The Best American Sports Writing 1992

by Thomas McGuane (Editor), Glenn Stout (Series Editor)

Selected sports writings from newspapers and magazines include David Halberstam on Michael Jordan, the story of a former Mr. Universe's steroid addiction, and Dave Barry on why the NBA is less offensive than people think. Simultaneous. 45,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 12, 1992

About the author

Thomas Francis McGuane III is an American writer. His work includes ten novels, short fiction and screenplays, as well as three collections of essays devoted to his life in the outdoors. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, National Cutting Horse Association Members Hall of Fame and the Fly-Fishing Hall of Fame.

McGuane's early novels were noted for a comic appreciation for the irrational core of many human endeavors, multiple takes on the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s. His later writing reflected an increasing devotion to family relationships and relationships with the natural world in the changing American West, primarily Montana, where he has made his home since 1968, and where his last five novels and many of his essays are set. He has three children, Annie, Maggie and Thomas.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Particular favourite pieces included:

-Shadow of a Nation by Gary Smith from Sports Illustrated (Native American high school basketball star profile: "'We want our young people to go off and show the world how great a Crow can be,' says Fritzler [coach], 'but as soon as someone does, as soon as anyone starts trying or studying too hard, a lot of us say, 'Look at him. He's trying to be a white man.'")

-They Shoot Heroes, Don't They by David von Drehle from Tropic
Roger Maris profile

-The Man in the Mask by John Marchese for GQ
About a guy, Kevin Winn, who meets/picks up women (and sometimes gets engaged to them and then steals from them) by telling them that he is a major-league catcher or some other athlete.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

masterful longform writing on fallen heroes, a loser who conned others by pretending to be an athlete, a pre-steroids look at the remarkable achievement of Roger Maris, a look at the bodybuilder contemporary of Schwarzenegger who perhaps knew and used more of steroids than anyone, a basketball tale from Dave Barry, the anonymous handball champ, the not-at-all anonymous Bobby and Brett Hull, and what happens when a major league baseball player forgets how to throw -- all of these topics and more in one collection. A seminal book for me since I was 9.

[Pete Iseppi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty solid collection. Any book with a story by Sports Illustrated writer Gary Smith is going to be decent, even if all of the other entries are terrible. By the way, none of the other entries are terrible. I like "The Best American" series of books for my nightstand. I can read most of the articles before I fall asleep!

[Lani · Rating 3 out of 5]

A laundry room find that I picked up after reading last year's 'Best American Sports Writing' when Amazon had a Kindle sale.

Nothing super spectacular, but I did enjoy a few of the stories. Unfortunately I put off the review for too long and don't recall the highlights.