Leo Lyons, the Rochester Jeffersons and the Birth of the NFL
By Jeffrey J. Miller and John D. Steffenhagen
McFarland, June 23
Delving into a lesser-known founding father of the NFL, this biography reveals how Lyons’ many contributions — from championing integration to working with Wilson Sporting Goods on the football’s iconic shape — helped create the juggernaut league we know today.
A Beautiful Shame: One Team’s Fight for Survival in a New Era of College Sports
By Ryan Swanson
Bloomsbury Academic, July 10
A behind-the-scenes look at the shuttering of the University of New Mexico men’s soccer team — a prominent, successful program that was nevertheless imperiled by sweeping NCAA changes — serves as an important case study for the new world of college athletics.
Walking with Greatness: My Caddie Life on the Tour with Fred, Fuzzy, Vijay, Tiger, and More
By Cayce Kerr, with Andrew Both
Triumph Books, July 22
Kerr, who worked 30 consecutive Masters tournaments and carried the bag for more than two dozen major champions, reflects on his lengthy caddying career, sharing insights and anecdotes from his time in the upper echelon of golf.
Turf Wars: The Fight for the Soul of America’s Game
By DeMaurice Smith
Random House, Aug. 5
The former NFLPA head retraces his 14-year tenure as the players’ leading advocate, adding context to and shedding light on everything from Colin Kaepernick’s protests to collective-bargaining negotiations, while candidly outlining the high-level struggles between the union and league.
Forward Progress: The Definitive Guide to the Future of College Football
By Bill Connelly
Triumph Books, Sept. 2
An ESPN staff writer and analytics expert lays out his accounting of the constantly shifting landscape in major college football, using data to examine the forces and interests that have pushed the sport into new frontiers — and taking a look at what may be coming next.
Spirit of a Team: Successful CEOs and Coaches Share Their Strategies for Achieving Excellence
By Lee Owens, with Larry Phillips
Fayetteville Mafia Press, Sept. 2
A former high school and college football coach whose lengthy career included 16 championships, Owens sits down with bold-face names from both the sports and business worlds to learn the secrets to their success.
American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback
By Seth Wickersham
Hyperion Avenue, Sept. 9
ESPN’s Wickersham takes a philosophical approach to the most important position in football, studying the career journeys of current and former standouts to reveal the full picture of what’s gained — and lost — in the quest for quarterback stardom.
Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It
By Jane Leavy
Grand Central Publishing, Sept. 9
Leavy, a reporter-turned-biographer and lifelong baseball fanatic, tackles MLB’s issues of the day, digging into the game’s modern, data-driven form; gathering input from current and former stars; and offering solutions to steer the nation’s pastime back to cultural dominance.
The World Atlas of Football Stadiums: 1000 Iconic Grounds & Their Stories
By John Gillard
Rizzoli Universe, Sept. 16
This illustrated guide sets out a bucket-list map for soccer aficionados the world over, highlighting venues great and small, well-known and obscure, modern and historic — anywhere the beautiful game is played, and enjoyed, with a colorful story to match.
Opening the Door for Jackie: The Untold Story of Baseball’s Integration
By Keith Evan Crook
McFarland, Sept. 19
Exploring Jackie Robinson’s historic signing from a different angle, Crook dives into the off-field, World World II-era civil rights activism that helped set the table for Major League Baseball to finally break its color barrier.
