| Modern
American sports have been shaped by some remarkably influential
figures - men and women who have profoundly impacted the games and, in
many cases, transcended them. What would basketball be like without
Bill Russell? Football without George Halas? Golf without Arnold
Palmer? What if William Randolph Hearst hadn't introduced the
newspaper sports section or Charles McNeil hadn't introduced the
gambler's point spread. What if Hank Luisetti hadn't pioneered the
jump shot or Marvin Miller hadn't spearheaded free agency? Through
hundreds of hours of research and discussions with dozens of
sportswriters, authors, historians, librarians, athletes and coaches
in virtually every athletic arena, Brad Herzog came up with a ranking
of THE SPORTS 100. In more than 400 pages, he profiles figures ranging
from Bill France (#41) to Bill Veeck (#69), from Red Grange (#20) to
Red Auerbach (#84), from Jim Thorpe (#21) to Jim Bouton (#100). It's a
controversial list. No Kareem? No DiMaggio? No Hogan? But then, that's
the point. |
|
“Brad Herzog may not be
one of the 100 most important people in sports, but with this book
he’s off to a great start.”
– Dick Schaap
 |
