You’ve been waiting for this season for months.
It’s just the right time to get outside and enjoy your favorite exercise, sport, or game, toss a ball around, or just get physical. There’ll be rainy days sometimes, but so what? Those are perfect for reading these great books… about sports.
Hot dogs, apple pie, what’s missing? Baseball, of course, and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game!” by Jack Norworth, pictures by Gary Clement (Greystone Kids, $19.95) is the perfect way to get your little player in the mood for a game. It’s a fun take on the classic ballpark song, it’s perfect for kids ages 4-7, and you should try singing it as you read it for maximum fun!
Or try this: “Baseball’s Shining Season: America’s Pastime on the Brink of War” by Martin W. Sandler and Craig Sandler (Bloomsbury, $24.99). It’s the story of America’s game in 1941 — Negro leagues, women’s leagues, and record-breaking players, and how they kept the game going as this country went to war. Readers ages 12-to-adult will enjoy this book. Also look for “Nolan: The Singular Life of an American Original” by Tim Brown (Grand Central, $30). This biography of Nolan Ryan is great for all baseball fans, you don’t have to be from Texas to be enthralled by it.
If your sporting life is a little more solitary, try “The Long Run” by Martin Dugard (Dutton, $32), a book about the heyday of marathon running, and the then-stars of the sport. It’s been nearly 26 years since the first New York City Marathon was held, and the sport is more popular than ever. Run out, get this book, you’ll race to its finish line.
Or maybe your sport is an indoor-outdoor one that’s growing in popularity. So try “Rough House: A Father, A Son, and the Pursuit of Pro Wrestling Glory” by Alison Lyn Miller (W.W. Norton, $21.99). In this father-son profile with a competition at its heart, you’ll meet Hunter James from Georgia, who’s always dreamed of being a wrestler like so many in his family. Hunter’s dad, however, tried to do the same — and couldn’t, so he had other ideas for his son. Cue the feels.
This is a book you read, then share with your Dad for the upcoming Father’s Day.
Or, OK, you love all sports. Or just a few. Or, well, you pick and choose, so you’re going to want “Big Fan: Two Friends, 81,589 Miles, and the Wild Wonderful Sports We Love” by Michael Schur and Joe Posnanski (Dutton, $35). This book about a male-bonding, best buddies, no-holding-back, all sports-loving road trip is a must-read for anyone who loves baseball, football, or any sport. Or all sports. Really.
And if these aren’t enough for your game-loving heart, then check with your favorite bookseller or librarian for more books on sports, competitions, championships, playoffs, players bios, and friendly games. They’ll be able to steer you to lots of stories about whatever recreation you love, and it’s books for the win!
Books on Sports for Adults and Kids by various authors
c.2026, various publishers
$19.95 – $35.00
various page counts
