Take It to the Limit: Sports Nonfiction

For fans who can't get enough of sports on TV, the next best thing—besides actually participating in the game—is to read a good book about it.

Last July cyclist Lance Armstrong won his fourth consecutive Tour de France, a three-week-long endurance race covering over 2000 miles. What makes Armstrong's win even more special is that he is a cancer survivor. While his best-selling memoir, coauthored with Sally Jenkins, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE: MY JOURNEY BACK TO LIFE (Putnam. 2000. ISBN 0-399-14611-3. $24.95; pap. Berkley. 2001. ISBN 0-425-17961-3. $13; LJ 6/15/00) discusses his childhood and adolescence in Texas and his road to becoming a world-class bicyclist, Armstrong devotes most of the book to his battle with cancer. His clear, detailed look at his disease and its cure will educate and inspire any reader.

Jim Morris, a 35-year-old high school teacher and baseball coach, made an unusual deal with his students—if they won their district championship, he would try out for a major league baseball team. The team held up their end of the bargain and the rest is—well, you can read Morris's book, THE ROOKIE: THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF A MAN WHO NEVER GAVE UP ON HIS DREAM (Warner. 2002. ISBN 0-446-67837-6. pap. $13.95; LJ 2/1/01), coauthored with Joel Engel, and see the Walt Disney film starring Dennis Quaid. This inspiring memoir shows that it's never too late to fulfill your dream.

In 1980 John McEnroe was ranked the No. 1 singles tennis player in the world. During his 15-year career "Johnny Mac" won three Wimbledon and four U.S. Open titles, competing against the likes of Jimmy Connors, Björn Borg, Ivan Lendel, and Vitas Gerulaitis. Despite his victories, McEnroe is still remembered for his outlandish behavior on the court. Co-written with journalist James Kaplan, YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS (Putnam. 2002. ISBN 0-399-14858-2. $25.95; LJ 7/02) tells how McEnroe rose through the tennis ranks and dealt with being a celebrity at the same time. He offers a detailed inside look at professional tennis and also honestly touches on the subject of marriage (to actress Tatum O'Neal and pop star Patty Smythe) and fatherhood.

In KNIGHT: MY STORY (St. Martin's. 2002. ISBN 0-312-28257-5. $25.95; LJ 2/15/02), Bobby Knight, who coached men's basketball at Indiana University for 20 years (winning three national championships including an undefeated season in 1975), tells how basketball brought him fame and glory, although he was fired in 2000 after failing to live up to the university's "zero tolerance" policy. With the assistance of coauthor Bob Hammel, Knight offers numerous insights into basketball that will please his many fans.

Bobby Bowden, the legendary head coach at Florida State University, has set several records in college football, including most consecutive ten-win seasons, most consecutive bowl wins, and two national championships. In THE BOWDEN WAY: 50 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP WISDOM (Longstreet. 2001. ISBN 1-56352-684-0. $24.95), Coach Bowden, with his son Steve, reveals his secrets to success on the field and in life: religion, honor, honesty, and integrity.

Curt Sampson's CHASING TIGER (Atria: S. & S. 2002. ISBN 0-7434-4212-1. $25) shows how Tiger Woods, one of the most popular figures in the sports world and definitely the most successful golfer on the PGA Tour, has changed the landscape of the sport. Tiger has won three Masters Tournaments, two PGA Championships, two U.S. Opens, and one British Open. He became the first golfer ever to hold all four professional major championships at the same time, now known as the "Tiger Slam." His influence on the game is unmatched. Even golf course architects keep Woods in mind when designing courses.

Noted sports writer John Feinstein has written many best sellers. In THE LAST AMATEURS: PLAYING FOR GLORY AND HONOR IN DIVISION I COLLEGE BASKETBALL (Little, Brown. 2001. ISBN 0-316-27842-4. pap. $14.95; LJ 10/15/00), he profiles the Patriot League, a small NCAA basketball conference whose members include Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, Bucknell, Army, and Navy. In this venue, student-athletes are just that, students first, and then athletes. NBA scouts do not attend their games, and the players rarely play professional basketball. The players on these teams do go to class though, and in the 2000 season every senior in the league graduated from college. Feinstein reminds the reader that this is how college sports used to be before television and big money changed it.

Richard Ernsberger's BRAGGING RIGHTS: A SEASON INSIDE THE SEC: COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S TOUGHEST CONFERENCE (M. Evans. 2000. ISBN 0-87131-926-8. $24; pap. 2001. ISBN 0-87131-961-6. $15.95) is the story of the 1999 season in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), known for its powerhouse football and rabid fans. Ernsberger profiles some of the big-name schools and people while covering the top games of the season (Auburn-Alabama, Florida-Tennessee, Florida-Georgia). Coaches Steve Spurrier of Florida (now with the Washington Redskins) and Phillip Fulmer of Tennessee are just a few of the people revealed. Ernsberger also examines college football's darker side—including recruiting violations and powerful trustees. The paperback edition has an update of coaching changes and some commentary about the illegal recruiting that took place at the universities of Alabama and Kentucky.