The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2025.

 

The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2025.  

As one might expect from looking at the cover of this book, The Year’s best sports writing, is a compilation of thirty relatively short stories written by different authors who are not likely well known.   One author familiar to me, Hanif Abdurraqib, was deemed the guest editor of the Year’s best sports writing 2025.   Readers can access following link to read our review of his 2024 Book https://richardcampsie.blogspot.com/2025/01/theres-always-this-year-hanif-abdurraqib.html.   He writes a beautiful introduction.    If one reads through this carefully, they will learn that he selected the stories for this book based on not so much what he thought readers wanted to see but more so that the authors were very comfortable in writing what they wanted to print.    He goes on to explain his concept of “aboutness” and how he admires and is influenced by authors that write with their backs turned to the audience.     This notion was clearly carried out in the thirty selections from start to end.  

It could be stretch and possibly even specious to consider many of the selected passages as sports stories.    The topics range from traversing across Europe, roller skating, ultimate frisbee, ballet and skate park adventures in both the western hemisphere and across the globe.    There are traditional sports stories included, too pertaining to college volleyball, MLB games played in London, Soccer being played on the beach in the middle eastern countries and tennis as well.   In any case, though, the nascent short stories come across with a hopeless narrative.   The noted theme of struggle, anger and dissidence continues to pervade many of the stories all the way to the last chapter. 

One of the more intriguing, and perhaps most humorous, stories selected had to do with the major league baseball weekend experience played in London, England.    The British writer likely assigned to the story was not familiar with the American game.   While trying to keep up with the game as it unfolded, with the assistance of mansplaining older American fan seated behind her, she did observe how the American culture seemingly took over the stadium where the game was held.    One British observer asserted to the author that the reason baseball does not take off in their country is due to the Americanness, yet the same Americanness is what seems to captivate the local audience for the weekend.  I personally chuckled when reading that the author suggested the locals attending the game were having an American theme park-like experience wearing the baseball shirts, buying hot dogs, fist bumping with American fans and even saying words like “dawg”.      

Another gripping story discusses the life of an adopted native American who struggled to find her true identity for many decades until finding her biological mother later in life and helped to establish a skate park for youth in New Mexico where initially she was eschewed by the natives.  Another example included a discussion about the appropriateness of trans gender athletes participating in a women’s division one college volleyball game.    The story, authored by Katie Barnes, who also has a book reviewed in this blog https://richardcampsie.blogspot.com/2024/06/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html straddles both sides of the issue without making a specific judgement.    On one hand the coaches of the female athlete in question were supportive of her participation as were local fans and most teammates.    However, once the background of the athlete, who was not identified in the story, became more apparent to the public at large the complaints of unfairness of the subject’s participation came in line.    Some cited it was unsafe playing against her due to her excessive force used for spikes and hits over the next.    Other coaches actually disagreed and suggested that her power was not overwhelming for their sport.     The issue continues to rage in women’s sports these days.    The point, though, is that these stories, while inspiring, were not particularly upbeat or facing an easy road ahead.  

In general, the story writing was good and many of the pieces were interesting and edifying.   Naturally some stories are more intriguing than others but that is to be expected in a three hundred- and twenty-four-page book of compiled short stories.   The title might lure the reader into thinking they will find short stories from the well-known authors of the day that contribute exciting personal essays of the popular sports in the world.   The reality is that the authors are not well known and the stories, while mostly interesting and well written, pertain to topics that typical sports page readers might not necessarily seek on their own.    If one can reconcile past this transgression, it is likely worth the effort to learn and absorb a different brand of “sports” writing for that particular year.     

Discussion questions to ponder and pose to others:

What makes good sports writing?

Why do you think the stories in this book tend to be about struggles of individuals and their activity?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of writing stories with your back to the audience?

If you had to eliminate one of the stories which one and why?  

Which of the passages may inspire you to try the activity/sport on your own? Why?

 

·       You might like to read this book if you are a fan of sports journalism.

·       You might like to read this book if you like to read sports literature.

·       You might like to read this book if you covet stories about sports and related activities.

·       You might like to read this book if you are interested in reading about sports writing by lesser-known authors with stories emanating from around the world.