The Barnes & Noble Review
It has become cliché to say that sports is a religion in America. But this book goes beyond the cliché to make credible analogies between the sports of our time and religion over the centuries. It is a good read accompanied by stellar illustrations of athletes and beautiful religious art from the Middle Ages.

In addition to an amusing introduction by Hunter Thompson on pro football, five well-known writers discuss and analyze some 29 sports figures, including two racehorses. Each writer is guided by a religious theme. Robert Lipsyte's chapter is entitled "Prophets" and includes the Olympic visionary Avery Brundage, Muhammad Ali, and Billie Jean King.

Then there are those who fell from grace. This theme is handled poignantly by Peter Carlson in "Fallen Angels," in which he covers Ty Cobb, Pete Rose, Bobby Knight, Billy Martin, Hurricane Carter, O. J. Simpson, and Hollywood Henderson. To balance things out, there are also "Saints," covered by Le Anne Schreiber. She writes in great detail about the almost forgotten Iowa football legend of the '30s, Nile Kinnick, and adds baseballer Mark Fidrych and racehorse Ruffian.

Ralph Wiley's section, "Saviors," includes a telling segment on the greatest athlete of all, Babe Ruth, and fine portraits of Jackie Robinson, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, revolutionary NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, and superstar Tiger Woods.

Finally, the legendary George Plimpton chronicles the "Gods": Jack Dempsey, Vince Lombardi, Bill Russell, Jackie Stewart, Jim Brown, Ted Williams, thoroughbred Secretariat, and pitcher Walter Johnson. Plimpton looks for similarities between these icons of sport and the athletic ideals established by the ancient Greeks.

With fine writing and superb illustrations, this book is perfect for every sports fan. Glenn Speer