The Best American Sports Writing 2017

September 1, 2017
Author of a definitive biography of Henry Aaron (The Last Hero, 2010), senior writer for ESPN, and sports commentator for NPR, guest editor Bryant has culled these 27 pieces as a fierce response to the ever-higher barriers that working sportswriters must surmount to deliver great stories, whether from shrinking budgets, time constraints, or the increasing distance athletes set between themselves and their fans. Thus, Pat Jordan finds himself cruising Norman, Oklahoma, in a black Mercedes with football legend Barry Switzer, who coached both collegiate and Super Bowl champions; the Washington Post's Dave Sheinin finds himself in Dusty Baker's homefull of the aroma of the collard greens Baker is nursing on the stoveon the way to revealing the complexity of the Washington Nationals' manager; and the New York Times' John Branch teases out the compelling story of the Golden State Warriors' coach, Steve Kerr, which begins in 1980s war-torn Beirut, where Kerr's father, Malcolm, president of the American University there, was murdered. Sports here is merely the jumping-off point for an exploration of the humanity at the core of it all.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)