Sports Books coming in 2022

UPDATE – The list of 2023 sports books is out now! Check it out by clicking here.

This list was originally published in December 2021 – for a more up-to-date list of books being published over the second half of 2022 check out this page (published on 14 May 2022) – https://allsportsbooks.reviews/2022/05/14/sports-books-coming-later-in-2022/

It’s time for my annual list of sports books coming over the next 12 months that I am looking forward to. The twitter thread is always my most popular of the year and this post contains the same list but sorted by sport. So here goes:

Boxing

• The Duke: The Life and Lies of Tommy Morrison by Carlos Acevedo @CruelestSport. The tragic story of the boxer whose lifestyle spiraled out of control. Acevedo is the author of the excellent A Sporting Blood and this looks to be a great combination of author, subject and publisher @HamilcarPubs. One of the books I’m looking forward to most in 2022.

• Joe Louis vs Billy Conn: Boxing’s Unforgettable Summer of 1941 by Ed Gruver @EdGruver. One of the most anticipated fights in history that more than lived up the hype and the fascinating men who squared off.

• The Last Dance: Tyson, Lewis, Holyfield, Bowe & Heavyweight Boxing’s Last Great Era by Brian Doogan @doogan_brian and Ron Borges @RonBorges. Each of these 4 heavyweights was a fascinating character and their fights between them were global events.

Rugby

• Unforgettable by Steve Thompson @Tommo33s. The World Cup winning front row writes about his career and the brutal toll the injuries, and eventual early onset dementia, has taken on him and his family.
• Full Time by Nigel Owens @nigelrefowens. The story of the second half of Nigel’s career as one of the most famous referees in World Rugby.

Soccer

• Two Brothers by Jonathan Wilson @jonawils. A dual-biography of Jack and Bobby Charlton, World Cup winning brothers in the 1966 England team. As an Irish football fan, Jack will always have a special place in my memory and this promises to be a fascinating book from the always excellent author of Inverting the Pyramid and The Barcelona Legacy.

• Johan Cruyff: Always on the Attack by Auke Kok @AukeKok. A comprehensive biography of the legendary Dutchman. Different aspects of Cruyff’s life have been extensively written about. This promises to be the first comprehensive English language bio since his death to try and capture his immense impact on the global game.

• USA 94 – The World Cup That Changed The Game by Matt Evans @the_mevs @USA94Book. Very much looking forward to this book. For an Irish kid born in 1984, nothing will ever compete with USA 94 for my affection!

• The Last Busby Babe: The Autobiography of Sammy McIlroy (with Wayne Barton @WayneSBarton). Autobiography of the former Northern Ireland, Manchester United and Stoke City player. McIlroy also managed the GAWA after winning 88 caps and appearing in the 1982 World Cup.

• When Two Worlds Collide: The Intercontinental Cup Years by Dan Williamson @winkveron @intlcupyears. Book on the annual match between Europe and South America’s champion football teams by the author of the excellent Blue and Gold Passion. Williamson is also writing a bio of Ronaldo (the real one) which is top of my 2023 list!

• Glorious Reinvention: The Rebirth of Ajax Amsterdam by Karan Tejwani @Karan_Tejwani26. A look at the Dutch club’s return to the heights of European football by the author of the excellent Wings of Change.

• On Football by Jorge Valdano. I think this a reprint of the previous book by the former Real Madrid player and executive. Valdono’s writing on football is always interesting so looking forward to getting this new version.

• England Football – The Biography: The Story of the Three Lions 1872-2022 by Paul Hayward @_PaulHayward. Veteran sportswriter Hayward telling the history of the English national soccer team.

• 1999: The Treble and All That by Matt Dickenson @DickensonTimes. The Chief Sports Writer for the Times recalls Manchester United’s historic Treble campaign in 99. Hard to believe that was more than 20 years ago!

• Rooney: Teenage Kicks: The Street Footballer Who Ruled the World by Wayne Barton @WayneSBarton. A look at the former Everton, Man Utd and England star’s early years when he burst onto the English football scene as the next great superstar aged 16. Barton is the leading writer of books on Man Utd and continuous to churn out interesting, engaging books each year.

• Nil Lamptey: The Curse of Pele by Joris Kaper @CaposdeCapos. Biography of the former Ghanaian footballer, best known in England for his spells at  Aston Villa and Coventry City. Explores the challenges of living up to unrealistic expectations and hype surrounding young talented footballers.

