Best Sports Biographies of All Time

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Posted: April 28, 2020

Updated: April 28, 2020

  • In the book Ali: A Life we can read about the private life of Muhammad Ali
  • The story of Oakland Athletics, Moneyball was made into a film
  • Andre Agassi’s Open tells about his hatred for the sport

Without many live sports events at the moment it is a perfect time to learn a bit more about our favorite athletes and read their biographies. You can read about their highest and lowest points during the career and private lives. In the best sports biographies of all time we can find athletes from different sports from football to baseball. 

Many fans are curious about the lives of their favorite athletes. But most of them try to stay out of the limelight and protect their private lives. Of course, it’s perfectly normal, but some of them are letting you to have some insights into their lives. They write memories about their biggest successes and rivalries, and the background of all of them. The most famous biographies are honest, show you even the ugly parts of the lives of the biggest athletes. 

In the best biographies of all time we can read about the lives of greatest athletes

Some of the best biographies don’t need too much publicity, as they are about the biggest stars in sports. Like the ones about the greatest boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali. There have been a few books written about him, one of the best is the one written by Jonathan Eig called Ali: A Life. It was published in 2017, a year after his death. Eig spent a lot of time learning more about Ali’s illness and his decline. He also made interviews with Ali’s two former wives, who confirmed that he wasn’t a great husband. Of course, it doesn’t change the fact that he was one of the greatest athletes of all time. And also a very entertaining oneOnline gambling sites in the US are offering odds for today’s great boxers games, like Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua. 

best sports biographies of all time
Michael Jordan – Image via Flickr

Michael Jordan is one of the best basketball players of all time. His biography, Michael Jordan: The Life is about his career from college to the NBA, summarizing interviews with his coaches, teammates, friends and family members. We can learn more about his life and his mentality, but also his weak point for gambling in a dry tone, sticking to the facts. The NBA is on hold at the moment, but you can make bets on virtual games on bet365

Biography with a great impact

Another famous American sport is baseball, with lots of books written about the game and the main characters of the sport. Moneyball is written by Michael Lewis, and it’s about the Oakland Athletics team and its staff. Their story where manager Billy Beane used really special players in his team from overweight college athletes to older players was made into a film, starring Brad Pitt as Beane. But it’s worth reading the book as it’s one of the best books about the sport. It has also made a huge impact on MLB and how teams are signing their players. New statistics have been studied after the success of the minor team of Athletics, which reached the playoffs regularly in the beginning of the 2000s. 

Best biographies from footballers

As football is the most popular sport in the world, books about footballers will be always on high demand. Most of the biggest players have their life stories published during or after their sports career, with many having loud feedback after. Like the book of ex-Manchester United player Roy Keane. In Roy Keane: The Second Half we can read about Keane sporting and coaching career with brutal honesty written by Booker prize winner Roddy Doyle. We can read about Keane’s aggressive moments, his life as a manager and as a TV pundit. 

But if you want to know more about the other side, you can also read the biography of Sir Alex Ferguson. He mentions Keane in his book along with his relationship with David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. If you want to be a successful football coach, surely you can learn a lot from Ferguson, who is one of the best football managers of all time. But you’ll enjoy the book even if you’re just a fan of football. 

The life of a genius

There are few more important people in football’s history than Ferguson, but Johan Cruyff is one of them. He changed the whole game with his new concept of Total Football where every player can play in every position. In the book Johan Cruyff: My Turn you can read about his life as a player, as a manager and his relation to Ajax and the Dutch national team.  Reading the book gives a great opportunity to learn more about his thoughts and views about football. 

best sports biographies of all time
Johan Cruyff graffity.

Other great biographies from different sports

For tennis lovers we recommend the book of a great American tennis player, Andre Agassi: Open.  It is one the best sports biographies of all time. The star speaks honestly about his ups and downs during his career and private life. Including his relationship with his father to his marriage with Brooke Shields. We can learn about the pressure he had to deal with since his childhood. Many people might be surprised to read that Agassi hated tennis just like his second wife, Steffi Graf. His acts, like his long-hair or colorful shirt were signs of his frustration. He retired from the sport, but fans can watch today’s greatest stars in the US Open next. Online sportsbooks in the US are favoring Novak Djokovic to win it with the odds of 2.50 at Bet365 Sportsbook. 

A book about the biggest cyclist scandal

If you can’t wait to see cycling races again, you might be interested in reading a fascinating book about the dark sides of the sport. The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle tells the story of doping in the US postal team.  The team where  Hamilton rode together with Lance Armstrong. He was his main helper during his first three Tour de France victories. Also his mate in doping with the rest of the team. Hamilton won the Olympic gold medal in 2004 but soon after he was found guilty of doping which meant the end of his career. Hopefully there won’t be any doping scandal on this year’s Tour de France which is scheduled to start at the end of August this year. 

You can discover more about Bet365 Sportsbook here.

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