, unlike a cricketer or golfer, who can make up for their mistakes in the next tournament. 

READ | 50 Best Motivational Books on Athletes Everyone Should Read

Best Sports autobiographies – The TB12 Method – Tom Brady

Tom Brady, arguably the best quarterbacks of all time is a legendary name in American football. He has won the NFL six times, more than anyone else in history. Brady’s latest NFL title came in February 2019, at the age of 41!

His book is unique for a number of reasons. The TB12: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance, takes readers into the mindset of the legendary footballer . The book tells us about Brady’s fitness regime, exercise , and training. It is a great book for amateur athletes, explaining the importance of focused and disciplined life. And who better than a 41-year old, still going strong to explain it.

The book became a best seller on Amazon within 48 hours of its release and also featured on New York Times’ best sellers list.

Biography of milkha singh – The Race of My Life

We have all seen the movie Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, but there is nothing like reading about a legend in his own words.

Milkha Singh ’s childhood was difficult, to say the least. Born in Govindpura, now a part of Pakistan, Milkha struggled a lot during the partition. A number of his family members, including his parents, were killed. Living in refugee camps and spending time robbing trains, Milkha was on the verge of entering the crime world ones and for all. But the recruitment in the Indian Army changed his life forever.

And from there, a boy who had never heard about athletics or the Olympics became one of the best Indian athletes of all time. An inspirational story in every way along with the difficult times during the partition – A treat for sports and history enthusiasts.

Unbreakable – Biography of Mary Kom

“My Years of hard work, the refusal to give up, pushing every boundary there was. The thrill, the joy of winning, the successes. The Olympic bronze, my most prized possession. And boxing, the sport I gave myself to. All of it is real. I was the David who took on the Goliaths in the boxing ring – and I won, most of the time.”

This part of the book is more than enough reason to read the book. Mary Kom , born to landless agricultural laborers in Manipur had a difficult life from the beginning. And as if that wasn’t enough, she had to carve her own path in the sport dominated by men.

But if Mary Kom can fight well inside the ring, you have no idea how exceptionally she can fight against odds outside it. She faced every adversity with gloves in her hand and landed a knockout blow to become a six-time World Champion and an Olympic bronze medallist.

Playing It My Way – Biography of Sachin Tendulkar

Who wouldn’t want to know more about the life of Sachin Tendulkar – The God of Cricket ! And given the crazy following of the Little Master, it is no surprise that this book broke all kinds of selling records, just like Sachin did with the bat.

Playing It My Way takes us on a 24-year journey of Sachin Tendulkar’s glorious cricketing career, told by the man himself. Sachin talks about his number of memorable innings, dressing room incidences and controversies. The Batting Maestro also discussed one of the most difficult times of his life, the Tennis Elbow injury.

If you are a Cricket fan, you must have this book in your collection.

Best Sports autobiographies – Soul Surfer – Bethany Hamilton

One of the most inspiring comeback stories you will ever read is of Bethany Hamilton. The American surfer lost her left arm to a shark attack back in 2003.

But she did not let that attack or a lost arm stop her from doing what she dearly loved. Bethany returned to surfing after recovering from her injury and continues to surf even today with just one hand. She has also won a number of competitions after the shark attack.

Bethany’s unbelievable story has been told in the Soul Surfer which was later made into a Hollywood movie of the same name.

The Test of My Life – Biography of Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh ’s life is nothing short of a movie itself. But for now, his story has been told by the Southpaw himself in his sports autobiography.

Yuvraj Singh’s exceptional 2011 World Cup was followed by one of the most horrible news. The all rounder was diagnosed with Cancer and his Cricket career was deemed ‘over’ by almost everyone. But Yuvraj returned to the field after just two years setting an example for everyone fighting against the life-threatening disease.

In the book, Yuvi has talked about his journey to the top of the mountain – Man of the Series at the 2011 World Cup, despite suffering from Cancer and even vomiting blood during the course of the tournament. He then discusses his treatment period in the United States during Chemotherapy and how he battled against the biggest test of his life and returned victoriously.

Best Sports autobiographies – My Turn: The Autobiography – Johan Cruyff

This is truly a treat for football (Soccer) fans around the globe. In My Turn, an autobiography named after his famous ‘Cruyff Turn’, the legendary Dutch footballer talks about the game he revolutionized with his vision and philosophy.