• Fields of Wonder: The incredible story of Northern Ireland’s journey to the 1982 World Cup by Evan Marshall. The author of Spirit of ’58, tells the story of Northern Ireland’s unlikely journey to the 1982 World Cup during a the height of the Troubles.

• High Noon: The Falklands, the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century by Michael Gibbons @mikewgibbons. The story of the famous World Cup quarter-final in 1986 between England and Argentina at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium. Set amid a tense political situation, and featuring Diego Maradona at his mercurial best, the game remains among the most famous ever played.

• Fit and Proper People: The Lies and Fall of OWNAFC by Martin Calladine @uglygame and James Cave @againstleague3. Sports fans must seem like an easy target for shady tech-linked businesses with the likes of the now defunct Football Index seeking to cash in on novel concepts of fandom. In 2019, an app called OWNAFC hit the market promising football fans the chance to buy and run their own club. Just a few months later it collapsed, leaving customers hundreds of thousands of pounds out of pocket.  The complete tale is told here.

• The O’Leary Years: Football’s Greatest Boom and Bust by Rocco Dean @roclufc. A look at a fascinating period in English football where Leeds splashed the cash and looked to return to the summit of the game before the house of cards came crashing down.

• A History of European Football in 100 Objects: The Alternative Football Museum by Andy Bollen @nirvanadiary. An interesting looking take on European Football history by the author of the excellent Fierce Genius.

• A New Formation: How Black Footballer’s Shaped the Modern Game by Calum Jacobs. Features contibutions from past players including Ian Wright and Andy Cole. @MerkyBooks

• Football’s Great War: Association Football on the English Home Front, 1914-1918 by Alexander Jackson. The curator @DrAlexJack1 of the Football Museum in Manchester explores how conflict reshaped the People’s Game on the English Home Front.

• My Untold Story by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The legendary, ageless, Swede’s first book was very enjoyable and the second promises to be just as entertaining. It is already published in Italy and Spain with English edition expected in 2022.

• How Money Changed Football: From the Premier League to Non-League by Philip Woods.

• Kit and Caboodle: Football’s Shirt Stories by Matt Riley @TalesThai

• The Cup: A Pictorial Celebration of the World’s Greatest Football Tournament by Richard Whitehead @RWhitehead61. As the FA Cup turns 150, this book should be a nostalgia fest for any English football fan.

• From Kids to Champions by Jonny Brick @jonnybrick. Host of the Football Library radio show writes about the FA Youth Cup.

• Essential Practice Sessions: The Ultimate Program for an Entire Season of Training by Carl Wild. For any soccer coaches out there.

• Football with Wings: The Tactical Concepts Behind the Red Bull Game Model by Lee Scott @FMAnalysis. Another book on tactics by Scott who makes difficult tactical concepts understandable. Of particular interest now that the mastermind of the Red Bull approach is the Man Utd manager!

• Post Punk Football by Jim Keoghan @Jim_Keoghan. New book from the author of ‘Is it Just Me or is Modern Football is S**t’, ‘How to Run a Football Club’.

• The Working Hands of a Goddess: The tactics, community and culture behind Gasperini’s Atalanta B.C by Tom Underhill @tomd_underhill. Looking at the creation of one of Europe’s most exciting sides, where they and their coach have come from, and where they sit within a city’s identity.

• The Dundee Derby by Jeff Webb. @DerbyDundee From the author of Scotland’s Lost Football Clubs.

• Radical Football: Jürgen Griesbeck and the Story of Football for Good by Steve Fleming @RadicalFooty. Story of a collective mission to unleash the power of football for the benefit of people and the planet. Fleming presents a hopeful vision for football’s future.

• Get it On: How the ’70s Rocked Football by Jon Spurling @JonSpurling1. The fascinating inside story of how commercialism, innovation, racism and hooliganism rocked English football in the ’70s.

• Fields of Dreams and Broken Fences: Delving into the Mystery World of Non-League Football by Aaron Moore @aaron_moore25.

• Ain’t Got a Barrel of Money: Sheffield United by @JasonHolyhead. Charting United’s dramatic fall from the edge of Europe in the mid 1970’s.

• 71/72 Football’s Greatest Season by Daniel Abrahams. @71Season

Basketball

• Muggsy: My Life from a Kid in the Projects to the Godfather of the Small Ball by Tyrone ‘ Muggsy’ Bogues @MuggsyBogues with Jacob Uitti @jakeuitti. Autobiography from the 5 ft 3 point guard, famously the shortest ever player in the NBA. Muggsy got a lot of praise in Scottie Pippen’s recent book Unguarded too.

