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The Best American Sports Writing 2010
Well established as the premier sports anthology, The Best American Sports Writing brings together the finest writing on sports to appear in the past year. Edited by the award-winning Peter Gammons, the pieces in this volume embrace the world of sports in all its drama, humanity, and excitement.
448 pages, Paperback
First published October 5, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 9, 2018
I'm trying to get caught up on this series again, since reading "short" is doing better for me lately than reading long.
It's weird reading sports snapshots from the past. There are at least four articles on football and CTE here, about the physicians who discovered and are studying the condition (fascinating) and about players suffering from it (heartbreaking). And a story about a 12-year-old Allonzo Trier and the big business of youth basketball.
I'm not going to pick out favorites or anything, since any story that made this series is always worth reading. As usual, they're all over the place emotionally, from triumphant to tear-jerking. And also from intimately involved in sports to only tangentially about sports but intimately involved in the human condition.
If you have any passing interest in sports and appreciate good writing, I highly recommend this series.
It's weird reading sports snapshots from the past. There are at least four articles on football and CTE here, about the physicians who discovered and are studying the condition (fascinating) and about players suffering from it (heartbreaking). And a story about a 12-year-old Allonzo Trier and the big business of youth basketball.
I'm not going to pick out favorites or anything, since any story that made this series is always worth reading. As usual, they're all over the place emotionally, from triumphant to tear-jerking. And also from intimately involved in sports to only tangentially about sports but intimately involved in the human condition.
If you have any passing interest in sports and appreciate good writing, I highly recommend this series.
March 26, 2025
A compilation of the best sports writing of the year 2010.
These are not just "normal", daily sports columns, but exceptional ones that serve more as essays.
Some that stand out are "The No-stats All-Star", by Michael Lewis (The writer of "Moneyball". This story details the career of NBA player Shane Battier, once the most hyped high school, and the college basketball player. What happened when Shane hit the NBA? Remember? His stats never showed it, but whenever he walked on the court, his team suddenly played better! What was that all about?
One subject that is really covered well in this book, repeatedly, like three times, is the subject of concussions in the NFL.. Turn your attention to Malcolm Gladwell's story, "Offensive Play".
These are not just "normal", daily sports columns, but exceptional ones that serve more as essays.
Some that stand out are "The No-stats All-Star", by Michael Lewis (The writer of "Moneyball". This story details the career of NBA player Shane Battier, once the most hyped high school, and the college basketball player. What happened when Shane hit the NBA? Remember? His stats never showed it, but whenever he walked on the court, his team suddenly played better! What was that all about?
One subject that is really covered well in this book, repeatedly, like three times, is the subject of concussions in the NFL.. Turn your attention to Malcolm Gladwell's story, "Offensive Play".
November 3, 2020
A lot of really really good writing. Second time I’ve read it but first I’m like 7 years. Just some great storytelling all around. The volume of stories means there are a few better than others but it’s generally really well done. Not a ~must read~ by any stretch but an enjoyable read nonetheless
June 26, 2011
I usually make fun of sports journalism. After all, these people simply write about something that fans already know about. But, like Bryant Gumble's HBO show, this collection is incredibly in-depth, thought-provoking, and gives you insight that you've never had before. This collection is especially depressing, I must warn you. There's a lot about football players' head injuries (it almost makes you never want to watch the sport again). There's also a story about a runner's becoming a vegetable after a tragic car accident. This is definitely not a feel-good collection, but it's given me a new appreciation and deeper respect for the best of sports journalism.
March 22, 2015
I've read all 20+ books in this series and 2010 was one of the weakest 2 or 3 which still leaves it as a worthy read. Even those who care nothing for sports will enjoy this series as it contains my favorite articles of any kind year after year.
December 2, 2022
Didn't like this one as much as some of the others in the series. Usually this anthology series has a nice balance of stories that range from fun, to sad and tragic, to inspiring. The best articles that are usually featured every year manage to get all those emotions (and a few others) into one story. This collection is mostly just a collection of sadness and tragedy. Most of the articles are about the concussions/CTE investigations in the NFL; athletes suffering from horrific injuries; and baseball. There were a few that were too depressing to finish.
February 28, 2019
Christmas gift I think. This is a surprisingly good collection of stories. There were several on football concussions. The one about Mike Webster was scary. The story "Still Life" about a paralyzed high school athlete many years later was moving. I also liked "Dream Derailed" about the only MLB player to die in action in WWII (Iwo Jima). He only played one inning and had no at bats. Talk about your "cup of coffee". The one one Greg LeMond was also interesting, because this was before Lance Armstrong was officially stripped of the titles, etc. LeMond had always suspected something was up.
June 1, 2011
My first exposure to this series was when I took a sports journalism class in college over 10 years ago. This edition has some misses, but also has some of the best stories I've encountered in the series.
In keeping with the times, stories about football concussions are prevalent, and all of them fascinating in their own ways. The first-person story of searching out a long-forgotten boxer in Miami is an outstanding piece. One of the top-3 sports stories I have ever read is in this book -- it deals with a Texas football player who was paralyzed in high school and it explores the family's bond over the course of the subsequent decades.
I liked the Shane Battier story, the story of a murdered Mexican baseball player, the column that bashes an arrogant Jose Canseco and one that shows the downfall of one of my favorite football players, Bernie Kosar. There were several other articles that I thoroughly enjoyed as well, I just don't have the book in front of me to state which ones specifically.
On the downside, Bill Plaschke's column about collegiate softball players who put their team allegiances aside and make a case for humanity felt bland, as did most of the basketball stories aside from the Shane Battier one (Bob Ryan, I'm looking in your direction). I wanted to like the story of an ardent runner who was hit by a car in Milwaukee, but didn't.