Johan Cruyff was one of the finest footballers of all time, with 3 Ballon d’Or to his name along with a cabinet full of trophies. But it was his managerial career which really forced people to nickname him ‘The Genius’.

Cruyff’s ‘Total Football’ is a unique philosophy where a team maintains the structure while playing a fluid passing game. It became extremely famous and was used by his pupil Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, which helped the club to ‘European Treble’. A similar style was also used by Spain in their 2010 World Cup triumph.

In this book, Cruyff has explained his philosophy in his own words. He has mentioned his favorite formation, Dream XI and much more. There is nothing better than reading about the art of football written by the artist himself.

Best Sports autobiographies – The Blind Side – Michael Oher

I Beat the Odds: From Homelessness to The Blind Side – A little longer than a usual title for a book which is a story of one of the most unique success stories in the American Football.

Not a lot of people are aware of Michael Oher, the offensive tackler in the American Football . After all, he is currently a free agent after playing for three different teams in seven years. But it is not his career but the story which helped him reach here is absolutely incredible.

Born to a drug addict mother, Michael had a forgettable childhood with time in prison, failure in school and moving in and out of foster homes on a regular basis.  

But he finally found a home when Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy allowed Oher to live with them and eventually adopted him. Oher played football in school and college, while also trying the balance his studies. And after a successful college career, the tackler was the 23 rd pick in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

From a homeless kid to NFL Player – Michael Oher’s story is a must read for every sports fan. The movie of the same title was also made where Sandra Bullock played the role of Oher’s foster mother.

READ | Top 17 Sports Books on Indian Women That Will Inspire You

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A Fan’s Notes: Here’s a list of sports-book recommendations that you’ll love

Years ago, when I was a younger, more fresh-faced freelance reporter, I was sitting with some more experienced peers in the Wrigley Field press dining room and two of them were talking about books. I started to recommend one that I liked and one of the writers scoffed.

“I don’t read sports books ,” he said.

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Well, I did read sports books and I do read sports books. In fact, I have more than 200 sports-related books in my house. They reside on bookshelves in my basement, they fill floating shelves in my office, they take up space stacked up on and next to my desk. A yet-unread book of baseball essays by Roger Angell resides next to my side of the bed, which I recently used to prop up a busted old phone that only charged at a certain angle.

I even wrote a sports book!

In years past at The Athletic , I have written reviews of books and stories about books . In 2017, I noticed Kris Bryant was carrying a copy of Shawn Green’s “The Way of Baseball.” I had recently discussed that book with Tommy La Stella and those conversations led to this story about how Bryant, La Stella and Ben Zobrist all used Green’s book to get through a season.

Given that we’re celebrating this particular form of literature this week at The Athletic , I’m going to present some different options to the popular sports books you might have read and have definitely heard about. I didn’t “discover” these books, like urban hipsters claim to “discover” long-standing restaurants, and many of my picks are award-winners and former bestsellers. But you just might find one you haven’t heard about before.

The format is simple. I pick a famous (or semi-famous) sports book and, like an Amazon algorithm, give you a recommendation of a book that is like (or sort of like) that book. I left out a lot of books that I love, for one reason or another, along with books I bought but haven’t read. (Or even started, don’t judge me.) That’s why you won’t find classics like Jane Leavy’s biography of Sandy Koufax, which you should definitely read. I could go on and on with the books I left out, but let’s dive into the ones I did not.

If you like “Heaven is a Playground,” read “The Last Shot”

Rick Telander’s revered book about a summer of pickup basketball in Brooklyn is so good that I thumb through it several times a year.

I have become friends with Telander through my job in Chicago, which surely would have delighted the college-age me who picked up “Heaven is a Playground” 20 years ago. I hope you have read it by now. If you have or haven’t you should also pick up Darcy Frey’s 1994 book on high-school basketball in Coney Island, a fantastic piece of journalistic literature that focuses on a Lincoln High team. One of the main characters is a teenage Stephon Marbury, a precocious freshman trying to live up to and surpass his family name.

If you like “A Season on the Brink,” read “Play Their Hearts Out”

John Feinstein was granted entrée into Bobby Knight’s fiefdom in Bloomington, Ind. for his book, and, well, Knight wasn’t thrilled with the result.

George Dohrmann, now an Athletic colleague, spent eight years (!!!) following around an AAU coach who made millions of dollars thanks to his courtship of a star player and his stewardship of a talented team. Bobby Knight, he wasn’t. Dohrmann’s look at this California basketball tragedy is haunting, award-winning and still under-appreciated. Tyson Chandler factors into the story as well.