• Magic Johnson by Roland Lazenby @lazenby. The author of excellent biographies of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant amongst others focusses this time on Magic Johnson.

• The Great Nowitzki: Basketball and the Meaning of Life by Thomas Pletzinger. Pletzinger, a German novelist and sportswriter, traveled with the Mavericks superstar Dirk Nowitzki for more than seven years, seeking the secret of his success and longevity.  Promises to be a fascinating read.

• Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski by Ian O’Connor @Ian_OConnor. The author of the excellent ‘Belichick’ and ‘The Jump’ examines the career of the legendary Duke basketball coach.  

• The Last Enforcer: Outrageous Stories from the Life and Times of one of the NBA’s Fiercest Competitors by Charles Oakley @CharlesOakley34 with Frank Isola @TheFrankIsola. This promises to be a fascinating book from one of the most interesting players from the 90’s era NBA.

• The NBA in Black and White: The Memoir of a Trailblazing NBA Player and Coach by Ray Scott with Charley Rosen. Memoir of Ray Scott, Piston’s legend who went #4 pick of the 1961 NBA draft, and became the first ever black man to win Coach of the Year as the Piston’s Coach in 1974.

• Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990’s New York Knicks by Chris Herring @Herring_NBA. It’s hard to remember the Knicks used to be wildly popular. I’m looking forward to this history of how Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, John Starks and Charles Oakley resurrected the iconic franchise through oppressive physicality and unmatched grit.

• The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality by Mike Sielski @MikeSielski. A new biography of the late basketball star which benefits from access to a series of recorded interviews from his senior high school season and the start of his NBA career.

• Hoops: A Cultural History of Basketball in America by Thomas Aiello @thomasaiello. A cultural history of the sport from the street to the highest levels of professional competition. The book argues that the game has existed in a reciprocal relationship with the broader culture, both embodying conflicts over race, class, and gender and serving as public theater for them. 

• Black Market: An Insider’s Journey into the High-Stakes World of College Basketball by Merl Code. From a former college basketball player and shoe rep for Nike, this explosive insider’s account into the dark underworld of college basketball exposes the corrupt and racist systems that exploit young athletes and offers a new way forward

NFL / American Football

• Surviving Washington by Robert Griffin III @RGIII with Gary Myers @GaryMyersNY. The much anticipated tell-all from the former Washington Quarterback who was briefly the most famous and exciting star in American sport.

• Seventeen and Oh: Miami, 1972 and the NFL’s Only Perfect Season by Marshall Jon Fisher @MarshallJFisher. A look back after 50 years at the legendary Dolphin’s team by the author of the excellent A Terrible Splendor.

• Playmakers: How the NFL Really Works (And Doesn’t) by Mike Florio. A wide ranging look at how the NFL really operates and continues to thrive despite constant scandals.

• The Hot Seat: A Year of Outrage, Pride, Occasional Games of College Football by Ben Mathis-Lilley @BenMathisLilley. The Slate writer taking a look at college football coaches – the book is ‘about why college football makes people so crazy—and, in a longer nutshell, hypothesizes that it does so because its programs and, especially, their coaches, are representatives of personal and cultural identity and status to a degree that is unlike any other sport in USA”.

• Hometown Victory: A Coach’s Story of Football, Fate, and Coming Home by Keanon Lowe @KeanonLowe and Justin Spizman. Lowe was working in the NFL when he chose to return home after losing a friend to opioids to coach a team of high school kids from broken homes on a 23-game losing streak to victory.

• The Rise of the Black Quarterback: What it Means for America by Jason Reid @JReidESPN. Building on a series by ESPN’s The Undefeated, Reid will delve into the history of black quarterbacks in the NFL.

• Draft Day Confidential by Thomas George. A behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the NFL Draft.

• Walking Alone: The United Journey of Football Pioneer Kenny Washington by Dan Taylor. The story of African American trailblazer Kenny Washington, the first black player in the NFL. Taylor examines the legendary player who at the time was considered one of the greatest and popular to ever play the game.

• The Road to the Horseshoe and Beyond: How a Small-Town Athlete Benefited from Ohio State Football to Build a Life by Rex Kern. A memoir of the former Ohio State football star who has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and spent 4 years in the NFL.

