The Best American Sports Writing 2012

November 19, 2012
In his introduction to the latest edition of this series, sports media personality Wilbon yearns for the days when "the sportswriter was a pretty indispensible character" and laments that "now anyone who can text or Tweet can be a sportswriter." Perhaps that's why, among the 20 pieces of evidence presented here suggesting that long-form sportswriting is alive and well, Wilbon includes "The Two-Fisted, One-Eyed Misadventures of Sportswriting's Last Badass," Alex Belth's colorful Deadspin.com profile of the late old-school boxing writer George Kimball, who didn't want to die without having written something of worth. A dark undercurrent flows through most of these stories (of which only two originally appeared online), with frequent themes of murder, corruption, and falls from grace. No fewer than threeâincluding posthumous profiles of NHL enforcer Derek Boogaard and NFL safety Dave Duerson âfocus on the well-publicized effects of concussions. More revealing are John Brant's piece for Runner's World, in which famous marathoner Frank Shorter shares excruciating details about how his father, a popular physician, abused him; Michael Mooney's D Magazine profile of Texas Rangers' manager Ron Washington, who prefers his anonymity; and Jon Mooallem's short history of the high five for ESPN: The Magazine.

December 1, 2012

ESPN television personality Wilbon (former sportswriter, Washington Post; coauthor with Charles Barkley, Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man?) takes the reins as guest editor of this annual showcase of notable American sports writing. He includes 20 magazine and newspaper articles of varying length, depth, and style from such print and online sources as ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated, and other traditional sports publications, as well as The New Yorker and GQ. Articles on extreme athletes dominated last year's edition, but this year the collection primarily profiles athletes in mainstream team sports, including two tales of former NBA stars trying to salvage their careers in foreign leagues and three stories of former pros whose lives have been derailed or prematurely ended by on-the-field or on-the-ice head injuries. But the book's centerpiece and highlight is Taylor Branch's long, detailed Atlantic magazine article on the scandal-ridden big-money world of college athletics and the nebulous role and controversial actions of the NCAA. There are tragic and violent tales of child abuse, murder, and suicide in these pages, balanced by uplifting stories of second chances, indomitable spirits, and the importance of sports for small towns and entire countries alike. VERDICT This collection of well-written, moving, and provocative sports articles is recommended for both sports fans and general readers who value quality nonfiction.--Doug King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 26, 2019
In this excellent edition, series editor Stout posits, with tongue in cheek, that journalism’s wobbly future will necessitate a switch to “Paylance”—writers will pay to get published. Esquire writer Pierce (Idiot America), who has expertly covered politics and sports for decades, laments the demise of a lost art. Fortunately, those conditions do not prevent another outstanding collection from being assembled. This great mix of essays shines a spotlight on all aspects of the human condition, whether it’s in a New York Magazine piece by Kerry Howley on how meek physician Larry Nassar engendered trust among the parents of the female gymnasts he sexually assaulted for years, or how California inmate Artis Monroe found happiness by giving old bicycles new life in Kim Cross’s essay for Bicycling. The volume also includes several funny and irreverent essays, such as GQ’s Caity Weaver’s scavenger hunt in Minnesota’s U.S. Bank Stadium, related in “My Magical Quest to Destroy Tom Brady and Win a Philadelphia Eagles Mini-Fridge at Super Bowl LII.” The quality of the writing and diversity of the subjects will delight readers and inspire and enlighten the next generation of writers.

October 15, 2012
These 20 pieces culled from the likes of GQ, the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and Runner's World aren't so much concerned with the most important sports stories of 2011the Penn State scandal, for instance, is absent hereas they are with sharing insights into extraordinary athletes among us. John Brant's piece on Frank Shorter reveals the horrific physical and emotional abuse the 1972 Olympic Gold Medalist and his siblings suffered as children at the hands of their father, a doctor ironically considered a hero by their hometown community. Dave Sheinin's profile of Bryce Harper and his working-class family gives context to the meteoric rise of the Washington Nationals phenom. And for those of us utterly befuddled by the game of cricket, Wright Thompson conveys its profound meaning to the nation of India and, by association, the rest of the world. The power of sport, he writes, is that, on occasion, it redeems the messes we create around it. This fine collection, worthy of its predecessors in the annual series, helps deliver that redemption.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)