Editorial recommends: 4 books about sports that are worth reading

Last year was filled with many important and interesting events that allowed us to revise our views, learn new things and simply be inspired. But on top of all that, 2018 saw the publication of many interesting books about sports. Summarizing the unspoken result of the past 2018 year, the editor-in-chief of “Championship” Evgeny Slyusarenko prepared reviews of the best book novelties.

Spend the New Year holidays with benefit and fill them with truly interesting and useful entertainment.

“Crystal People.”

Book in the online store

Without a doubt, one of those books in the history of Soviet and Russian hockey that you should have in your collection without reservations. This book (about 1200 pages, three and more kilograms of live weight) was created several years: the author – the famous journalist and sports manager Stanislav Gridasov – initially made it at his own risk, about two years ago announced a fundraiser, and those who believed, eventually bought the edition cheaper by 40 percent. The investment was worth it: in front of us is an encyclopedia of a great time, written by a grown man through the eyes of a little boy.

“Notes on Soviet hockey, made with love Saratov boy who dreamed of becoming a goalie and play like Tretiak or Myshkin” – so begins the book. Actually (further it is worth quoting the abstract, because you can’t say it better), in fact, there are two books under one cover at once. The first one describes the phenomenon of popularity of Soviet hockey through the eyes of a schoolboy in love with this game. Soviet hockey, Soviet life in the 1970s and 1980s, the author’s native city of Saratov are shown with such care and detail that reading turns into a real time travel – from our era to a distant childhood. The second part is a detailed encyclopedia: 70 years of the history of Saratov hockey are given in the living context of the country and time. It is the combination of the author’s personal memories and strict, professionally presented facts that makes this “crystal” magical, giving the book a stereoscopic effect.

This is a book for those who want to feel (not recognize – you can learn from hundreds of now available videos and memories), exactly feel how the country lived those legendary years. Years when hockey was, to use a famous quote, much more important than matters of life and death for many people in the USSR.

“Race and Sport. Evolution and racial differences in athletic ability.”

Book at the online bookstore

This is one of the most unapologetically unapologetically correct books about sports (and more) imaginable these days. The topic of racial differences and the impact of race on life is heavily taboo, or – at least – tabooed with a serious bias. It’s okay to say that “white people can’t jump,” but to say that black people make poor riders because they have poor balance in the saddle is to risk accusations of racism, or worse.

Meanwhile, the authors Edward Dutton and Richard Lynn (by the way, they are the very British scientists, not in the ironic, but in the literal sense) seem to be deliberately attacking the truth, and they cut the truth so frankly, without euphemisms, that one becomes afraid for them. Here is what you can read from the first pages of their book-research.

“In golf, strategic ability and good memory are very important, highly correlated with IQ. As mentioned, high intelligence is particularly conducive to success in team sports. Golf also requires fine motor skills, especially manual dexterity. The fine motor skills of blacks are 60% lower than those of Europeans. Representatives of the negroid race do not shine with achievements in such sports as dart throwing, archery, shooting, billiards. The same picture is observed in technical sports, especially in Formula 1 racing. The drivers of these races require a very high reaction speed, which correlates with the value of the IQ. They also require excellent eyesight. The advantages of Europeans are obvious in car rallying and cycling.”

But yes, we should probably warn you: despite the fact that the authors clearly tried to dilute the narrative with some science-pop, it is still a scientific work – with tables, terms and all this stuff. Better put the popcorn aside.

“Stadium Architecture.”

Book at the online bookstore

After reading the book compiled by Eduard Hakobyan, you will learn why most Soviet stadiums did not have a second tier (the first to violate the regulations was Yerevan “Hrazdan” in the 70’s), where the fashion for club arenas came from and how the construction of “Luzhniki” changed Moscow. And this is enough reason to at least hold the book in your hands.

However, this album edition can be not read (although there are few letters and all of them on the matter), and just look at the illustrations, while learning about how stadiums were designed and built in our country for the last 100 years. Dozens of archive drawings, photographs and sketches (most of them never published) about the great arenas of the USSR, Russia and the whole world and those arenas that could have become great but were never built.

Among the unfulfilled dreams it is enough to name the International Red Stadium of the 1920s, the Central Stadium named after Stalin for 140 thousand spectators, the All-German Stadium for 400 thousand spectators – the light never saw them, but even the sketches take your breath away. The outer wall of the same All-German Stadium in the late 30’s was to have a height of more than 100 meters! And how majestic the Kirov Stadium in Leningrad (today’s Gazprom-Arena) was planned to be – if it had been built according to the original pre-war plans! However, it is nothing even now.

“Two sides of the same medal”

Book in the online store

Monologue book of famous figure skaters, heroes of the Sochi Olympics Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov (although, says mostly only the latter) is not like a series of biographies of sports stars, as from the incubator published in recent years. Figure skating is probably the most soap-opera sport in our country: rumors, gossip, scandals, marriages-divorces, mutual suspicions and resentments. Even the little that gets out to the public is impressive – and if you know a little more… Football is smoking in the background – and that’s even against the background of the latest news.

In this sense, Maxim Trankov’s revelations are pleasantly surprising – the famous figure skater does not choose his words, calling things by their names (well, as he sees them, of course). A poor childhood and a broken youth, relationships with partners and coaches, personal shortcomings and problems – all this is told in plain language: “I decided to take a beer. He saw me putting them in the trunk and went back to the store. He comes out with wine. As it turned out later, we were both afraid the other one would knock the coach, but when I decided to ignore that concern, he realized I was his own and could be trusted.”

Sometimes it’s even surprising: Maxim still has to work in this sport (which, by the way, after last year’s end of his career and does), is not afraid to hurt all those offensive prima donnas and their crazy fans from the world of figure skating?! Apparently not, and that’s what makes you read this (generally uncomplicated in terms of composition and artistic value) autobiography in one sitting.

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