If you like “Friday Night Lights,” read “Playing Through the Whistle”

Buzz Bissinger’s sociological look at football in Odessa, Texas is a classic that overshadows the genre of a sports book. I can’t imagine you haven’t read it, watched the movie or the TV show. (Full disclosure: I’ve only done the first one, but I’ve read it numerous times.) While high school football in Texas has cult-like vibes, so too does high-level AAU basketball.

This recommendation is actually breaking my rule and is as much of a recommendation for me as it is for you. I’ve had S.L. Price’s book about Aliquippa football on my bookshelf for years and it remains unread.

If you like “Ball Four,”  read “A False Spring” or “You Know Me Al”

Jim Bouton’s memoir about pitching for the Yankees made him a pariah back in the day, and along with Jerry Kramer’s book with Dick Schaap, it also helped popularize the athlete as writer genre.

In “A False Spring,” published in 1975, Pat Jordan has a different kind of baseball story. He was the last of the “bonus babies,” getting $50,000 from the Milwaukee Braves in 1959. Jordan went to a Class D minor-league team and well, he’s famous for being a writer for a reason. He is better at it than he was at pitching.

“You Know Me Al” is an epistolary novel, which is a fancy way of saying it’s written as a string of letters to someone. Ring Lardner is the author and he’s writing as a recent call-up to the White Sox by the name of Jack Keefe. The letters were originally published as newspaper columns in the Saturday Evening Post and were collected into this book. Years ago, there was a Cubs pitcher who reminded Tribune writer Paul Sullivan and me of Keefe. I won’t share his name, but it’s Randy Wells.

If you like “No Cheering in the Press Box,” read “Pond Scum and Vultures”

OK, if you’re not a sportswriter, there’s a good chance you haven’t heard of “No Cheering in the Press Box,” but among journalists of a certain age, Jerome Holtzman’s collection of old-timey sportswriters talking about their work is pretty famous. Holtzman, of course, was a legendary Chicago baseball writer best known as the guy who invented the save.

“Pond Scum and Vultures” was a breezy look at the world of sports writing by Gene Wojciechowski. It was published in 1990, so let’s just say some of it is gloriously outdated. But if you’re a young journalist, go find a used copy online. There are a lot of enduring lessons in here about the job and a ton of fun stories. There’s a great story about Jay Mariotti getting into it with players in the Reds clubhouse back in his Cincinnati days and in another Chicago angle, one of my favorite baseball manager anecdotes of all time.

If you like “A Sense of Where You Are,” read “Life on the Run”

John McPhee wrote a famous book on Bill Bradley during the future senator’s days playing at Princeton. A better book is Bradley’s look at his own playing days while on the Knicks. “Life on the Run” is an intimate diary of what it was like to be a pro basketball player in the 1970s and an incisive look at his Knicks teammates and the NBA. Ernie Banks makes a memorable cameo.

If you like “Game of Shadows,” read “Juicing the Game”

I haven’t read “Game of Shadows” since probably 2007, so I’m not sure how it holds up now that some of us think of Jeff Novitzky’s quixotic quest to nail Barry Bonds and BALCO Labs a little differently. But the book is an important part of baseball history.

Howard Bryant covered the steroid era in his 2005 book “Juicing the Game” and I remember loving it when I bought it at a Borders probably 13 years ago. Here’s the problem, though. The paperback copy I bought was missing about 30 pages (somehow) and Borders didn’t have another copy so I returned it and never finished it. I really should buy it again. You should too, but it’s almost out of stock online. Howard covers the era with a clear eye and plenty of detail. He was on the ground as a reporter and it shows in his work.

If you like “The Jordan Rules,” read “Bringing the Heat”

Sam Smith’s famous 1991 book on Michael Jordan got a nice boost during the Jordan hagiography spring (Last I looked it was No. 8 in basketball bestsellers on Amazon). It was so eye-opening because it told truths of what it was really like to play on and coach the Bulls.

Mark Bowden’s “Bringing the Heat” does the same thing for the 1992 Philadelphia Eagles, Reggie White’s last season there before he led the way in unfettered NFL free agency. Bowden achieved fame with “Black Hawk Down,” but as sports reporting goes, his Eagles book is a major work of journalism and next to Smith’s book, it might be my favorite book about any team. (Nicholas Dawidoff did a similarly good job recently with “Collision Low Crossers” about the Jets, but he had an amazingly easy way in with Rex Ryan.)

