The Best American Sports Writing 2000

This annual collection of the year's best sports writing contains some extraordinary works, engaging and insightful, varied enough to keep the reader's interest over several pieces. Fans of traditional American sports, however, may be disappointed with the collection's particular subjects, for there are only a few articles about the four major American sports of baseball, basketball, football and hockey. These include two excellent basketball articles, David Halberstam's ""He Got a Shot in the NBA and It Went In,"" and Matt Teague's ""Return of the White Man."" Most of the other pieces focus on extreme sports such as skateboarding, rock climbing and motorcycle jumping (Allison Glock's Touch of Knievel), or on less popular sports like swimming. Many of the best articles, such as Bryan Burrough's ""Storm Warning,"" about yacht racing, and Jonathan Miles's story about action bowling, may be enjoyed by traditional sports fans because they describe elements, such as competition and athleticism, that are constants in all sports. These same readers, however, might be discouraged by the many articles iconcerning subjects that can be considered sports only marginally, such as cock fighting, professional wrestling and poker. Nonetheless, Americans are always interested in collections of the best, and this one will probably become a popular gift book. (Oct.)