The Year's Best Sports Writing 2025

by Glenn Stout, Glenn Stout (contributor)

A must-read collection featuring the best in sports journalism Editor Hanif Abdurraqib has curated an essential anthology showcasing incredible feats and diverse perspectives across the world of sports. Selected from a wide range of newspapers, magazines, and digital publications during the previous year, these stories capture enduring moments while celebrating the craft of writing at its most sublime. This extraordinary collection reveals the fascinating stories behind the sports we love, the competitors who push their boundaries, and the cultures they are ultimately embedded in.

Genres: Sports

344 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

Author of the Jazz Age true crime yarn Tiger Girl and the Candy Kid: America's Original Gangster Couple (2021), NY Times bestseller The Pats: An Illustrated History of the New England Patriots (2018) The Selling of the Babe (2016), Fenway 1912 (2012) and Young Woman the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World (2009) currently set up and in development as a major motion picture for Disney +. (ETA 2021). Since becoming a full-time writer in 1993, Glenn Stout has written, ghostwritten or edited 100 books representing sales in excess of two million copies. Stout is also author of The Cubs, The Dodgers, Nine Months at Ground Zero, Yankees Century, Red Sox Century, and has served as Series Editor of The Best American Sports Writing since its inception. Glenn also consults on a variety of writing projects (books, proposals, Longform narratives). He has won both the Seymour Medal and Ritter Award (twice) by the Society for American Baseball Research, and Yes Se Can! made the 2012 Amelia Bloom list for feminist content. He lives in Vermont.

Reviews

[Peter Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

ughhhhh there really is no place like sports

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is fascinating collection of essays and articles. I do not know if Abdurraqib's introduction is available online, but it's definitely worth reading if you are unsure about this book because he lays out quite clearly that the driving force behind this collection is finding writers with a story to tell who are so confident of the power of their story that they're going to trust you to come along with them for the ride. The definition of "sports" gets stretched a fair bit in some places, though I think the biggest reach is in the piece about pilgrimages, which was worth the price of the volume for me.

[Kevin Krein · Rating 3 out of 5]

five stars for the introduction obviously. and like, i suppose something like this is going to be a mixed bag. some of the actual "journalism" is very stiff but that comes with the territory of news writing. the more unconventional pieces, or personal pieces, were of genuine interest, like about long distance walking, or hiking, or being in your 30s and leaning to ride a bike for the first time. those are for sure, like, really thoughtful and well done, and challenge the idea of what "sports writing" is.

[Shannon Heaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An array of some of the nation's best sports and sports-adjacent writing -- I say some of only because there is not, can not be, an objective standard to it all. I think the essays that captured me the most were 1) the closing essay about attempting to learn how to ride a bike, by Devin Kelly; and, 2) a personal essay on one man's obsession with basketball cards, by Kaveh Akbar. All of the essays were written with sufficient verve to hold even this veteran writer's attention.

[Pete Papagiannis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Xmas gift. A real joy to read sports articles on paper instead of the blooming screen! I will go back and dive into the previous years. Some tremendous writing but would have liked to see more from the four major NA sports. Grateful to have found this superb quote that resonated deeply as an expat, reflecting on home:

"You cannot see that treasure until you have seen the wider world. You cannot know home by staying at home; you must first have gone away"

[Ethan Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

The introduction itself was super interesting. I would add that to these five favs:

- The Alchemists, Kim Cross/Bicycling
- Inside San Jose State’s Polarizing Volleyball Season, Katie Barnes/ESPN
- Football in Palestine, Zito Madu/Flaming Hydra
- Let’s Hear it for the Dolls: A day shooting hoops with Brooklyn’s trans basketball league, Frankie De La Cretaz/Self
- Torn from her family at birth, a woman brings a skatepark to her homeland, Roman Stubbs/Washington Post

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually enjoy this collection more than I did this year. Abdurraqib's editing seems to be at fault. There was not enough variety between the various entries, with common themes and topics flooding the book. Highlights included 'Sour' by Ettore Ewen, 'Black Girl, Blue Leotard' by Lisa Williamson Rosenberg, and 'Scholar's Mate' by Mychal Denzel Smith.

[Joseph · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not the "year's best" and mostly not "sports writing." In most cases, these articles are not from professional writers who cover their sports. A sad entry in an otherwise strong series. It makes me sad that they've taken this polarizing direction.

[Mike Azzalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Sports usually wins for me. Sometimes this book stretched what I define as sport, but the journalism was able to pull it together. At times, it felt dry. At others, it really drew me in.

The intro is worth the price of admission. Solid read.

[George Klein]

Death of the Hiker was the standout in the collection to me

[Ingrid Gillies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every essay was phenomenal!!!