If you like “A Whole Different Ball Game” and “Lords of the Realm,” read “Hard Labor”

Marvin Miller’s book on the rise of MLB’s union should be read by every sportswriter and every baseball fan who tweets about labor tugs of war. “Lords of the Realm” is a 600-page investment, but John Helyar’s book about labor through the prism of baseball owners is an equally important book, especially right now.

Sam Smith’s book on the birth of the NBA union is newer and not as refined as the others, but it’s equally important and a much less-covered subject. Smith is very passionate about this work, which details how Oscar Robertson led the way to fight for NBA player rights. When the book came out in 2017, Sam really tried to get current players, especially the current labor leaders, interested in it and I wonder how many took him up on it.

If you like “Moneyball,”  read “The Science of Hitting”

If you haven’t read “ Moneyball,” you’ve watched the movie. It’s arguably the most influential sports book ever written. It inspired a legion of Ivy League types to get into sports, whether it’s as owners or front-office executives. It has sold roughly a bajillion copies. Moneyball is now the catch-all term for analytics.

While Billy Beane deserves credit for helping to popularize this approach to baseball, as a player Beane couldn’t hit for shit in the majors. You know who could? Teddy Ballgame.

Ted Williams’ famed book about hitting explains it as well as anyone explains anything. It’s a really valuable resource. But here’s the thing, it’s also a gorgeous book full of baseball art by Robert Cupp. Why aren’t books this cool anymore?

I once printed out some pictures for a Little League team I coached and they loved them.

If you like “Among the Thugs,” read “A Fan’s Notes”

Anecdotally, I feel like a lot of soccer fans have read “Among the Thugs,” Bill Buford’s book about old-school English soccer hooligans. It’s an incredible journey into the dark heart of sports fandom.

“A Fan’s Notes” isn’t a sports book, per se, but rather an autobiographical work of fiction by Fred Exley about being an insane, alcoholic New York Giants fan who is obsessed with running back Frank Gifford. That’s really the best way to explain it. It was published in 1968 and earned a lot of acclaim as a debut novel.

If you like Any Soccer Book , read “Soccer in Sun and Shadow”

There are a lot of soccer books out there, many of them published in England. My friends at The Athletic UK have a list of their favorites . But I adore Eduardo Galeano’s “Soccer in Sun and Shadow” (as translated by Mark Fried), a socialist-leaning history of the beautiful game. The first line of the book is: “The history of soccer is a sad voyage from beauty to duty.” It’s pure poetry. Easy to read too, with short little sections.

If you like “The Blind Side,” read “Forty Million Dollar Slaves”

Michael Lewis uses his Midas touch to tell a story about football’s love of the left tackle with a white-savior angle about a Memphis family that takes in a needy black football player. It’s problematic in that regard and was also made into a movie starring Sandra Bullock. I once read a Michael Lewis book about parenting that involved him moving his family to France. God bless his rich ass.

A better book about the Black athlete is the book on Black athletes. William Rhoden’s “Forty Million Dollar Slaves” is a must-read if you consider yourself a sports fan or a history buff. It took me way too long to buy it, but I devoured it in quick fashion. Given that Rhoden’s book is a New York Times bestseller and, as I just checked on Amazon, selling decently well right now, I could’ve recommended reading Howard Bryant’s book “The Heritage” as the pairing for it. Just read both of them.

If you like “Men at Work,” read “How Life Imitates the World Series”

I tried to read George Will’s famous baseball book “Men at Work” once and, well, I couldn’t get through it. I thought it was just me, but then a very smart baseball executive once told me he thought it was incredibly boring too. I believe I donated it in one of my bookshelf purges.

There are a lot of interesting books of baseball essays out there, many of them written by The New Yorker’s Roger Angell.

Boswell has his share of books as well. I bought this one, originally published in 1982 as part of The Penguin Sports Library series edited by Dick Schaap, for $1 at my library’s used bookstore. Boswell is a legend in baseball circles and this look at baseball in the early 1980s is a treat. In the first chapter, he’s recalling how he sat talking baseball with Orioles manager Earl Weaver on the bench as the game is getting ready to begin, which would never, ever, ever happen today. Even then it was odd. Boswell starts to apologize for his continued presence in the dugout after the national anthem plays and Weaver waves him off.

“This ain’t a football game,” he tells Boswell. “We do this every day.”

