51 Books Like Changing the Game

We found Michael Lewis’s new audiobook (Audible Originals, 2020) a hilarious first-person account of the insanity that youth sports has become, in this case focusing on pay-to-play softball. Lewis even describes how he cut short time with President Obama to rush back to one of his daughter’s softball tournaments to demonstrate how youth sports colonized his family’s life. 

We were impressed by how Hyman digs deep into the ethical dilemmas and the staggering amount of money generated by the industry, which now requires families to spend large sums of money annually to have their children participate in youth sports.

He clearly demonstrates how hugely profitable businesses have very little concern about whether the products they use in the youth sports industry actually serve their youth target audience well.

We were amazed about how Farrey took us on a global journey analyzing how youth sports are handled worldwide, with the United States's pay-to-play club travel team system receiving low marks indeed.  It is a great and accessible read by an individual who now heads up the Aspen Institute's Project Play, which is devoted to reforming youth sports in America.   

Admittedly not a happy read, we believe this is a necessary one to grasp the sickening, heart-breaking overuse injury aspect of youth sports with stories from individual athletes, teams, and coaches from around the country. 

The term "career-ending injury" is now increasingly applied to teenage athletes as a result of overuse injuries! The author critically examines the roles of parents, coaches, professional sports leagues, and national sports organizations that turn a blind eye to the wreckage left in the wake of the overuse epidemic.  

The big yellow book on PE taught me so much about movement, lesson planning, and skill development. It was immaculately researched and dense with ideas, progressions, charts, and sample lesson plans. I have about fifty sections marked with sticky paper tabs. 

Coaches who want to develop their athletes/players/students rather than cherry-pick the big kids need to know how to teach rather than just what to teach. This book is invaluable as a teaching resource. 

I also loved the feel of the old hardback, brimming with knowledge.

A research-driven guide to choosing a career with purpose, impact, and long-term satisfaction, anchored in the idea that we spend 80,000 hours of our lives working and those hours should matter.

Todd challenges the myth that meaningful work and financial security cannot coexist. The book outlines pathways ranging from direct service to high-earning philanthropic routes that allow people to contribute to the world in ways aligned with their talents.

After graduating, I often wondered whether I had chosen the wrong path by prioritizing impact over income. This book showed me that you can do both: build a good life and make a difference. That realization was liberating. It helped me see my career not as a sacrifice but as a strategic way to contribute to the world.

Part of mastering influence with audiences involves visuals because of the prevalence of tools like Power Point and Keynote. I came to realize is this truth: your slides support your talk but should not be the focus.

As I read Presentation Zen, I kept going back to my slide dec to rework every aspect based on my learning. I moved away from the traditional bullet point, text-filled slides with cheesy animation and pictures. I replaced them with beautiful pictures and minimal words to supports my theme. The audience response was a night and day difference!

I was lucky enough to be taught by the authors when I was doing my MSc in sports coaching. Both brought years of practical experience to their lectures, and this is reflected in the book. It gives a good overview of children's physical, mental, and social development from pre-school to teenage years.

 I found it clear and helpful, and it reminded me of what is best for each age/stage of children when coaching them. I like the practical tips and ‘things to avoid’ paragraphs. Writing this review made me want to go back and read it again!

Published in 1979, Anderson’s collection of columns preserves seminal sports moments, primarily from that decade. Anderson’s on-deadline work for The New York Times revisits Hank Aaron’s 715th MLB home run, which broke Babe Ruth’s all-time record. He was in the right place at the right time for an interview with Negro Leagues pitching legend Satchel Paige in 1976, a column in which the old fireballer praised Slim Jones, Bob Feller, and Dizzy Dean as the “best pitches I ever saw.” Jimmy Connors, Joe Namath, Gordie Howe, Julius Erving, and Muhammad Ali are among the icons that Anderson highlights with exceptional portraiture, capturing Howe’s career as he approaches his 50th birthday. Anderson also produces a splendid profile of Wilt Chamberlain playing volleyball.

Like many of the premier sports journalists of the post-World War II era, Anderson traveled widely and covered prominent events throughout the United States and around the… show more.

John Schulian, one of the premier American sports journalists from the 1970s to the present, has recommended The Red Smith Reader with unsparing enthusiasm: “Quite simply the most thorough collection ever of the master’s work... a joy to everyone who picks it up.” A compilation of 131 Smith columns published in 1982, the year of his death, the book showcases his literary prose, which elevated the profession. The biggest games (Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series, Reggie Jackson’s three home runs on three consecutive at-bats in the 1977 Fall Classic) and individuals (Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali, Secretariat) are the foundation of Smith’s invaluable contributions to the understanding and appreciation of sports culture. His profiles of boxing and horse racing trainers are also exceptionally astute portraits.

Red Smith was a deadline artist, crafting timeless columns. As a fan of good writing and an admirer of his literary… show more.