Scores for frankness as well as scope.
A fan’s history of soccer including both highlights and lowlights, plus notes on the evolution of its rules, gear, and inclusivity.
Endeavoring to encompass “the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly,” Sylvester kicks off with the modern game’s predecessors from 1600 BCE on and brings underwater soccer, blind soccer, and even foosball into the fold. Readers accustomed to sunnier pictures of the beautiful game are in for a few surprises. In the course of chronicling the sport’s rise to become so popular and ubiquitous that even the Vatican fields both men’s and women’s teams, the author notes how women were repeatedly banned and unbanned (from professional play, anyway). While he salutes the first Black, female, and Indigenous pro players, he also acknowledges the continuing racial and gender disparity between team members and team owners and officials. In snapshot accounts of significant games, he also mixes heroic performances with major incidents of cheating and other scandals. Still, Sylvester’s tone and outlook are positive overall, and he brings his overview to an upbeat ending with tallies of personal, team, and “weird” records, plus a helpfully annotated set of sources and soccer resources. Diverse groups of generic or mildly caricatured players and fans crowd or charge energetically across nearly every page.
Scores for frankness as well as scope. (Nonfiction. 9-11)Pub Date: April 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781834020655
Page Count: 92
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
“Bizarre” barely covers some of the wacky incidents Tocher gathers from baseball history. A trainer inserted a severed ear into “Sweet Lou” Johnson’s abdomen after a bus accident (for temporary safekeeping), and it was never removed. Mets outfielder Joe Christopher was able to move his cap around by wriggling his ears. Ineffective Giants hurler Cliff Melton tipped off batters to his pitches during his delivery because his ears were so big they blocked out the stands behind his head. And that’s just “All Ears,” the first of nine thematic “Innings,” each presented as a set of simply drawn cartoon panels threaded with terse commentary and the occasional punchline. Though a little knowledge of the game will make it easier to appreciate some of these feats and mishaps, even nonfans will wince at the account of a fan who was hit by a foul ball twice during the same at-bat, marvel at the achievements of one-handed pitcher Jim Abbott and laugh at the generally futile attempts to catch balls (or in one messy case, a grapefruit) dropped from the top of the Washington Monument, a passing stunt plane and other high points. An easy pitch, particularly to reluctant or inexpert readers. (Nonfiction browsing item. 9-11)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5813-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Best suited for quick hits or casual browsing but unusually broad in scope and cast.
Tributes to 101 women who made names for themselves in sports or other athletic endeavors.
Grouped in chapters but really arranged arbitrarily, the gallery begins about a century ago with figure skater Sonja Henie and swimmer Gertrude Ederle and continues (while growing more nationally and racially diverse) up to teenage pitcher Mo’ne Davis. In between it highlights select achievements of women in sports from bowling (Marion Ladewig) to roller derby (Anne Calvello) and mixed martial arts (Ronda Rousey). “Firsts” for women, such as climbing Mount Everest (Junko Tabei), also receive nods, as do athletes who overcame childhood disabilities (Wilma Rudolph) or excelled at the Paralympic Games. Each entry focuses on career highlights and comes with a color action photo. Many also feature a quote or “Wow Factor” inset trumpeting some signal feat. The abbreviated narratives frequently leave out “women’s” as a qualifier for other significant information, so that readers who don’t know what a basketball “dunk” is may be unimpressed that Cheryl Miller made two and will come away with the impression that Kathrine Switzer won the New York Marathon outright in 1974 (she was the first woman but came in 59th overall). Still, younger readers looking for athletic role models will find plenty to choose from.
Best suited for quick hits or casual browsing but unusually broad in scope and cast. (Collective biography. 9-11)Pub Date: June 5, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68330-073-1
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Sports Illustrated Books
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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