A few chapters later in this collection of column-sized essays, which are divided into months, Boswell leads with Weaver again, this time the manager is talking to a bunch of reporters in his office after a game:

“You’re all a bunch of second-guessing idiots.”

It’s a perfect baseball book. You should read it sometime.

(Top graphic: Wes McCabe)

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Jon Greenberg is a columnist for The Athletic based in Chicago. He was also the founding editor of The Athletic. Before that, he was a columnist for ESPN and the executive editor of Team Marketing Report. Follow Jon on Twitter @ jon_greenberg

The 16 Best Running Books to Inspire and Motivate You

R unning is more than a sport; it's a cultural institution that connects people through movement, grit and perseverance. Historically, running has been predominantly white and thin, but more people are looking to change the face of the sport and make sure that ‌ everyone ‌ feels represented and heard.

Running books are looking different these days, too. In the past, running books have largely covered what you can do to become a faster and more efficient runner. And while these types of running books are essential, real athlete stories about overcoming injury and whistleblowing racism and abuse in the sport are important for building resilience and mobilizing change.

On your next rest day, kick back with one of these illuminating running reads. Whether you're looking to improve your technique, create a better recovery and meal-planning routine or simply want to read an empowering story, these running books will give you inspiration and knowledge to move mindfully and lead your pack.

How We Chose

We surveyed our staff about the best running books, past and present, that appeals to every type of runner in mind. Whether your goal is to run your first mile or first marathon, we made these picks based on the following criteria:

• Educational materials backed by research and science
• Relevancy to today's social and cultural issues
• Powerful and unique storytelling
• Speaks to a range of runners of different backgrounds
• Provides helpful resources for improving performance

1. Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn't Build for Us

In this eye-opening read, activist and author Alison Mariella Désir exposes the deeply racist history of the United States and how it has long prevented Black and brown runners from being seen and included in the sport of running.

By drawing examples from history, like exclusion laws that prohibited Black people from living in Eugene, Oregon, Désir shows us why the running industry and its institutions lack diversity and what we can do to change the system and promote representation of marginalized folks.

"Désir deftly intertwines personal details of her experiences facing bias in the running world with a broader look at the history of how running has excluded athletes from marginalized backgrounds for decades. She challenges hierarchy, privilege and access in the running community and society at large," says Sarah Klein, CPT , LIVESTRONG.com editorial director and editor-in-chief.

"This book inspired me to think more critically of some of the most esteemed running institutions, like the Boston Marathon, and my own privilege to move freely through the world as a white runner."

2. Choosing to Run: A Memoir

You might know professional runner Des Linden for winning the 2018 Boston Marathon and being the first American woman to finish first in the race in 33 years. Linden recounts that day in her moving memoir, waking up to a rainy and windy day in Boston.

But even under tough conditions, Linden found strength and persevered, running faster than she ever could have imagined, eventually crossing the finish line in first. In this page-turner, you'll learn more about how Linden got her start in running, how she trains and what motivates her to run every day.

"I have long admired Linden as an accomplished athlete who doesn't compromise who she is for anyone, but learning more about her grit, race mentality and integrity through this memoir made me appreciate her even more," Klein says.

3. The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team

Kara Goucher is one of the most celebrated distance runners who has shattered countless records. Having finished third in the New York City Marathon in 2008 and making history with the fastest marathon debut by an American woman, Goucher has cemented her place in the professional running world.

But behind the facade of success lies a darker side of elite women's running, which she reveals in her memoir. Written with former ‌ New York Times ‌ sports reporter Mary Pilon, Goucher reveals the culture of abuse and mysogyny that her former coach Alberto Salazar and other Nike executives promoted during her time with the Nike Oregon Project.

Goucher's memoir brings to light the huge disparities in pay between male and female athletes, as well as the lack of respect and support for maternal health and paid leave that female athletes experience at the highest level of the sport. It encourages more female athletes to sound the alarm on the systems of abuse so that there can be radical change.

4. Slow AF Run Club: The Ultimate Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Run

Running is a sport that's built on a hierarchy of athletic ability: The faster you are the better. But running can mean different things to different people. Slow AF Run Club founder Martinus Evans defies all of the industry's conventions and notions of how a runner should look and how fast one should be able to run.

In this empowering book, Evans offers training and recovery tips, as well as gear and nutrition advice, for those who don't fit the so-called running mold. No matter how you look or how fast you can run, there's no reason you shouldn't get out there and start reaping the benefits of running. ( Discover our favorite mantras from ‌ Slow AF Run Club ‌ here .)

