"An empowering, unabashedly bold memoir by the Atlantic journalist and former ESPN SportsCenter co-anchor about overcoming a legacy of pain and forging a new path, no matter how uphill life's battles might be"--

A respected sportswriter for the "Boston Globe" traces his early love of sports, experiences as a dedicated fan, and human observations behind pivotal sports moments. --Publisher's description.

"When Lesley was 11, she told her mother that she wanted to be a sportswriter. The job didn't exist for women in 1964, but her mother-instead of suggesting she become a teacher or a nurse-replied, "Great! Sometimes you have to cross when it says, 'Don't walk." That answer changed Lesley's life. Even though no one had done it before, it gave her the strength and self-confidence to try-permission to cross against the light. When Lesley began, the credentials...

"While sportswriters rushed into Major League Baseball locker rooms to talk with players, MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn barred the lone woman from entering along with them. That reporter, 26-year-old Sports Illustrated reporter Melissa Ludtke, charged Kuhn with gender discrimination, and after the lawyers argued Ludtke v. Kuhn in federal court, she won. Her 1978 groundbreaking case affirmed her equal rights, and the judge's order opened the doors for...

"Dave Kindred is among the greatest living chroniclers of sports. He has covered dozens of Super Bowls, developed a personal relationship with Muhammad Ali, and traveled the country following some of the greatest stars and teams in all of sports. But as he looks back on his life, it's a girls' high school basketball team, the Lady Potters of Morton, Illinois, that stands apart from the rest. In this moving and intimate story, Kindred writes about...

""With the world's eyes on Jackie Robinson, there were not many who noticed the sportswriter that traveled by the baseball star's side in 1946-47. Wendell Smith was a pioneer not only in writing, but in broadcast media as well, with a career that spanned 1937-1972 and included more than 1,500 written pieces. After an extensive biographical sketch, this work presents a collection of Smith's writings. Chapters are organized to present Smith as one who...

"Kate Fagan and her father forged their relationship on the basketball court, bonded by sweaty high fives and a dedication to the New York Knicks. But as Kate got older, her love of the sport and her closeness with her father grew complicated. The formerly inseparable pair drifted apart. The lessons that her father instilled in her about the game, and all her memories of sharing the court with him over the years, were a distant memory. When Chris...

"Thirty years (and counting!) after publication, To the Linksland still enthralls readers who pick it up for the first time--or return to the book for the sheer pleasure of it. In 1991, Michael Bamberger, a newspaper sportswriter, gave up his apartment, took a leave of absence from his job and his life, and, joined by his newlywed wife, set off to explore the wide world of golf. Bamberger's first step in this madcap golfing adventure was to become...

"A tribute to Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully in the words of writers, broadcasters, and others who knew him and celebrate him not just for his sixty-seven years calling games for the Dodgers but for his values, actions, and contributions away from the game"-- "When Vin Scully passed away in 2022, the city of Los Angeles lost its soundtrack. If you were able to deliver a eulogy for him, what might it be? What impact did he have on you?...