The Best American Sports Writing 2001

Since its inception in 1915, the Best American series has become the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction. For each volume, a series editor reads hundreds of pieces from dozens of periodicals, then selects between fifty and a hundred outstanding works. That selection is pared down to the twenty or so very best pieces by a guest editor who is widely recognized as a leading writer in his or her field. This unique system has helped make the Best American series the most respected -- and most popular -- of its kind. Well established as the foremost anthology of its kind, THE BEST AMERICAN SPORTS WRITING brings together the finest writing on sports to appear in the past year. For this edition, sports maven Bud Collins has gathered a collection that goes beyond the scores to the people and emotions behind the game. Over the past ten years the series has garnered rave reviews for its top-notch writing and diversity of subjects. This year's anniversary collection upholds that tradition by presenting high-quality writing on fascinating and surprising topics, from baseball to boxing, from hockey to horse shows. Chosen from more than 350 national, regional, and specialty publications, the pieces here embrace the world of sports in all its drama, humanity, and excitement.