"Evans has created the most inclusive book about running I've ever come across. He has welcomed everyone with his honest, humorous tone and packed this book to the brim with helpful, actionable tips for becoming a runner when you didn't think you belonged in the running community," Klein says.

5. Born to Run 2: The Ultimate Training Guide

Name a book that has inspired you to run. We bet ‌ Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Ever Seen ‌ is somewhere at the top of that list.

In this new book, author and journalist Christopher McDougall and running coach Eric Orton break down what it takes to run well, providing practical nutrition advice and recipes, running shoe recommendations, and training tips to help you cross the finish line, whether you're running your first 5K or ultramarathon.

The masterful storytelling that was such a big part of the first ‌ Born to Run ‌ is also present, providing inspiration alongside the practical.

6. Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory

Running is as much of a mental sport as it is a physical one. In this memoir, Olympic medalist and American record holder in the marathon Deena Kastor gets raw and real about burnout. But by prioritizing your mental health and training your mind to endure challenges with stride, you can gain the competitive edge you need.

Kastor shares how she combats frustration and negativity and builds and strong and resilient mindset. A must for the everyday athlete and professional runner, you'll learn how to take your running to new heights by cultivating positivity.

7. 26 Marathons: What I Learned About Faith, Identity, Running, and Life from My Marathon Career

If you're looking for some inspiration during your marathon training, take it from Meb Keflezighi, who is the only athlete to have won an Olympic medal, the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon.

In 2017, Keflezighi cemented his place in long-distance running history during his final marathon: the New York City Marathon, which also happened to be his 26th marathon. This book is a celebration of all the marathons he's ran and the lessons he learned from them.

Throughout ‌ 26 Marathons ‌, Keflezighi takes readers on the road, through every hill and turn on the course, and shares how he overcame the mental and physical obstacles. He also offers his own training and nutrition tips. Whether you're running your first mile or a marathon, every runner will be inspired and empowered by Keflezighi's uplifting accounts and insight.

8. Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man's World

As one of the most decorated American distance runners, Lauren Fleshman has won five NCAA championships at Stanford and two national championships as a pro athlete. Now an activist for female athletes, she's calling for major reform in the sports systems that have been specifically designed by men, and therefore, only cater to men and boys.

Written as both a memoir and critique of the elite sports world, Fleshman lays out research that that shows how girls are more likely to stop playing sports when they hit puberty and how female college athletes are at high risk for injuries, eating disorders and mental health issues.

Filled with her own personal stories, ‌ Good for a Girl ‌ is Fleshman's ode to running and a call to action for creating a better future for young women in sports.

9. North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail

Embark on an unforgettable journey on the Appalachian trail with world-class ultrarunner Scott Jurek. Jurek started his 2,189-mile journey in the spring of 2015 and set out to run about 50 miles a day for seven weeks. Along the way, he reckoned with challenges that pushed him to the mental and physical brink.

Through the support of family, friends and strangers and sheer perseverance, Jurek completed his journey. Although his story is a unique personal challenge, the positivity and resilience he harnessed during his trip is something all runners can learn from.

10. How She Did It: Stories, Advice, and Secrets to Success from Fifty Legendary Distance Runners

If you've ever wondered how female running trailblazers like Paula Radcliffe, Deena Kastor, Brenda Martinez and Molly Seidel overcame challenges that threatened their careers, this is the book for you.

Written by professional distance runner Molly Huddle and college coach Sara Slattery, this book is filled with 50 empowering stories and tips from some of the most celebrated female runners.

You'll learn about their regrets, hard-fought wins and funniest moments. This book also features professional advice on recovery, injury prevention and nutrition from trainers, doctors, nutritionists and sports psychologists to help you become a healthier and more well-rounded female runner.

11. Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow: Quick-Fix Recipes for Hangry Athletes

Nutrition is the basis for performance and recovery, and these delicious and quick recipes designed by Olympic runner Shalane Flanagan and chef Elyse Kopecky will feel nourishing while still satisfying your cravings.

As the second installment of their best-selling ‌ Run Fast. Eat Slow. ‌, this cookbook is packed with plenty of convenient and wholesome recipes, including pre-run snacks , recovery breakfasts, on-the-go lunches and super quick dinners. From savory granola to Kopecky and Flanagan's signature superhero muffins to miso butter salmon and pesto tuna melts, this book will inspire you to make time to cook as much as you do to run.

