Glenn Stout - The Best American Sports Writing 2017

Copyright 2017 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Introduction copyright 2017 by Howard Bryant

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ISBN 978-0-544-82155-2 (print) ISBN 978-0-544-82156-9 (ebook)

ISSN 1056-8034 (print) ISSN 2573-4822 (ebook)

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Almost There by Roger Angell. First published in The New Yorker. Copyright 2016 by Cond Nast. Reprinted by permission of Cond Nast.

Hit Man by Dan Barry. From the New York Times, October 30, 2016, copyright 2016 by the New York Times. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of this Content without express written permission is prohibited.

(Long) Gone Girl by Jon Billman. First published in Runners World. Copyright 2016 by Rodale Inc. Reprinted by permission of Rodale Inc.

Why Steve Kerr Sees Life Beyond the Court by John Branch. From the New York Times, February 25, 2016, 2016 by the New York Times. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of this Content without express written permission is prohibited.

Some Very Dirty Tricks by John Colapinto. First published in Vanity Fair. Copyright 2016 by John Colapinto. Reprinted by permission of John Colapinto.

Lost in America by Luke Cyphers and Teri Thompson. First published in Bleacher Report. Copyright 2016 by James D. Luke Cyphers and Teresa D. Thompson. Reprinted by permission of James D. Luke Cyphers and Teresa D. Thompson.

Hooked for Life by George Dohrmann. First published in the Huffington Post. Copyright 2016 by George Dohrmann. Reprinted by permission of the Huffington Post Highline.

Sucker Punch by Tim Elfrink. First published in the Miami New Times. Copyright 2016 by the Miami New Times. Reprinted by permission of the Miami New Times.

The Shooter and the Saint by Sean Flynn. First published in GQ. Copyright 2016 by Sean Flynn. Reprinted by permission of Sean Flynn.

Four Years a Student-Athlete by Patrick Hruby. First published in Vice Sports. Copyright 2016 by Vice Media LLC. Reprinted by permission.

Kaepernick Is Asking for Justice, Not Peace by Bomani Jones. First published in The Undefeated. Copyright 2016 by ESPN, Inc. Reprinted by permission of ESPN.

Barry Switzer Laughs Last by Pat Jordan. First published in Mens Journal. Copyright 2016 by Pat Jordan. Reprinted by permission of the author.

26.2 to Life by Jesse Katz. First published in GQ. Copyright 2016 by Cond Nast. Reprinted by permission of Cond Nast.

Why One Woman Pretended to Be a High-School Cheerleader by Jeff Maysh. First published in The Atlantic. Copyright 2016 by Jeff Maysh. Reprinted by permission of The Atlantic.

Today, Her Whole Life Is a Free Skate by Terrence McCoy. From the Washington Post, February 26, 2016, 2016 by the Washington Post. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of this Content without express written permission is prohibited.

The Away Team by Alexis Okeowo. First published in The New Yorker, December 12, 2016. Copyright 2016 by Alexis Okeowo. Reprinted by permission of The Wylie Agency, LLC.

Too Fast to Be Female by Ruth Padawer. First published in the New York Times Magazine. Joint copyright 2016 by the New York Times and Ruth Padawer. Reprinted by permission of Ruth Padawer.

The Longest Run by S. L. Price. First published in Sports Illustrated and Time. Copyright 2016 by Sports Illustrated. Reprinted by permission of Sports Illustrated.

The Outsized Life of Muhammad Ali by David Remnick. First published in The New Yorker. Copyright 2016 by Cond Nast. Reprinted by permission of Cond Nast.

The Most Successful Female Everest Climber of All Time Is a Housekeeper in Hartford, Connecticut by Grayson Schaffer. First published in Outside. Copyright 2016 by Outside magazine. Reprinted by permission of Outside magazine.

A Wonderful Life by Dave Sheinin. From the Washington Post, February 12, 2016, 2016 by the Washington Post. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of this Content without express written permission is prohibited

The Spirit of a Legend by Kurt Streeter. First published in ESPN: The Magazine. Copyright 2016 by ESPN, Inc. Reprinted by permission of ESPN.

William Perry by Rick Telander. First published in Sports Illustrated. Copyright 2016 by Sports Illustrated. Reprinted by permission of Sports Illustrated.

Serena Williams, Andy Murray, and a Political Wimbledon by Louisa Thomas. First published in The New Yorker. Copyright 2016 by Cond Nast. Reprinted by permission of Cond Nast.

The Secret History of Tiger Woods by Wright Thompson. First published in ESPN: The Magazine. Copyright 2016 by ESPN, Inc. Reprinted by permission of ESPN.

Welcome to the Big Time by Don Van Natta Jr. First published in ESPN: The Magazine. Copyright 2016 by ESPN, Inc. Reprinted by permission of ESPN.

Andrew Cuomo Would Have Blacklisted Muhammad Ali by Dave Zirin. First published in The Nation. Copyright 2016 by The Nation. Reprinted by permission of The Nation.

When I lived in Boston in the 1980s and early 90s and trudged through Kenmore Square on the way to work or to see some band in some bar, the sidewalk was often littered with flyers for a local psychic. Usually distributed by some college student who stuffed them in your hand as you passed, they were often discarded as quickly as they were delivered, leaving the ground covered with tiny chartreuse or hot pink ad cards that breathlessly read in bold: THOUGHTS HAVE WINGS !

I threw my share to the ground, but even then I loved the idea, the metaphorthoughts flying off in all directions, destination unknown, influence unpredictable, impact unforeseen. When I found one of these flyers in an old book the other dayI must have used it as a bookmarkI was thrilled, and soon followed the memory path back to that sidewalk. Thoughts do have wings, and that one had been carried forward for more than three decades before, improbably, landing here. As the late, great, and now nearly forgotten Dominican pitcher Joaqun Andjar once wisely observed: There is one word in America that says it all, and that word is, You never know.