Books to Read if You Like Sports History

31 May 2016

If you’re a fan of sports, it can be fun to take a deep dive into the past and learn about the coaches and players that made the game what it is today. There are so many books on sports history out there, from memoirs about specific players to stories about the medical side of sports. If you want to know everything there is to know about your favorite sports or athletes, check out our list of books to read if you like sports history.

Books to Read if You Like Sports History

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Under One Roof

Adam Henig

Release Date: May 19, 2016

Even though Jackie Robinson broke the barrier to entry for black baseball players in the 1940’s, they were still heavily affected by segregation. Black and white athletes were allowed to be together on the field, but they were separated at every other time. Through personal interviews and various documents from this period of history, Adam Henig tells the story of how men in the 1960’s fought for integration in one of our country’s national pastimes.

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Life Is Not an Accident

Jay Williams

Release Date: January 26, 2016

For fans of basketball, this memoir tells the story of how former NBA player Jay Williams experienced motorcycle accident that changed his life. Williams could have let his accident ruin his life and career, but he rebuilt himself and was able to succeed even though the odds were stacked against him.

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Players

Matthew Futterman

Release Date: April 26, 2016

This book tells the story of how the modern sports business came to be. In the past, professional athletes were not paid enough to make ends meet. Now, especially for sports like football and basketball, they are among the richest people in the world. Futterman, a Wall Street Journal sports reporter, walks you through the changes in the industry and the trade offs we have faced because of this monetary shift.

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Concussion

Jeanne Marie Laskas

Release Date: November 24, 2015

Inspiring a recent blockbuster film, Concussion tells the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu and his research on concussions in football players. The author of the book interviewed Dr. Omalu for GQ in 2009, and the story was so poignant that she decided to write an entire book. When Dr. Omalu discovered that playing football for long periods of time could cause serious mental deterioration, he attempted to stand up to the NFL and bring this severe issue to light.

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Billy Martin: Baseball’s Flawed Genius

Bill Pennington

Release Date: April 7, 2015

Billy Martin was a baseball manager, and many people considered him to be a baseball genius. Even though he was fierce on the field, Martin was well loved by anyone who worked with him. In this biography, the author tell us Martin’s life story and attempts to resolve certain contradictions about who he was as a person.

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Boys Among Men

Jonathan Abrams

Release Date: March 15, 2016

What causes skilled basketball players to skip going to college and head straight for the NBA? This trend was started by Kevin Garnett in 1995, and many other so-called “prodigies” have followed his example. Through firsthand interviews, Abrams reveals some of the most remarkable details behind this monumental decision.

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