Overall, however, this is definitely a showcase for not only some of the best sports writing, but some of the best stories you could hope to read.
In keeping with the times, stories about football concussions are prevalent, and all of them fascinating in their own ways. The first-person story of searching out a long-forgotten boxer in Miami is an outstanding piece. One of the top-3 sports stories I have ever read is in this book -- it deals with a Texas football player who was paralyzed in high school and it explores the family's bond over the course of the subsequent decades.
I liked the Shane Battier story, the story of a murdered Mexican baseball player, the column that bashes an arrogant Jose Canseco and one that shows the downfall of one of my favorite football players, Bernie Kosar. There were several other articles that I thoroughly enjoyed as well, I just don't have the book in front of me to state which ones specifically.
On the downside, Bill Plaschke's column about collegiate softball players who put their team allegiances aside and make a case for humanity felt bland, as did most of the basketball stories aside from the Shane Battier one (Bob Ryan, I'm looking in your direction). I wanted to like the story of an ardent runner who was hit by a car in Milwaukee, but didn't.
Overall, however, this is definitely a showcase for not only some of the best sports writing, but some of the best stories you could hope to read.
July 19, 2013
An interesting if uneven connection. The main theme, purposeful or not, running through at least a third of the stories was football and the injuries associated with it. From stories such as "this is your brain on football " to articles about the after football lives of Ted Johnson and Bernie Kosar we are given repeated examples of the price for the spectacle we enjoy each football season. It is true, were this many people being injured long term doing anything else, be it skateboarding or auto racing it would have been shut down or modified
Someday a billion dollar lawsuit is going to end football as we know it and as these stories published in 2009 tell us no one can say we were not warned
A good collection of other stories as well with the best centering on a noted baseball psychologist, Shane Battier, and Bobby Orr
Someday a billion dollar lawsuit is going to end football as we know it and as these stories published in 2009 tell us no one can say we were not warned
A good collection of other stories as well with the best centering on a noted baseball psychologist, Shane Battier, and Bobby Orr
June 20, 2011
I read this (cover to cover) rather quickly. Some of my favorites: there were several on head injuries in the NFL, and I liked all of those; “(Still) Life” by Skip Hollandsworth about a boy paralyzed in a high school football game; “Allonzo Trier Is in the Game” by Michael Sokolove about a 10-year-old basketball prospect; “The No-Stats All Star” by Michael Lewis about Shane Battier; “The Revolutionary” by Richard Hoffer about pole-vaulter Dick Fosbury; “Life Throws Bernie Kosar for a Loss,” by Dan Le Batard; and “The Man Who Never Was” by Mike Sager about former NFL prospect (the Robo QB) Todd Marinovich. As always, an awesome compilation.
September 10, 2010
A solid collection of sports writing that, despite its few misses, gives a great snapshot to what truly makes sports so indelible: the heart and character, or lack thereof, of its participants.
Some of the stories are pointless (I still don't recognize any reason to include the chapter on Greg Lemond) and some are overkill (three stories on brain trauma in football seems a bit much). However, there are times when the stories truly capture what works in sports writing: giving us a glimpse into the humanity and foibles of sports participants. A collection worth checking out.
Some of the stories are pointless (I still don't recognize any reason to include the chapter on Greg Lemond) and some are overkill (three stories on brain trauma in football seems a bit much). However, there are times when the stories truly capture what works in sports writing: giving us a glimpse into the humanity and foibles of sports participants. A collection worth checking out.
July 20, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/mag...
This alone is a game-changing article. Additionally, “Allonzo Trier Is in the Game," “(Still) Life,” and sentimentally "Ripped (Or Torn Up?)" make-up for some of the diminished returns on 2010's more concussive stories.
This alone is a game-changing article. Additionally, “Allonzo Trier Is in the Game," “(Still) Life,” and sentimentally "Ripped (Or Torn Up?)" make-up for some of the diminished returns on 2010's more concussive stories.
February 8, 2011
Great collection of sports writing from across America. Unlike several prior editions, this year's strories are about more mainstream sports. A few are about the tragedy of concussions in football and the NFL's stonewalling about the condition.
February 14, 2011
I like sports writing, especially good sports writing. How could I go wrong with this collection? It had nice coverage (from skiing and baseball to tennis and running), though it was heavy on articles related to brain injuries in football. I loved the one on Jose Canseco (yes, he's a total weirdo).
January 12, 2012
You can always get a sense of the themes of the sports year from these books. In 2010 it was "concussions" usually, though not always, in football. Gammons is not as maudlin as some recent guest editors, but the writing didn't always sparkle. Interesting stories, though.
December 20, 2015
The Best American Sports Writing 2010 (Best American Sports Writing) by Peter Gammons (Editor), Glenn Stout (Series Editor) (Mariner 2010) (796) is uneven at best. I skimmed all of the twenty or so entries and found a couple to be interesting. 3/10, finished 7/16/11.
January 20, 2011
One great story--about a paralyzed football player--the rest mediocre or worse. With such a broad subject matter, too many similar stories.
May 6, 2011
Awesome, as always. Check out my boy, Joel Warner, debuting in here. Congrats, bro.
May 30, 2011
More newspaper-y stories. And the Gammons must have been in a bad mood when he picked these, as the collection is mostly depressing tales of greed, failure, injury and the like.
January 2, 2018
Many essays about concussions in football and the role of sabermetrics in basketball were way ahead of their time.
March 15, 2012
the piece on Rafael Nadal was worth 5 stars alone
March 22, 2013
Lots of great stories in here, particularly those by Lewis and Gladwell. A very good compilation.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews