Exploring the imagination of sports in books, history and culture
In This Issue: The Last Authoritarian World Cup?; Men’s Soccer in the U.S.; Football Street Art; The Cal-Stanford Classic, 40 Years Later; Charles Barkley; Kendrick Perkins; Sports Illustrated on Basketball; The Master of Baseball Card Photography; Remembering Börje Salming and Jane Gross
The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game
As the World Cup continues in Qatar amid a variety of controversies, an Argentinian journalist and author of 20 books on global soccer tackles the history of how dictators, drug dealers and other rogues have exploited the popularity of the game. | Review | Author’s Website | Order Book
“The Last Authoritarian World Cup”—The Bulwark
An American Soccer Odyssey
Since missing the 2018 World Cup, American soccer supporters have seething about the seeming lack of progress in the men’s game on U.S. soil. Veteran sports journalist George Dohrmann takes a deeper look at the comeback of the Yanks, who tied England Friday and must beat Iran Tuesday to advance out of group play. | Review | Order Book
“The ‘bananas’ story of Matt Turner, the late-blooming USMNT goalkeeper at the World Cup”—The Washington Post
Kickabout on the Walls
European football journalist Andy Brassell published this lush collection of soccer street art from around the world ahead of the World Cup, featuring more than 100 murals and representations of the legends of the sport, ranging from George Best to Megan Rapinoe, and some local legends, and weaving in essays about cultural politics and the particularities of the game. | The Guardian | Urban Pitch | Review | Order Book
“Qatar’s Feast Of New Architecture Awaits The World Cup”—Arts Journal
“As Qatar Awaits The World Cup, Doha Shows Off New Museums”—ARTnews.com
‘The Play’ That Never Gets Old
College football rivalry games are taking place this week, and it was a madcap November afternoon in Berkeley, Calif. in 1982 that remains near, or at, the top of the list for incredible finishes. The California Golden Bears’ stunning win over the Stanford Cardinals is the subject of this recounting from a time in which the magical moment wasn’t even shown live. | Excerpt | Excerpt | Order Book
“Michigan is Big Ten’s standard-bearer and a bona fide contender for national title”—The Athletic
A Trifecta of New Hoops Books
Hot Off the Presses: Tim Bella of The Washington Post has penned a new biography of Charles Barkley, probing his roles as an NBA star, TV personality and pop culture figure. Stories: AL.com | Arizona Republic | Excerpt | Review | Order Book
Ex-NBA player-turned-ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins has published a memoir in which he explains many of his frank observations about the league and the game. | Order Book | “Inside Kendrick Perkins’ multimillion-dollar Frenchie business”—New York Post
Author Chris Ballard (“One Shot At Forever”), a senior editor at Sports Illustrated, has pulled together a collection of the magazine’s best basketball writing and contributions from others. | Order Book
The Master of Baseball Card Photography
The Baseball Hall of Fame is holding a fundraiser to collect the work of Doug McWilliams, the longtime photographer for Topps baseball cards. He’s already donated more than 10,000 negatives from his collection to Cooperstown, and the Hall wants to further organize and display the materials. The fundraiser is just getting underway, with a target of $77K. | Story | Donate | Interview
Passings
Börge Salming, 71, was the first Swede to play in the National Hockey League when he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1973, setting off a European migration to the North American professional ranks. In 17 seasons, he became an icon in the regal Canadian hockey city, which welcomed him back two weeks ago during Hall of Fame week, and as his diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease was reaching an advanced stage. “The King” was also the first European inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017.
“Icon. Trailblazer. Mentor. How Börje Salming changed hockey for the better”—The Toronto Star
“Jane Gross, Sportswriter Who Opened Locker Room Doors, Dies at 75”—The New York Times
The Sports Biblio Reader e-mail newsletter is delivered on Sunday. You can subscribe here and search recent archives. The full archives for Sports Biblio Digest can be found here. This is issue No. 254, published Nov. 27, 2022.
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