Guest Post
Author: Robert Bell
If you know someone who loves sports, then, you might think buying them tickets to watch their team or a football jersey of one of the NFL playoff favorites are the best gifts. While you are not wrong at this, we suggest something slightly different.
Why not a book about the subject? This is a great way to get a friend or family member interested in reading more. In fact, even non-sports fans will find a surprising number of titles in this genre that they enjoy.
Thankfully, there are some terrific sports books around to choose from. Which of the following titles might be right for someone special in your life?
Open: An Autobigraphy by Andre Agassi
This fascinating book shows us the real man behind the tennis champion. Agassi seemed to lead a charmed life, as he won one tournament after another, enjoyed enviable riches and had a glamorous celebrity partner. Overall, he won eight major singles championships, an Olympic Gold Medal and 60 ATP titles in a glittering career.
Yet, this book reveals that he was deeply unhappy most of the time. Driven on by hugely demanding parents to practise tirelessly at a sport he didn’t really like, Agassi lived a lie for years. Even his famous haircut wasn’t real, as he hid a bald head under a wig at the height of his fame.
One of the most interesting aspects of this autobiography is that many of the highlights are Agassi’s accounts of his famous matches against the likes of Boris Becker and Pete Sampras. Despite all of the drama and controversy off the court, it is during the re-telling of these games that the book really comes to life.
Fans of American sports will enjoy the atmosphere and storytelling in this book about high school football. It proved to be such a big success that is has been made into a major movie starring Billy Bob Thornton.
The story is about the Permian Panthers of Odessa, Texas. The whole town relies on the success of this team to keep them happy, but the book shows us how the pressure and the physical strain of the sport can ruin the dreams of the young players.
Friday Night Lights is a non-fiction book and it gives us an intriguing insight into the world of high school football. You don’t have to be a big fan of football to enjoy this book. Even if you have never watched a football game in your life it is still a great read.
Ali: A Life by Jonathan Eig
No one who enjoys reading about larger than life characters and famous sporting moments should miss this book. It isn’t the only Muhammad Ali biography around, but it is arguably the most complete in the way that it shows us what made him tick. As famous for extravagant personality and outrageous quotes as for boxing ability, Ali was a true sporting icon.
This book was put together following over 500 interviews by the author, who also extensively researched FBI files and old interviews. It shows, as the story of Ali’s life is more detailed and richer here than we have ever seen it before.
It isn’t just a book about the boxer, though. This book also takes a deep look at issues such as race and religion. If Ali wanted us to put some thought into the issues that directly affected his life, then this book does a good job of helping us to do so.
Of course, there are plenty of other sports books around for anyone who enjoys these ones. Many of them focus on more than just sport, meaning that anyone can get a lot of pleasure out of them.