Sports Books for Dad

Game 7, 1986: Failure and Triumph in the Biggest Game of My Life, by Ron Darling
Baseball fans of any age are familiar with the 1986 Mets, a team that dominated the regular season but needed to fall back on an endless supply of miracles to win the World Series. Game 6 of their battle against the Boston Red Sox provided the iconic moment, a ground ball sneaking through Bill Buckner’s legs, but the Mets needed to win Game 7 to take the championship, and Ron Darling got the ball—and failed. Darling’s reflection on living his childhood dream of pitching Game 7 of the World Series, only to leave it after three innings, is a refreshing take on the sports memoir, focused on disappointment rather than a triumphant moment. Darling walks us through his whole career, seeking answers to why his lifetime of preparation and training didn’t pay off the way he expected. The result is a book any baseball-loving Dad will find irresistible.

The Legends Club, by John Feinstein
College basketball rivals pro sports in terms of excitement, athleticism, and drama, and Feinstein finds all three in his absorbing account of the rivalry—both on and off the court—between three of the greatest coaches of all time:Dean Smith (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Jim Valvano (North Carolina State University), and Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University). Recounting the struggles, victories, and failures of these three towering figures of the Atlantic Coast Conference makes for the sort of book any fan will deeply enjoy, written by someone who has a deep appreciation for the sport and a deep affection for the people he’s writing about.

The Anatomy of Greatness, by Brandel Chamblee
If dad is a golfer, chances are he’s obsessed. Golf Channel analyst Chamblee offers up a book that any golf-playing Dad will treasure: an analysis of the golf swings of the greatest golfers in history, and what players can learn from their grips, foot positions, backswings, and follow-throughs. It’s an incredible compendium of tips and wisdom those at any level can mine for the sort of incremental changes that will result in tremendous improvements in their own game, and incredible insight into some of the greatest games of golf ever played by those luminaries. If dad’s into golf, he’ll be into this book.

Boys Among Men: How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution, by Jonathan Abrams
Sports often reflect the changing world around us in ways we can’t appreciate in the moment. Abrams looks back at the 1995 and 1996 NBA drafts, when Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant both skipped college and went directly into the pros—a practice that remains controversial, and is increasingly common. Abrams explores this evolving aspect of the game, from its opponents (including former NBA Commissioner David Stern), to its supporters, to the success stories, to the failures. It is a fascinating exploration of how sports evolve over time, and how playing professionally is still, in the end, a job, possibly a lifelong career, with all the associated baggage.

I’m Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies: Inside the Game We All Love, by Tim Kurkjian
In sports broadcasts, the role of the color commentator is to shade discussion of the current game with history, trivia, and background, giving newcomers to the sport a better understanding of its traditions and quirks, and the veteran fan an influx of extra information to enhance their appreciation of the game. Kurkjian applies this role not to a single broadcast, but to the sport of baseball itself, reminding fans why they still love the game, despite a lengthy period of perceived stagnation, the drug scandals, and the controversy over players who are perceived to be overpaid whiners. With a true passion for the labyrinthine rules, oddball possibilities, and long history of the game, ESPN’s Kurkjian has penned a winning book that any baseball fan will instantly appreciate. If Dad’s a baseball guy who has drifted from the field, this might be the ideal way to remind him of what he loved about it in the first place.

Back from the Dead, by Bill Walton
The physical cost of pro-level athletics is often ignored or dismissed; after all, pro athletes make a lot of money in exchange for their physical suffering. Walton’s remarkable memoir details just how grueling that suffering can be. He discusses the many injuries he received playing basketball—including a three-year break from the game due to his painful feet—culminating in a total spinal collapse in 2008, a direct result of the punishment Walton had put his body through. His recovery, and a host of other injuries, are at the core of this surprisingly upbeat and inspiring book, which weaves in Walton’s childhood in San Diego in the 1950s and 1960s, his counter-cultural leanings and love for The Grateful Dead, and his revelatory relationship with the game—how it changed his life, and how all good things have a cost.

The Champion’s Comeback, by Jim Afremow
The first lesson any athletic person must learn is that they’re going to lose. No athlete is perfect, and sometimes the most difficult thing to deal with is a change in your abilities or a sudden, unexpected defeat. Whether it’s injury, simple age, or a psychological condition, sports psychologist Jim Afremow explores the strategies and techniques that world-class athletes use every day to rebound from mistakes, losses, injuries, and other challenges. These same strategies can be used by any athlete, at any level. For sporty Dads, this could be an invaluable book to helps them stay in the game even when circumstances try to drive them out. And even better, Afremow provides insight into the mindset of champions that can be mapped to every aspect of Dad’s life.

Soccer Without Borders, by Erik Kirschbaum
For the American soccer fan, it often seems like the game’s big moment in this country is always a few years away—but with the sudden and unprecedented success of the U.S. men’s national soccer team at the 2014 World Cup, it became clear the waiting is over. American soccer has arrived. This is in large part due to that teams’ head coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, who brought a touch of the unconventional to the process of building a team of underdogs into serious competitors. This book explores Klinsmann’s unusual and sometimes controversial coaching style, and how the sport of soccer is finally poised to take center stage in the biggest athletic market in the world.

WWE: 100 Greatest Matches, by Dean Miller
What non-fans miss about wrestling is the intricacy and athleticism the sport requires. Under the outfits and the posturing and the made-for-TV drama are some of the most skilled and competitive athletes in professional sports. The WWE has been creating some of the best sports TV for decades, and this incredible book takes you through the most amazing moments. With a foreword by Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat (and if you’re wondering if this book is ideal for Dad, drop that name into a conversation and observe his reaction), it offers a complete background for each match alongside in-depth analysis of every move, every heel turn, and every personality involved. For the wrestling fan, there’s no better gift.