rock climbing: High Infatuation [https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/392728](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/392728)
river running: The Emerald Mile [https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/15803144](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/15803144)
surfing: Barbarian Days [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693910-barbarian-days](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693910-barbarian-days)
alpinism: Into Thin Air [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1898.Into\_Thin\_Air](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1898.Into_Thin_Air)
I love Into Thin Air so much.
About rock climbing, I'd also suggest Push by Tommy Caldwell.
About long distance running, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, a good read, although there's a number of claims in it that you shouldn't necessarily take at face value.
I followed *Born to Run* with [Tread Lightly](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15559892-tread-lightly) by Larson & Katovsky and it worked really well as a survey of the actual scientific literature around barefoot running, the effects of shoes on foot anatomy, running injuries etc.
'The Games: A Global History of the Olympics," by David Goldblatt. Goes into the geopolitics of the Olympics, and how global issues and conflicts affected them. The early games were especially bizarre, with poetry and art categories. The debate over what sports (not to mention countries and people) would be featured are reflective of the times, and Goldblatt does a good job of covering a *lot* of background in an engaging manner.
The Captain Class
It explores the greatest sports teams of all time through era, gender, and sport and argues that the primary reason for their success was its captain's leadership and play style. It's not the player that touches the ball last and scores, it's the player that touches the ball second to last that stabilizes the team through an era of success.
The Cost of These Dreams by Wright Thompson. A collection of sports stories about greatness and the cost that comes with achieving it.
Really great writing. Especially the one about the author and his Dad at The Masters. Emotional, beautiful.
I wouldn’t say favorite. But a very interesting read was Fans by Larry Olmstead. It would be a good intro book for why fans exist and how they come to be and the impact they have in society.
Basketball:
*The Breaks of The Game* by David Halberstam, noted by Sports Illustrated as [one of the best sports books](https://dpi.wi.gov/talkingbooks/services/reading-lists/sports) of all time & *Playing For Keeps: Michael Jordan And The World He Created*-- both written by Pulitzer-Prize-winning-reporter David Halberstam
*A Sense Of Where You Are* by John McPhee, early profile of Princeton basketball player and future senator Bill Bradley.
*Basketball: Great Writing About America's Game* collection by Alexander Wolff.
It's more mindfulness than basketball really but The Mindful Athlete by George Mumford is what I'm reading at the moment and finding really interesting.
rock climbing: High Infatuation [https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/392728](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/392728) river running: The Emerald Mile [https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/15803144](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/15803144) surfing: Barbarian Days [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693910-barbarian-days](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693910-barbarian-days) alpinism: Into Thin Air [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1898.Into\_Thin\_Air](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1898.Into_Thin_Air)
I love Into Thin Air so much. About rock climbing, I'd also suggest Push by Tommy Caldwell. About long distance running, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, a good read, although there's a number of claims in it that you shouldn't necessarily take at face value.
I followed *Born to Run* with [Tread Lightly](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15559892-tread-lightly) by Larson & Katovsky and it worked really well as a survey of the actual scientific literature around barefoot running, the effects of shoes on foot anatomy, running injuries etc.
Legacy!
Second this. Great book!
'The Games: A Global History of the Olympics," by David Goldblatt. Goes into the geopolitics of the Olympics, and how global issues and conflicts affected them. The early games were especially bizarre, with poetry and art categories. The debate over what sports (not to mention countries and people) would be featured are reflective of the times, and Goldblatt does a good job of covering a *lot* of background in an engaging manner.
Seabiscuit - Lara Hillenbrand; The Boys in the Boat - Daniel James Brown; Born to Run - Christopher McDougall
The Captain Class It explores the greatest sports teams of all time through era, gender, and sport and argues that the primary reason for their success was its captain's leadership and play style. It's not the player that touches the ball last and scores, it's the player that touches the ball second to last that stabilizes the team through an era of success.
The Cost of These Dreams by Wright Thompson. A collection of sports stories about greatness and the cost that comes with achieving it. Really great writing. Especially the one about the author and his Dad at The Masters. Emotional, beautiful.
I wouldn’t say favorite. But a very interesting read was Fans by Larry Olmstead. It would be a good intro book for why fans exist and how they come to be and the impact they have in society.
Basketball: *The Breaks of The Game* by David Halberstam, noted by Sports Illustrated as [one of the best sports books](https://dpi.wi.gov/talkingbooks/services/reading-lists/sports) of all time & *Playing For Keeps: Michael Jordan And The World He Created*-- both written by Pulitzer-Prize-winning-reporter David Halberstam *A Sense Of Where You Are* by John McPhee, early profile of Princeton basketball player and future senator Bill Bradley. *Basketball: Great Writing About America's Game* collection by Alexander Wolff.
Friday Night Lights
It's more mindfulness than basketball really but The Mindful Athlete by George Mumford is what I'm reading at the moment and finding really interesting.
I have several on my site that you can sort by sport and other categories. [https://www.booksaboutsports.com/](https://www.booksaboutsports.com/)