Sports Stories for Every Fan

Muhammad Ali Unfiltered, by Muhammad Ali
There will never be another athlete, man, or entertainer like Muhammad Ali. Brilliant in the boxing ring, a crusader for his politics, heroic in the way he faced down a debilitating disease for decades, Ali is an American icon. Paired with his own words and the passionate remembrances of his widow, Lonnie, the hundreds of photographs in this book are both beautiful works of art and stark reminders of the passion and talent the world has lost. His words, including the famous “Getting Ready to Meet God” speech, serve as a reminder that in his heyday, people listened to Ali with almost the same excitement as watching him practice sweet science in the ring.

When Nobody Was Watching, by Carli Lloyd & Wayne Coffey
When you’re a world-class athlete like Carli Lloyd, who led the U.S. women’s soccer team to its first FIFA championship in 16 years in 2015, it’s difficult for people to believe you struggle with doubt. Everything on the field seems so effortless, but Lloyd bravely reveals that her journey to the top of the soccer world was hardly easy. In 2003, she almost quit the sport altogether, but meeting her current trainer, James Galanis, changed her mind. Over the next few years, Lloyd trained like never before, putting everything she had into the sport she loved. The story of her journey from the precipice to the championships will be inspiring to anyone who has ever faced a challenge they weren’t certain they could surmount.

99: Stories of the Game, by Wayne Gretzky
If there’s a hockey fan in your life, they are likely well aware that 2016 is the 99th anniversary of the NHL. Wayne Gretzky, the Great One, who wore number 99 in his playing days, offers up not another memoir, but an affectionate history of the game itself. Written with obvious respect for the sport he loves, Gretzky’s book traces the history of the teams, the formation of the league, and a laundry list of key events, ranging from the first black players in the league to the “Miracle on Ice” at the 1985 Olympics. His passion for the sport elevates the material beyond a dry recounting of facts; it’s a book any hockey fan will treasure.

A Life Well Played: My Stories, by Arnold Palmer
This year, we lost not only one of the greatest athletes of all time, but also the man who invented one of the greatest beverages of all time. Arnold Palmer was beloved not just because he was one of the greatest golfers of the modern era, but because he was a charming, easygoing presence on television and in real life. That warmth and intelligence carries over to this book, his final gift to the world. He shares not just golf lessons—although there are plenty of those—but stories from his personal life and career that are inspiring and entertaining, offering insight into one of the most successful careers in golf or any other venue. Palmer will be sorely missed, but this final book will be of some comfort to his fans.

Forward, by Abby Wambach
Elite female athletes often undergo a very different experience than their male counterparts, struggling with their identities and their duties as role models. Abby Wambach is one of the greatest soccer players ever to grace the field, and in this raw new memoir she offers up her story, from playing on boys’ teams as a child to her triumphant performance at the 2015 World Cup. The woman President Obama called a “badass” reveals her self-doubt as she traces the threads that made her who she is today.

QB: My Life Behind the Spiral, by Steve Young
To fans watching at home, football players can seem superhuman. Steve Young was one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the game: NFL MVP twice, a Super Bowl champion, and a no-brainer inductee into the Hall of Fame. In this revelatory memoir, Young admits that his body suffered incredibly during his career because of his relatively small stature in a game dominated by giants. What’s more, he discusses the anxiety and mental fatigue this physical battering caused—which almost ended his career prematurely. Professional athletes, especially football players, often project a macho and stoic persona; Young’s naked discussion of what it’s really like to be hit by professional defensive linemen feels brave and surprising—and painfully honest.