Backpage Sports Stories

Blog

Throwing a Curveball: How to Land a Baseball Book for the ages in the UK

I know nothing about baseball. Correction: I knew nothing about baseball. Until I read Astroball, that is. So began my immersion in a sport that I had never understood or held much interest to me. Read More →

Blog

Our favourite US sports books of the century

Last month, we published our second US sports book. Astroball: The New Way to Win it All is the best sports books we’ve read in recent years, and one of the best we’ve ever read. We are very excited to bring the UK edition of Ben Reiter’s book to a British audience. Read More →

Blog

NEW BOOK: Astroball – The New Way to Win it All

One of the reasons we founded BackPage was to introduce more of the US sports writing we loved to the UK market. We often had long conversations about writers such as Budd Schulberg, David Halberstam, George Plimpton, John Feinstein, Michael Lewis and Ring Lardner. The Best American Sports Writing of the 20th Century became our bible. However, when our second book, Barca, took off, we found ourselves focusing mainly on European sports writing. Read More →

Blog

‘Going Anderlecht’ with Vincent Kompany

In an exclusive extract from Football 2.0 by Grant Wahl, the Manchester City defender explains how his attacking instincts were honed at his first club, Anderlecht. Read More →

Blog

Deadlines and Darts with Dele: Day Eight – New School

Our new book, Deadlines and Darts with Dele, by Jonathan Northcroft, is his World Cup diary. As Sunday Times football correspondent, Jonathan spent his summer up close and personal with the England team during their deep run. But as well as an inside look into the Three Lions’ adventures in Russia, this is a book about what it’s like to cover a World Cup as a top-level football writer. Read More →

Blog

NEW BOOK: Deadlines and Darts with Dele

I USED to count the days until Jonathan Northcroft left the country. This is not a slight on the man himself. It’d be hard to meet a finer fellow in journalism. You see, around the early noughties, Jonny was working for Sunday Times Scotland as their chief football writer. Rumour had it that he was moving to a north of England beat, which would lead to a reshuffle on the Scottish desk. Read More →

Blog

Tribute: How a leap of faith propelled Alan Gilzean to the heights of the game

This callow 14-year-old, a schoolboy during the day and berry picker in the Perthshire countryside during the evenings, is laying the groundwork for a career in professional football. He does not know this yet. But one day, for a time, he will be the most-feared centre-forward in Europe and arguably the best header of a football ever. Read More →

Blog

Exclusive extract: Thierry, Technique and Team Belgium

This is an exclusive extract from Football 2.0: How the world’s best play the modern game. Through extensive interviews with one player in every key position on and off the pitch, Grant Wahl (Sports Illustrated) breaks down the technical and tactical revolution that has transformed football. ‘The Manager’ chapter is built around extensive interviews with Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez. Here, he breaks down how he assembled his backroom team, including Thierry Henry Read More →

Podcast

Between the Lines: New World Cup Series

Huge thanks to everyone who listened and subscribed to Season One of Between the Lines. We’ve recorded some new episodes for a World Cup series, which will hopefully get you in the mood for Russia this summer. Read More →

Blog

NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT! Football 2.0: How the world’s best play the modern game

We have been fans of Grant Wahl’s writing for many years. I read his first book, The Beckham Experiment, when it came out and have followed his writing closely for Sports Illustrated. Read More →