We spend a whole lot of time here at Bonus Referrer Code thinking about sports. So it’s no wonder that we’ve read several absolutely amazing sports books in our time!
We’re not talking about the kind of sportsbooks where you place bets (hello bet35 bonus code), today we’re talking about the kind of sports books where you can get really engrossed in a story. Where you learn something new about a sport you’ve loved forever. Or you discover a whole new sport you barely knew existed.
In short, they are exceptional books in their own right. But that celebrate or investigate sport in lots of different ways.
And any of these books would make a perfect gift for someone for a birthday or Christmas, or even just because they are so darned nice!
So, without further ado, let’s dive right in with a look at our updated list of books for 2024!
Our 8 Favourite Sports books – Updated List for 2024!
Homing by Jon Day
Bet you never thought you’d read a book about pigeons. Well, here we are, about to convince you to read Homing by Jon Day.
Pigeon racing is a fascinating sport that becomes a lifelong passion for many people. Author Day is a pigeon fancier himself, and his memoir explores many different aspects of the sport and how it interacted with his life.
Touching on everything from early human history to the joys and trials of fatherhood, this is a highly memorable book and one that would make an excellent gift for yourself or someone you love. And no, you certainly don’t need to be into pigeons to enjoy it!
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Another memoir, Tuesdays with Morrie is a fascinating collection of stories that sports writer Mitch Albom made to his former professors while he was dying. Is it one of the great sports books? It’s just one of the great books, period.
At the time of these visits, Albom was a rising star in sports journalism. His visits became chapters, chronicling what Morrie learned over the course of his life. Interspersed with sports but really about life itself, Tuesdays with Morrie is a must-read for anyone.
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
If you’re a fan of the NFL, it should come as no great shock to you that many players start out in high school teams. And in high school, football is taken extremely seriously. That’s exactly what H G Bissinger explores in the classic Friday Night Lights.
On the face of it, this book is about one small town in Texas in one season in the 1980s. But it is about so much more than that, when you get into it. In a way, it exposes the truth of American culture on a whole. Not just their obsession with football, but how football reveals people’s truest selves. And what we see isn’t always pretty.
The book spawned a film (starring Billy Bob Thornton) as well as inspiring a popular TV series of the same that ran for many seasons across the United States. An update of which is due to make a return to our screens in the near future.
The Bloodied Field by Michael Foley
Michael Foley does an exceptional job of capturing one of the most controversial events in British and Irish sporting (and political) history of the 1900s. The Bloodied Field is about the original Bloody Sunday, where on 21 November 1920, British forces opened fire on the crowd during a GAA match in the heart of Dublin.
Heartbreaking, gripping and fascinating, this sports book chronicles how an organization solidified a nation’s love of its indigenous sport. And also how these sports came to be viewed as threatening to the British government of the time.
Even if you’ve never heard of the GAA, we guarantee you’ll get something out of this book. It is an essential account of a key event in Irish social history.
Dream On (One Hacker’s Challenge to Break Par in a Year) by John Richardson
If you have ever played golf, then this is a sports book you will be able to relate to. Dream On by John Richardson recounts the author’s attempts to go from being an occasional part-time player, unable to shoot below 100, to trying to shoot a round of level par or better within a year.
Richardson, however, is not able to spend countless hours in his pursuit. He has a job, family, friends all of which must be juggled as he attempts to improve his skills to be able to shoot level par in his increasingly sparse spare time.
Written in a comedic style, the author captures the ups and downs of his journey quite beautifully and as to whether he achieves the feat? Well, why not read it and find out?!
Football Leaks – Uncovering the Dirty Deals Behind the Beautiful Game by Rafael Buschmann & Michael Wulzinger
In 2016, German newspaper Der Spiegel started to publish a series of leaked files from a whistle-blower who had hacked the data from several top European clubs. What these 18.6 million documents detailed, was the extraordinary lengths clubs would go to in order to maintain supremacy.
This is the story of the famous “Football Leaks”, which are partly the reason why Manchester City is facing 115 charges of financial mismanagement. It is one of the most eye-opening sports books of modern times.
This is a shocking book, one which exposes the little-known darker underbelly of professional football at the highest level. Where clubs will seek to bend the rules to breaking point, or break them completely and then cover their tracks from the authorities.
Read Football Leaks and you won’t think of football in the same way again.
The System – The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian
Covering many different aspects and personalities of big-time college football in the United States, The System by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian is without doubt one of the most impressive and important sports books that delves into the often murky world of college football.
27 chapters covering all aspects of the game, from college presidents to college head coaches, players, staff, fans and boosters, all aspects of college football are laid bare in this outstanding book.
Even if you are not a fan of college football, what happens in this supposedly amateur game for young men to play, is sure to amaze you.
Panini Sticker Collections by Panini
A change of pace now and a healthy dose of nostalgia too. Panini, the creator of the famous football sticker and card selections, have released a series of sports books that collate their completed sticker albums.
You can find them for the World Cup and Euro Cup (European Championships) as well as a couple of books that contain albums from the UK Soccer scene from 1978 through to 1993.
If you ever collected football stickers as a child, then these sports books will keep you engrossed for hours as you recall collecting the stickers shown. It isn’t a story, but it is a fantastic collection of old albums that are probably long gone, but which exist firmly in your memory as a child.
Always remember to gamble responsibly.
Check out bet365’s Safer Gambling page for more details.
Updated on 13th December 2024