"I bought the very first version of this book when I was running a ton in college and it started changing the way I saw nutrition and food as fuel, rather than something you need to restrict when competing," says Bojana Galic, CPT , associated fitness editor and certified personal trainer.

"I've bought all of Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky's cookbooks and they have a beautiful variety of recipes, from easy, quick meals to more elaborate dishes. I highly recommend the muffins!"

12. Running Your First Marathon: The Complete 20-Week Marathon Training Plan

Andrew Kastor, head coach for the Mammoth Track Club and coach for Olympic medalists — including his wife, Deena — wrote this ultimate marathon training plan for the everyday runner.

Running a marathon is more than just logging miles. Kastor offers a daily look at what marathon training entails, including strength and endurance workouts, and provides professional advice on how to find the right running gear, prevent injuries, properly fuel your body before, during and after your runs and create a network of support.

13. 80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower

Sports journalist and best-selling author Matt Fitzgerald explains the performance benefits of doing 80 percent of your runs at a lower intensity and 20 percent at a higher intensity. That's right: To run fast, you have to take things slow.

By making the majority of your runs at a lower intensity, you'll help prevent burnout and feel more rested to do your runs. Fitzgerald lays out the research behind this method and shows you how to apply it for all of your training needs, whether you're running a 5K, 10K , half-marathon or marathon .

14. Science of Running: Analyze Your Technique, Prevent Injury, Revolutionize Your Training

If you're looking for an in-depth read about the science of your running style and an explanation of what happens in your body during the different stages of the running cycle, this book is for you.

Written by sports physiotherapist Chris Napier, this book analyzes the anatomy and physiology behind different running styles and includes customized training programs to help you improve your performance. You'll also find injury prevention, hydration and nutrition tips, as well as strength exercises .

The book is also full of high-quality anatomical illustrations to help you wrap your head around what's happening in the body when you stretch and run.

15. Bravey: Chasing Dreams, Befriending Pain, and Other Big Ideas

Alexi Pappas wears many hats: Olympic athlete, filmmaker, writer and actress. In this emotional memoir, Pappas explains how she discovered running after her mother died by suicide. Her father had her join multiple sports teams to keep her occupied.

Then, in 2016, Pappas, a Greek American, made her Olympic debut in Rio competing for Greece and setting the national record in the 10,000 meters. In the same year, Pappas starred in and directed her first feature film, ‌ Tracktown ‌.

But not everything is as rosy as it seems. Pappas shares how she suffered from depression after the Olympics. Through her moving story, you'll learn how to overcome obstacles and hardship while celebrating well-deserved wins.

"This memoir is certainly about running and Pappas' experience chasing her Olympic dreams, but it's so much more," Galic says. "She talks about her experience with depression, her mother's suicide and so many of the other hardships she experienced in life, all while training as a pro. Whether you're a runner or not, this book is really enlightening and I highly recommend it."

16. Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running With My Dog Brought Me Back From the Brink

At 49 years old, Nita Sweeney struggled with chronic depression and wasn't able to jog more than a minute at a time. But when she discovered running as therapy, Sweeney was able to harness her inner strength. And with the support and company of her furry training friend, Sweeney completed her first marathon.

Through this powerful and inspiring story, you'll learn how running can help you overcome challenges and improve your mental health.

"This is a raw and heartfelt story about how running saved Nita Sweeney's life. Sweeney shares how movement got her through some of her toughest life events and an ongoing battle with depression," says Ciara Lucas, CPT , LIVESTRONG.com's health writer and RRCA-certified run coach.

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9 Sports Books for Kids to Celebrate the 2024 Summer Olympics

By Evelyn Elliott

Inspire your child to reach for new heights with these children’s sports books about sport heroes and the Olympic Games.

The Olympics are a unique event where athletes from all over the world come together to compete in various sports. It’s a time of incredible stories, hard work, and dreams coming true. Kids can learn so much from champions like Serena Williams and Usain Bolt, including the importance of teamwork, perseverance, and celebrating different cultures.

Reading books about sports and the Olympics can spark children’s interest in learning new skills and teach them valuable life lessons. Whether it’s through tales of historic Olympic moments or fictional stories inspired by the games, these books can inspire young readers to aim high and believe in themselves. These stories often highlight the dedication and determination of athletes, showing that with hard work, community, friendship, and positivity, they can achieve their dreams.

