The Best American Sports Writing 2017 by Glenn Stout

The Best American Sports Writing 2017 Reviews

• 
  Jim

  This book is not really a collection of sports writing - a better name would be Best American Crime and War Reporting. But the writing is all really good, the stories are well-told, and I really enjoyed almost all of them. Look forward to the next one.
• 
  Margaret Sankey

  I am guessing that it surprises people that I would read sports journalism, but Dave Zirin got me hooked on the intersection of sports and politics and economics a long time ago. This anthology includes a 2016, incredibly prescient analysis of Colin Kaepernick's protest, and a hreatbreaking investigative piece on the exploitative for-profit "prep schools" that bring international football and basketball kids from developing countries on student visas and then mistreat them.
• 
  Lud

  I am somewhat reluctant to give a 4 star rating to this always excellent anthology, solely because of the 27 essays in the book, only 3 were written by women. This seems lower than in other years, although I'd need to check that out. The quality of the pieces were very good and thought-provoking; my favorite was about a marathon within the walls of San Quentin prison. Many of the articles addressed 'social issues' and sports, such as gender identity, the Kaepernick protest, exploitation of college athletes, etc. There have been some tremendous sports articles written by women at the end of 2017/early 2018, and I hope to see some of those in the 2018 edition.
• 
  Amy Houghton

  Look forward to this annual compilation. Admittedly, I skimmed some essays. Several surprises (to me, anyway- Debi Thomas!, "Hit Man"), essays of political & ethical topics (Kaepernick, "Hooked for Life", "Too Fast to be Female"), some terrific profiles (William Perry, Dusty Baker, Steve Kerr, Tiger). Great variety.
• 
  Tammy AZ

  I truly enjoy long-form writing about sports and what is says about the human condition. This was an excellent selection but the two that stood out for me were the one about Steve Kerr and the one about Tiger Woods. Two completely different individuals, almost polar opposites, in how they live in the world.
• 
  M

  I don't read a lot of sports stuff. I sort of follow women's basketball and occasionally watch tennis, golf, baseball, and men's basketball. So I don't know what an avid fan would think of this anthology which is often oriented toward the political and social issues reflected in sports rather than "pure sports" (whatever that is). Topics covered include the refugee crisis, human rights, exploitation of college athletes, gender identity, crime, family issues, etc. Given the current state of the world (sports world included) this sort of expository journalism is necessary. There are also some pieces which could be called "pure sport."
  
  These essays come from a broad variety of sources (online and print) and are excellent, informative reads.
  
  Advance reader copy via Goodreads
• 
  Debbie Smyth

  I think last years collection was a bit better - but there is a great piece on Tiger Woods and an intense mystery piece about a missing long distance running. I also enjoyed David Remnick’s piece on Muhammad Ali and Telander’s piece on The Refrigerator.
• 
  Jono Hamer-Wilson

  Another solid offering from this time-honoured franchise. Though it did feel like themes of crime, violence and injustice were very prominent; sometimes to the point of sensationalism. But overall great writing, thought-provoking and moving a lot of the time. Occasionally inspiring.
• 
  Jarrett

  2/5
• 
  Jennifer

  A series of thoughtful, well-written essays; surprisingly political and engaged with the larger world in interesting ways.
• 
  Doug Stotland

  I’ve read all of the BASW and rank this as average which means it’s a great read. The forward by Bryant is one of my favorites so far.
  
  Palo Alto, CA
• 
  Bob Cutler

  Not as good as other years' compilations
• 
  C.

  A solid and wide-ranging anthology. That's typical of this series, and it's easy to take that for granted, but each annual volume continues to measure up to a very high standard. Many of the great modern American sports writers and essays have been anthologized here over the years, and the 2017 volume is no exception.
  
  Rather than reading an anthology like this cover to cover, I tend to poke around and explore, reading whatever catches my eye. There are many fine essays. I'd previously read a few of these pieces, but most of them I was encountering for the first time. It was nice to see a mixture of fresh faces and veteran writers.
  
  As a runner and cyclist, I was especially pleased by the amount of excellent writing on endurance sports.
  
  A few pieces that I especially enjoyed: Jesse Katz's “26.2 to Life” (a marathon inside the walls at San Quentin); Alexis Okeowo's “The Away Team” (the Eritrean national soccer team); S. L. Price's “The Longest Run” (the Refugee Olympic Team); and Dan Barry's “Hit Man” (baseball player turned mobster Maury Lerner).
  
  All in all, a great collection.
  
  (Thank you to Mariner Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.)