The Best American Sports Writing 2004

by Richard Ben Cramer (Editor), Glenn Stout (Series Editor)

Since its inception in 1915, the Best American series has become the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. For each volume, a series editor reads pieces from hundreds of periodicals, then selects between fifty and a hundred outstanding works. That selection is pared down to twenty or so very best pieces by a guest editor who is widely recognized as a leading writer in his or her field. This unique system has helped make the Best American series the most respected — and most popular — of its kind.

“Cracker-jack writing from some of the country’s best-known sports journalists.” — Publishers Weekly

With Richard Ben Cramer at the helm, this year’s selections embrace the world of sports in all its drama, humanity, and excitement, from swimming the Arctic Ocean to high school football. Today’s foremost journalists shed light on Mia Hamm, Amare Stoudemire, and on sports’ underbelly as a professional baseball team scalps its own tickets and as women single-mindedly pursue million-dollar athletes. We witness the World Taxidermy Championships, the final days of the Michael Jordan Wizards, and much more.

Genres: Sports, Essays

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Richard Ben Cramer was an American journalist and writer. He won a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 1979 for his coverage of the Middle East. His work as a political reporter culminated in What It Takes: The Way to the White House, an account of the 1988 presidential election that is considered one of the seminal journalistic studies of presidential electoral politics.

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have here another first-rate compilation in the sports writing series. The article about the fastest biker -- Graeme Obree -- nobody ever heard of is worth the price of the book. He set records that even Lance Armstrong or the big German couldn't break. Read this article and then see the movie -- The Flying Scotsman -- about him. His story is astonishing and heartwarming.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be honest. I got this book for Christmas years ago and considering I work in sports all damn day with journalists...I had no epping desire to read anymore sports-related tarp. Buuuut....the books look at me with that cute "read me" face...you win books, you always do. So, I digress...I read the damn thing. And suffered naseaously through a story all about taxidermy....narsty. Seriously, who wants dead animals hanging around their house and such? Thanks for the burger, keep the Daisy's head to yourself. But the majority of the rest of the stories? Damn good. Anything that paints Michael Jordan as the prick he is works for me...I don't even associate with those who buy Hanes now...it's all about Fruit of the Loom, b/c fruit that doesn't even wear underpants surely has the best, right?!"

[Jerry-Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14185718