What makes a good summer reading list? Well, let’s take a sporty summertime approach to this picking and choosing game. This sports lineup was produced with the same mentality a kid has when picking a wiffle ball team in an open field filled with eclectic neighborhood characters.
An immediate go-to-draft-pick is the all-star selection. These are the top-rated, well-known players with big league reputation across multiple counties. On this list, it’s the books that hit the silver screen.
The well-rounded athletes that perhaps never played baseball but could pretty much tackle any sport they tried are up to bat too. These are the books with mass appeal that should intrigue sports fans and non-sports fans alike.
Then there are the girls that truly define what it means to play like a girl, and they might just outrun the boys while they’re at it. These are great examples of strong women, and some of their stories are on this roster.
What about the fact hungry, quick thinking types that help analyze the game from the sidelines? Their trivia knowledge helps a team win, and their study habits help them become better at catching a ball. Some of that helpful brainpower can be resourced with a comprehensive book small enough to toss into a beach bag!
Alright now, enough with the pre-game babble – let’s see whose up first.
In Baseball…
MoneyBall: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
MoneyBall: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game leads off our roster with a deeper look into the business of baseball. Best-selling author Michael Lewis provides an intriguing behind-the-scenes account of a low-budget underrated Oakland Athletics’ rise to success in the 2002 season. When you’re done with the book, you can take your understanding of the material to extra innings by watching the movie version starring Brad Pitt, Robin Wright and Jonah Hill.
The Boys of Summer
Brooklyn-raised sports writer Roger Kahn takes readers on a ride through history with The Boys of Summer. Kahn’s story highlights the pivotal role that the Brooklyn Dodgers and Jackie Robinson played in shaping the game of baseball.
The Boys of Summer (Harperperennial Modern Classics)
This is a book about young men who learned to play baseball during the 1930s and 1940s, and then went on to play for one of the most exciting major-league ball clubs ever fielded, the team that broke the color barrier with Jackie Robinson.
The Little Giant Book of Baseball Facts
The Little Giant Book of Baseball Facts supplies more than 1,000 facts, anecdotes and interesting tidbits about baseball, providing any fan that reads it with a plethora of useful sports knowledge to best any competitor in trivia or sideline banter.
For Football fans…
The Blind Side
Michael Lewis hits another one out of the park with The Blind Side, whose film adaptation was nominated for an Academy Award and won Sandra Bullock a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy. If you’re into tales of triumph, this one will pull on the heartstrings.
Friday Night Lights
What better way to get motivated for upcoming high school football in the fall than by reading Friday Night Lights, an epic account of the winningest high school football program in Texas history?
Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream
Return once again to the timeless account of the Permian Panthers of Odessa–the winningest high-school football team in Texas history. Odessa is not known to be a town big on dreams, but the Panthers help keep the hopes and dreams of this small, dusty town going. Socially and racially divided, i…
The Little Giant Book of Football Facts
The Little Giant Book of Football Facts is another great way to prep your brain for football trivia nights. Impress your friends by filling your head with all kinds of interesting football facts and history by reading bits and pieces of this sports info gem all summer long.
For Horse Racing Fans…
SeaBiscuit: An American Legend
Everyone loves an underdog story, and SeaBiscuit: An American Legend takes it to the next level by sharing the tale of how one horse has enough heart to go the distance. If you weren’t invested in horse racing before, this story will make you care about all that goes into this betting business.
Horseracing’s Top 100 Moments
If you’d like to go another step and learn about other greats in horseracing history, you might want to check out Horseracing’s Top 100 Moments to broaden your horizons even further.
Horse Racing’s Top 100 Moments
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For Basketball lovers…
The Miracle of St. Anthony
St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, NJ will close at the end of the 2016-17 academic year. Basketball fans can pay homage to head coach Bob Hurley’s incredible career by picking up The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball’s Most Improbable Dynasty. Hurley coached his team to more than 25 state titles and courted young players into successful futures in basketball and beyond.
The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball’s Most Improbable Dynasty
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Mycroft Holmes
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has created some magic in print, too. A longtime fan of Sherlock Holmes, Abdul-Jabbar’s Mycroft Holmes shares the intriguing story of Sherlock’s older brother.
The Biographical History of Basketball
The Biographical History of Basketball is a go-to resource for any basketball fan looking to up their game in terms of historical knowledge of early greats.
For everyone else…
A Life Well Played: My Stories
A Life Well Played: My Stories is a first-hand look at Arnold Palmer’s experiences in golf and in life. The golfing legend passed away last September but his legacy endures. As you read, why not sip on the classic summertime beverage Arnold Palmer loved? A half iced tea, half lemonade blend is the perfect thirst-quenching combination to kick back and enjoy.
For the Glory
Athletes make sacrifices, but Eric Liddell kept his priorities in check without sacrificing his success as an Olympian. For the Glory: The Untold and Inspiring Story of Eric Liddell, Hero of Chariots of Fire depicts Liddell’s journey from inspiring others through the Olympics to serving others through his commitment to faith.
My Fight/YourFight
Ronda Rousey didn’t become the toughest chick in the world overnight. Her book, My Fight/Your Fight, provides readers with a window into her long journey to becoming an Olympic medalist in Judo and the reigning UFC women’s bantamweight champ.
My Fight / Your Fight
THE ONLY OFFICIAL RONDA ROUSEY BOOK “The fight is yours to win.” In this inspiring and moving book, Ronda Rousey, the Olympic medalist in judo, reigning UFC women’s bantamweight champion, and Hollywood star charts her difficult path to glory. Marked by her signature charm, b…
When Nobody was Watching
Some battles aren’t fought in the ring – they’re won on the field. Now readers can learn how New Jersey’s girl-next-door Carly Lloyd found her success on the soccer field. When Nobody Was Watching: My Hard-Fought Journey to the Top of the Soccer World is an inspiring memoir with the chops to motivate any girl or guy to go after their goals.
