Muchnick, Irvin. Chris & Nancy: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling’s Cocktail of Death, The Ultimate Historical Edition. ECW Books, 2021. Pp. 280. $26.95 CAD paperback. Reviewed by Łukasz Muniowski Chris Benoit was my favorite wrestler. Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son, and then took his own life. These two truths seem impossible to reconcile, with the former overshadowing the latter. Fond memories of the “Canadian Crippler” beating bigger and stronger opponents in the ring fade in light of what happened during the last weekend of June 2007. Irvin Much ..read more

Kaliss, Gregory J. Beyond the Black Power Salute: Athlete Activism in an Era of Change. University of Illinois Press, 2023. Pp. 280. $24.95 paper. Reviewed by Łukasz Muniowski Inspired by Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 protest, Gregory J. Kaliss digs through the history of African-American activism, skipping past decades of “colorblind icons, like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, that lacked political engagement, to go all the way back to the 1960s. Names like Muhammad Ali, Tommie Smith, John Carlos, Billie Jean King, and Jim Brown are the expected heroes of the book, and rightfully so. But Kaliss ..read more

Edler, Adam. New Kids in the World Cup: The Totally Late ‘80s & Early ‘90s Tale of the Team That Changed American Soccer Forever. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2022. Pp. 360. $34.95 hardcover and e-book. Reviewed by Łukasz Muniowski The US men’s national team was one of the 13 teams that appeared in the original World Cup in 1930. The Americans immediately made a mark on the competition, finishing third overall. They are still waiting to repeat that feat. Unlike the women’s national team, the American men have yet to make even the semifinal of the global tournament. In f ..read more

O’Neil, Sean. Spirit and Sport: Religion and the Fragile Athletic Body in Popular Culture. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2022. Pp. 210. $50.00 paperback and e-book. Reviewed by Łukasz Muniowski Sean O’Neil introduces himself in the Preface to his book as “an ordained Christian minister and a bishop” (p. xi). And both occupations set the tone for Spirit and Sport, as it is devoid of religious objectivity. That is not to mistake this work as a piece of Christian propaganda; it is not that. Rather, it may be perceived as an overly-enthusiastic and -analytical account of a li ..read more

Bogues, Tyrone with Jacob Uitti. Muggsy: My Life from a Kid in the Projects to the Godfather of Small Ball. Triumph Books, 2023. Pp. 256. $28 paper. Reviewed by Łukasz Muniowski Asked whether there would ever be another Larry Bird, Bird himself answered that the proper question should be whether there would ever be another Muggsy Bogues. And, in a sense, he was right. Dirk Nowitzki or Kevin Durant, while unique in their own way, may be considered next-generation versions of Larry Legend, whereas players like Earl Boykins, Ty Lawson or Isaiah Thomas have a couple of inches on Tyrone “Muggs ..read more

Secular, Steven. The Digital NBA: How the World’s Savviest League Brings the Court to Our Couch. University of Illinois Press, 2023. Pp. 240. $27.95 paper. Reviewed by Łukasz Muniowski Steven Secular’s book is a combination of two approaches, intertwining first-hand observations and academic works about media studies and geopolitics, most notably globalization. Prompted to write the book due to the political machinations of former NBA Commissioner David Stern, Secular dissects the NBA media machine in great detail. Stern’s heavy-handed tactics, bravery and farsightedness gave the NBA cont ..read more

Squadron, Alex. Life in the G: Minor League Basketball and the Relentless Pursuit of the NBA. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2023. Pp. 288. $34.95 hardcover and e-book. Reviewed by Łukasz Muniowski As Alex Squadron himself points out, the NBA G League is “a place nobody wants to be,” yet every season basketball players crowd to get there. Everything seems to be in transition. The sense of temporariness is something that need not be accepted, but embraced. Players are not there for the money, but the proximity of the NBA. Every game is a chance for a call up. And it is th ..read more

Crawford, Russ. Women’s American Football: Breaking Barriers On and Off the Gridiron. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2022. Pp. 408. $34.95 hardcover and e-book. Reviewed by Łukasz Muniowski As pointed out by Russ Crawford at the beginning of the first book devoted solely to women’s American football, “Women and girls on more than 150 teams play tackle football in around ten leagues in the United States, and there are also hundreds of flag football leagues for females of various ages across the country” (p. 1). That number would be impressive on its own, but, taking into accou ..read more

Hornbaker, Tim. The Last Real World Champion: The Legacy of “Nature Boy” Ric Flair. Toronto: ECW Press, 2023. Pp. 392. $29.95 CAD paperback and e-book. Reviewed by Łukasz Muniowski Ric Flair has been involved in wrestling for over 50 years. Following his recent appearance on AEW Rampage, it seems that, as long as his body allows, he will continue to appear on wrestling shows. That longevity alone could make for a fascinating book, an the example of one individual’s life tracing the changes in the wrestling industry. Or, maybe even paralleling changes beyond sport and across society ..read more

Cornwell, Lisa. Troublemaker: A Memoir of Sexism, Retaliation, and the Fight They Didn’t See Coming. New York: Triumph Books, 2023. Pp. 256. $30 paperback and e-book. Reviewed by Łukasz Muniowski In the first sentence of the foreword to Troublemaker, Hillary Clinton informs the reader that this is not a book about golf and it can be appreciated by anyone. Although Lisa Cornwell’s Troublemaker is indeed a book about toxic workplace culture, it may still be worth the read for sports scholars, as it allows one to see in full detail how much is going on behind the scenes to broadcast sports to fan ..read more