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Sports Illustrated's Top 100 Sports Books

After all, when done right, sportswriting transcends bats and balls to display all the traits of great literature: incision, wit, force and vision, suffused with style and substance. Herewith the editors of SI's favorite sports books, compiled with love and reason, out of intense and sometimes unruly discussions.
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from si.com · made by Bobbi Green
avg. score: 4 of 100 (4%)
required scores: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 
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The Sweet Science by A. J. Liebling
The Sweet Science by A. J. Liebling
1
The Boys of Summer
The Boys of Summer
2
Ball Four
Ball Four
3
Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream
Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream
4
You Know Me Al (RING LARDNER)
You Know Me Al
5
RING LARDNER
A Season on the Brink (JOHN FEINSTEIN)
A Season on the Brink
6
JOHN FEINSTEIN
Semi-Tough (DAN JENKINS)
Semi-Tough
7
DAN JENKINS
Paper Lion (GEORGE PLIMPTON)
Paper Lion
8
GEORGE PLIMPTON
The Game (Ken Dryden)
The Game
9
Ken Dryden
Fever Pitch
Fever Pitch
10
A River Runs Through It (Montana)
A River Runs Through It (Montana)
11
Seabiscuit (Laura Hillenbrand)
Seabiscuit
12
Laura Hillenbrand
Loose Balls
Loose Balls
13
Bang the Drum Slowly (MARK HARRIS)
Bang the Drum Slowly
14
MARK HARRIS
Heaven Is a Playground (RICK TELANDER)
Heaven Is a Playground
15
RICK TELANDER
Levels of the Game (JOHN MCPHEE)
Levels of the Game
16
JOHN MCPHEE
The Breaks of the Game (DAVID HALBERSTAM)
The Breaks of the Game
17
DAVID HALBERSTAM
The Summer Game (ROGER ANGELL)
The Summer Game
18
ROGER ANGELL
The Long Season (JIM BROSNAN)
The Long Season
19
JIM BROSNAN
Instant Replay: The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer (Jerry Kramer)
Instant Replay: The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer
20
Jerry Kramer
Everybody's All-American (FRANK DEFORD)
Everybody's All-American
21
FRANK DEFORD
Fat City (LEONARD GARDNER)
Fat City
22
LEONARD GARDNER
The City Game (PETE AXTHELM)
The City Game
23
PETE AXTHELM
The Natural
The Natural
24
North Dallas Forty (PETER GENT)
North Dallas Forty
25
PETER GENT
When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi (David Maraniss)
When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi
26
David Maraniss
Babe: The Legend Comes to Life (ROBERT CREAMER)
Babe: The Legend Comes to Life
27
ROBERT CREAMER
The Golf Omnibus (P.G. WODEHOUSE)
The Golf Omnibus
28
P.G. WODEHOUSE
About Three Bricks Shy of a Load (ROY BLOUNT JR.)
About Three Bricks Shy of a Load
29
ROY BLOUNT JR.
A Fan's Notes
A Fan's Notes
30
Joe Dimaggio: The Hero's Life (RICHARD BEN CRAMER)
Joe Dimaggio: The Hero's Life
31
RICHARD BEN CRAMER
The Game They Played (STANLEY COHEN)
The Game They Played
32
STANLEY COHEN
Veeck as in Wreck (BILL VEECK AND ED LINN)
Veeck as in Wreck
33
BILL VEECK AND ED LINN
Ben Hogan's Five Lessons (BEN HOGAN AND HERBERT WARREN WIND)
Ben Hogan's Five Lessons
34
BEN HOGAN AND HERBERT WARREN WIND
The Worst Journey in the World
The Worst Journey in the World
35
Beyond a Boundary (C.L.R. JAMES)
Beyond a Boundary
36
C.L.R. JAMES
A False Spring (PAT JORDAN)
A False Spring
37
PAT JORDAN
Life on the Run (BILL BRADLEY)
Life on the Run
38
BILL BRADLEY
The Red Smith Reader (RED SMITH)
The Red Smith Reader
39
RED SMITH
An Outside Chance: Essays on Sport (THOMAS MCGUANE)
An Outside Chance: Essays on Sport
40
THOMAS MCGUANE
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