We’ve collected some of the best children’s sports books about athletics and the Olympics on BookSmart to share with your child. They offer a wonderful way to introduce children to the excitement of the Olympics and the many positive values it represents. So, grab a book and let the adventure begin!

Sports Heroes (Black Stories Matter) by J.P. Miller

Published by Crabtree Publishing

Discover the courageous stories of elite Black athletes who battled prejudice and exclusion to become heroes and champions in their sport. Some have used their platform to bring attention to global, social, economic, and health issues. Others brought glory and fame to their countries. Read about such heroes in sports as boxer Muhammad Ali, tennis great Serena Williams, sprinter Usain Bolt, gymnast Simone Biles, and many more.

► Discover some of the world’s champions here .

► Leer en español aquí .

Teamwork (Voices Leveled Library) by Jackson Moore

Published by Highlights

When people use teamwork, they work together to do many things, such as play sports, build, or put on a play.

► Play together here .

Going for Gold: Brilliant Women of the Olympic Games by Emma Roberts

Published by Worldreader

Going for Gold celebrates the incredible achievements of 30 brilliant women from 17 different countries who made history in the Olympic Games. The sportswomen featured in this book include world-famous figures like Simone Biles and Serena Wiliams as well as pioneers such as Nawal El Moutawakel, the first Muslim Olympic Medalist in Los Angeles 1984, and athletes with phenomenal life stories, like Yusra Mardini from the Refugee Team in Rio 2016.

► Join powerful athletes here .

The Paralympic Games (Voices Leveled Library) by Vickey Herald

The book introduces readers to the Paralympic Games, the Olympic Games for the best athletes in the world living with a disability. Athletes who are blind, have limb differences, or use wheelchairs are able to compete in sports that are just as competitive as those at the Olympic Games.

► Learn about the best in the world here .

Shooting Stars (The Four Friends Series) by Liz Gifford and Clare Hanbury

Published by Worldreader and Children for Health

Shooting Stars is a story about girls supporting each other to participate in sports. It’s about how they overcome their feelings of shame for wanting to play volleyball and are helped by Camille, a professional volleyball player who inspires the girls and their school community. The girls learn that through sport they can develop their self-confidence and life skills as well as having a lot of fun together.

► Aim high here .

Stan’s Olympic Plans (Read with Highlights) by K.L. Pickett

Stan wants to participate in the Olympics, but he keeps getting hurt when he tries different sports. Later he decides to become a sports doctor at the Olympics instead.

► Find strength everywhere here .

Never Give Up by Nicholas Dozier

Published by Young Authors Publishing

Nick plays basketball and football, but when he’s injured in a game, it looks like he might not be able to play either sport ever again. Nick learns that one of his sports heroes overcame a bad injury, and went on to play in the NBA again. This is the motivation Nick needs. Through hard work and training, he gets back into shape. But is it enough to get him back on the basketball team?

► Discover the power of trying here .

BMX (Cool Sports) by Aaron Carr

Published by Lightbox Learning

Flips, tricks, and big air are just a few of the exciting topics covered in Cool Sports. This book introduces beginning readers to the gravity-defying world of BMX riding.

► Ride along here .

What a Pro Knows: Playing to Win (Read with Highlights) by Christine Louise Hohlbaum

Tamika Catchings shows true sportsmanship and talent in the game of basketball despite her disability and gives some of her tips for life in general.

► Get taught by a pro here .

Love our recommendations? Get them in your inbox.

Recommended Reading

Family Fun with BookSmart: 10 Must-Read Books for Parent-Child Bonding

Meet our Heroes to Zero: 10 Stories to Inspire Children for Climate Action

7 STEM Books to Unlock Your Child’s Inner Scientist

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• Question : "Wide Angle" is an autobiography of which of the following sportsperson? Option 1: Wasim Akram Option 2: Yuvraj Singh Option 3: ...

Question : "Wide Angle" is an autobiography of which of the following sportsperson? Option 1: Wasim Akram Option 2: Yuvraj Singh Option 3: Imran Khan Option 4: Anil Kumble

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Correct Answer: Anil Kumble

Solution : The correct option is Anil Kumble .

Wide Angle was written by Anil Kumble. In this book, he wrote about his passion towards photography. Anil Kumble is a great cricketer and captain of the team. He also served as the coach of the team and later started commenting on the match. He is one of the greatest spinner the Indian team had. He has the record of taking 619 wickets in the test cricket.

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