• Freezing Cold Takes: NFL: Football Media’s Most Inaccurate Predictions—and the Fascinating Stories Behind Them by Fred Segal @Frizz527. A look back at 20 spectacularly bad predictions by the creator of the popular @OldTakesExposed.

• Spies on the Sidelines: The High-Stakes World of NFL Espionage by Kevin Bryant @kevbryantauthor. Shines a shines a light on the shadowy world of NFL espionage and exposes the full range of collection techniques teams use to spy on their opponents, as well as the defensive countermeasures that are used to defend against them.

• From Gold Teeth to Gold Jacket: My Life in Football and Business by Edgerrin James @EdgerrinJames32 with John Harris. Autobiography of the Hall of Fame running back Edgerrin James.

• Watch My Smoke: The Eric Dickerson Story by Eric Dickerson @EricDickerson with Greg Hanlon @GregHanlon. Autobiography of Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson which is getting a lot of praise for its openness and coverage of the racism he experienced.

• Cotton Davidson, the Rifleman of the AFL. Memoir of former Baylor, Colts and Oakland Raiders quarterback who also played as a punter and placekicker before a 20 plus year career coaching quarterbacks.

• Through the Banks of the Red Cedar: My Father and the Team that Changed the Game by Maya Washington @imayawashington. A memoir of Gene Washington’s football career by his daughter. This story was first a documentary which is now being published as a book.

Baseball

• Playing Through the Pain: Ken Caminiti and the Steroids Confession That Changed Baseball Forever by Dan Good @Dgood73. The story of the first MLB player, a respected MVP, to admit to taking performance enchancing steroids and the impact that confession had on baseball. @AbramsPress

• The Black Fives: The Epic Story of Basketball’s Forgotten Era by Claude Johnson @ClaudeJohnson. A history of the early days of Black basketball including the introduction of the game to Black communities and the racial integration of the NBA in 1950. @BlackFives

• Broken Game: The Rise of the Dodgers in a League on the Brink by Pedro Moura @pedromoura. An inside look at how the Dodgers won their first MLB championship in more than 30 years. The book also charts the relentless focus on winning in the post-Moneyball era and the extent to which changes have sent TV ratings and attendance numbers in long, slow decline.

• Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original by Howard Bryant @hbryant42. Definitive biography of Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, baseball’s epic leadoff hitter and base-stealer. When a great writer writes about a great player a great book should be expected!

• The Real Hank Aaron: An Intimate Look at the Life and Legacy of The Home Run King by Terence Moore @TMooreSports.

• Charlie Murphy: The Iconoclastic Showman Behind the Chicago Cubs by Jason Cannon. Story of the the ebullient and mercurial owner of this historic franchise from 1905 through 1914 during which the Cubs won two World Series.

• In Scoring Position: 40 Years of a Baseball Love Affair by Bill Chuck and Bob Ryan. A love letter to the game of baseball.  

• Mantle: The Best There Ever Was by Tony Castro @Tony_Castro. A bio of the Yankees legend which makes the case for him being the greatest ever to play the game.

Cycling

• Jan Ullrich: The Best There Never Was by Daniel Friebe @friebos. Biography of the always interesting 1997 Tour de France winner looking at his rise and his remarkable career that, despite his success, somehow never quite hit the heights that seemed possible.

• God is Dead: The Rise and Fall of Frank Vandenbroucke by Andy McGrath @Andymcgra. Story of the handsome mercurial Belgian cycling prodigy Frank Vandenbroucke who won a number of prestigious races but ultimately lived faster than he raced.

• Beryl: In Search of Britain’s Greatest Athlete by Jeremy Wilson @JWTelegraph. A biography of legendary British female cyclist Beryl Burton. There was a previous bio of Beryl last year by William Fotheringham highlighting how this legendary figure is beginning to receive long overdue credit.

Golf

• The Cup They Couldn’t Lose: America, The Ryder Cup, and the Long Road to Whistling Straits by Shane Ryan @ShaneRyanHere. A look at the most recent Ryder Cup which was more dramatic in the build up than the Cup itself!

• Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorised) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar by Alan Shipnuck @AlanShipnuck. A biography of golfer Phil Mickelson by long time golf writer Shipnuck which is being described as ‘juicy and freewheeling’.

• Tiger and Phil: Golf’s Most Fascinating Rivalry by Bob Harig @BobHarig. Before there was Brooks v Bryson there was Tiger v Phil. Mickelson’s career and public image have been defined by the contrast with Woods. Robotic and reticent versus affable and extroverted, ruthless efficient vs everyman ordinariness. Promises to be an interesting book.

