Listmania!
Top 70 Sports Books of All Time
By an Amazon.com customer
It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to LifeIt's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life by Lance Armstrong
Buy used from: $14.44
--autobiography of the greatest cyclist of all time.
Let Me Tell You a Story : A Lifetime in the GameLet Me Tell You a Story : A Lifetime in the Game by Red Auerbach
Buy used from: $2.49
– looking back on a life in basketball.
The Four-Minute Mile, Fiftieth-Anniversary EditionThe Four-Minute Mile, Fiftieth-Anniversary Edition by Roger Bannister
Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $4.94
– an autobiographical account by the first runner to break the seemingly impossible barrier
Futebol: The Brazillian Way of LifeFutebol: The Brazillian Way of Life by Alex Bellos
Buy used from: $4.74
– the sport and the sociology of soccer in Brazil
Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFLPros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL by Jeff Benedict
Buy used from: $0.01
the violence off the field
Blood Season: Mike Tyson and the World of Boxing Second EditionBlood Season: Mike Tyson and the World of Boxing Second Edition by Phil Berger
Buy used from: $1.09
– a biography of the greatest heavyweight of his time
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs the United States of AmericaMuhammad Ali's Greatest Fight: Cassius Clay vs the United States of America by Howard L. Bingham
Buy used from: $19.12
– Ali’s struggle to achieve conscientious objector status during the Vietnam War
Drive: The Story of My LifeDrive: The Story of My Life by Larry Bird
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.01
– the Celtic star’s autobiography
Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a DreamFriday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H. G. Bissinger
Buy used from: $1.85
– the book about Texas high school football that launched the movie and TV show
About Three Bricks Shy: And The Load Filled UpAbout Three Bricks Shy: And The Load Filled Up by Roy Blount Jr
Buy new: $13.57 / Used from: $9.85
– an uproarious account of the early 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers
Ball Four: The Final PitchBall Four: The Final Pitch by Jim Bouton
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $22.85
– the seminal modern baseball book, the scandalous and hysterically funny diary of his season with the 1969 Seattle Pilot
Bringing the HeatBringing the Heat by Mark Bowden
Buy new: $12.75 / Used from: $1.25
-- the Philadelphia Eagles’ tumultuous 1992 season
Juicing the Game: Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League BaseballJuicing the Game: Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball by Howard Bryant
Buy used from: $2.99
The Steroid Era in Baseball
Among the ThugsAmong the Thugs by Bill Buford
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $5.45
– a journey into the dark heart of English soccer
In Search of Tiger: A Journey Through Golf with Tiger WoodsIn Search of Tiger: A Journey Through Golf with Tiger Woods by Tom Callahan
Buy new: $11.66 / Used from: $0.01
– the best book of the many “by” and about Tiger
Juiced : Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got BigJuiced : Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big by Jose Canseco
Buy used from: $2.93
– the inside story of steroids in baseball, by one who was there
Lance Armstrong's War: One Man's Battle Against Fate, Fame, Love, Death, Scandal, and a Few Other Rivals on the Road to the Tour de FranceLance Armstrong's War: One Man's Battle Against Fate, Fame, Love, Death, Scandal, and a Few Other Rivals on the Road to the Tour de France by Daniel Coyle
Buy used from: $90.59
– inside his Tour de France victories and struggles with accusers
Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance SwimmerSwimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer by Lynne Cox
Buy new: $9.89 / Used from: $0.01
– inspiring memoirs of a remarkable woman swimmer
License to Deal: A Season on the Run with a Maverick Baseball AgentLicense to Deal: A Season on the Run with a Maverick Baseball Agent by Jerry Crasnick
Buy used from: $32.03
– the hypercompetitive world of sports agentry
Total Access: A Journey to the Center of the NFL UniverseTotal Access: A Journey to the Center of the NFL Universe by Rich Eisen
Buy new: $18.96 / Used from: $0.40
– the face and voice of the NFL Network takes you behind the scenes
Season on the BrinkSeason on the Brink by John Feinstein
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $0.01
– a year with Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight (and the progenitor of the “season of unlimited access” books)
And the Walls Came Tumbling Down: Kentucky, Texas Western, and the Game That Changed American SportsAnd the Walls Came Tumbling Down: Kentucky, Texas Western, and the Game That Changed American Sports by Frank Fitzpatrick
Buy used from: $8.06
– the first NCAA basketball finals with an all-black starting five
Father of the Iditarod - The Joe Reddington StoryFather of the Iditarod - The Joe Reddington Story by Lew Freedman
Buy new: $16.96 / Used from: $1.94
– an introduction to the great Alaskan dogsled race
Marathon: You Can Do It!Marathon: You Can Do It! by Jeff Galloway
Buy new: $12.21 / Used from: $3.54
– marathoning made possible with America’s greatest running coach
Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis--Lessons from a MasterWinning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis--Lessons from a Master by Brad Gilbert
Buy new: $10.04 / Used from: $1.60
– how to succeed at tennis…or any other competitive activity
Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes: The Definitive Oral History of America's TeamCowboys Have Always Been My Heroes: The Definitive Oral History of America's Team by Peter Golenbock
Buy used from: $0.17
– the Dallas Cowboys, in their own words
The NASCAR Way: The Business That Drives the SportThe NASCAR Way: The Business That Drives the Sport by Robert G. Hagstrom
Buy new: $26.95 / Used from: $3.22
– from moonshiners to a vast industry
Muhammad Ali: His Life and TimesMuhammad Ali: His Life and Times by Thomas Hauser
Buy new: $14.04 / Used from: $0.10
– the best biography of “The Greatest”
The Lords of the RealmThe Lords of the Realm by John Helyar
Buy new: $24.79 / Used from: $15.39
– Baseball’s owners and management structure
Seabiscuit: An American LegendSeabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
Buy used from: $0.48
the book is even better than the movie
The Rivals: Chris Evert Vs. Martina Navratilova: Their Epic Duels and Extraordinary FriendshipThe Rivals: Chris Evert Vs. Martina Navratilova: Their Epic Duels and Extraordinary Friendship by Johnette Howard
Buy used from: $7.44
the golden age of women’s tennis
The New Bill James Historical Baseball AbstractThe New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract by Bill James
Buy new: $18.72 / Used from: $6.33
the man who changed the way we view—and measure—baseball performance
Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood WarriorSacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior by Phil Jackson
Buy used from: $2.96
– the Michael Jordan years with the Bulls and a journey into spirituality and sports
The Boys of SummerThe Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn
Buy used from: $2.64
– a nostalgic look back at the 1950s Brooklyn Dodgers and the first important “where are they now?” sports books
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest DisasterInto Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $1.43
the most deadly Everest expedition ever
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair GameMoneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
Buy new: $10.04 / Used from: $1.49
– the most influential baseball book in years, detailing the Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s statistics-based approach to assembling a team
The Sweet ScienceThe Sweet Science by A.J. Liebling
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $4.98
the definitive portrait of American boxing in the 1940s and 1950s by one of America’s greatest literary stylists
The Warrior Within : The Philosophies of Bruce LeeThe Warrior Within : The Philosophies of Bruce Lee by John Little
Buy new: $12.89 / Used from: $3.34
– the ultimate martial artist’s approach to combat and life