We invite as many members as possible to share with us their favourite sports book and at the same time to describe why you rate it. We will feature the top recommendations in the Newsletter, and all entries will go into a prize draw (T and Cs apply). Email sfitzsrfc@gmail.com with your suggestions using the subject ‘Favourite sports book’.
Here's an entry from your editor to get the ball rolling.
Beyond The Boundary, by C.L.R. James
I arrived late to the sports book genre. Growing up I was rather preoccupied with basing my reading on what critics deemed to be 'classics', and a snobbish aversion that extended to sports titles and 'best sellers' was compounded by reading and reading around the books set for school exams and my subsequent studies at one of the three great universities*.
That all changed when injury forced a premature end to me playing contact sport and I was forced to spend a few weeks laid up. Kindly neighbours knew I was immobile and knew I liked sport, so I ended up devouring the sporting autobiographies they dropped by, including Opening Up by Michael Atherton, Open by Andre Agassi, and Martin Johnson, The Autobiography. A no nonsense title from a no nonsense player. Since those days I have been an avid fan of the sports book. Legacy by James Kerr, which is about the All Blacks and how they cultivate a winning mindset, is another top read and features a lot of excellent insights on the values of elite sport.
Before the cyclist’s fall from grace, It's Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong was my favourite sporting read… that was until I read Beyond The Boundary. The book's focus is West Indian cricket and cricketers but it's about much more than sport, and brings the culture and history of the Caribbean to life. Beyond The Boundary has one of the most memorable opening quotes – "What do they know of cricket, who only cricket know?" The exhortation to see sport in its broader context appeals to this day. And the book has also helped me answer the sports trivia question: Who were the three Ws of West Indian cricket? Answers on a post card please.
Email us the name of your favourite sports book and a few lines on why you chose it: sfitzsrfc@gmail.com
*Fans of Blackadder will know that the great universities are Oxford, Cambridge, and Hull. And that Oxford's a complete dump 😉