Miscellaneous

• College Spots on the Brink of Disaster: The Rise of Pay-for-Play and the Fall of the Scholar Athlete by John Lebar and Allen Paul. First published as Marching Toward Madness this is being updated and republished. It argues for radical reforms to college sports but strongly opposes paying the players. An easier case to make when you’re an author and not a 19 year old playing on national television for room and board!

• A Delicate Game: Brain Injury, Sport, and Sacrifice by Hana Walker-Brown @HWalker_Brown. A look at sport, brain injury and CTE by the creator of The Beautiful Brain, an award-winning podcast.

• Roll Red Roll: Rape, Power, and Football in the American Heartland by Nancy Schwartzman @fancynancynyc. A difficult but important subject, the book will look at an incident where a sixteen year-old girl incapacitated by alcohol was repeatedly assaulted by Steubenville, Ohio high school football stars. Sounds similar to Jon Krakauer’s powerful Missoula.

• The Hard Parts: From Chernobyl to Paralympic Champion – My Story of Achieving the Extraordinary by Oksana Masters @OksanaMasters. Autobiography of a 10 time Paralympic medalist.

• If Gold is Our Destiny: How a Team of Mavericks Came Together for Olympic Glory by Sean P. Murray. The story of the 1984 Men’s US Olympic Volleyball team and their quest for gold at the LA Olympics.

• An Economist Goes to the Game: How to Throw Away $580 million and Other Surprising Insights from the Economics of Sport by Paul Oyer @pauloyer. An economist’s take on sports phenomena such as corruption, ticket scalping, child prodigies, the Olympics, and many others.

• It Was Always a Choice: Picking up the Baton of Athlete Activism by David Steele @David_C_Steele. A look at athlete activism for social causes in the post-Kaepernick era.

• Dynamite & Davey: The Explosive Lives of The British Bulldogs by Steven Bell @steven_bell1985. Biography of two larger than life British wrestlers that anyone growing up in the 90s will remember well.

• Rise: My Story by Lyndsey Vonn. A memoir from the most decorated female skier of all time.

• The All-rounder: The inside story of big time cricket by Dan Christian. The Aussie cricketer has been a gun for hire for team’s around the world.

• Different Class: The Untold Story of English Cricket by Duncan Stone @StoneDunk. A social and cultural history of cricket in England which the author reckons will ruffle a few feathers. @RepeaterBooks

• Loserville: How Professional Sports Remade Atlanta – and How Atlanta Remade Professional Sports by Clayton Trutor @ClaytonTrutor

• Running and Jumping by Steven Kedie @stevenkedie. A fictional story about an Olympic rivalry set between Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016.

• Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe by David Maraniss @davidmaraniss. The author of the impossibly brilliant When Pride Still Mattered (and other amazing books) turns his pen to the life of Jim Thorpe, probably the greatest all-round athlete of all time.

• The Mosquito Fleet by Lachlan Waterman @lahlan_waterman. Tells the story of the all-conquering Carlton Aussie Rules football side from the last 70s/early 80s.

Books with limited details

• In addition to the bountiful list above we can expect a range of books whose titles aren’t known including
  • Jeff Pearlman’s @jeffpearlman next book will be on the legendary Bo Jackson – a two-sport star who was gifted beyond comprehension but whose career was cut short due to injury. I cannot wait for this one.
  • A 3rd book from @petercrouch, the former footballer whose first two books were very entertaining.
  • The first ever family authorized biography of Duncan Edwards, the Man Utd player who was tipped to become an all time great before he died tragically at just 21 in the Munich Air Disaster. Written by Wayne Barton @WayneSBarton.
  • A new book from Chris Lepkowski @chrislepkowski, former WBA media head and author of From Buzaglo To Balis.
  • A new book in Autumn from John McNicoll @theWishyman80, the author of An Ode to Four Four Two.
  • A new book by Chris Lee @CMRLee, the man behind the Outside Write podcast and the author of ‘Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World’. @outsidewrite
  • A book by Stu Horsfield @loxleymisty44, author of the excellent Brazil 1982. Topic and Title yet to be revealed.
  • Book on Middlesboro’s first trophy win and European adventure by @PhilSpenc23
  • Biography of Bronko Nagurski, a pro football Hall of Famer who was also a Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion by Chris Willis @cdwillis83.