--- title: Sports Books Spring 2017: Mother's Day, Father's Day Gifts description: This season's sports books include a guide to soccer, a Muhammad Ali biography and a novel about the Tour de France. See the full list here canonical: https://time.com/4771275/sports-books-gifts/ author: Sarah Begley article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-10T14:49:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:58:52.414Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 6 Sports Books to Check Out for Mother's Day or Father's Day Gifts og:description: Gift ideas for the sports-loving moms and dads on your shopping list og:url: https://time.com/4771275/sports-books-gifts/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 6 Sports Books to Check Out for Mother's Day or Father's Day Gifts twitter:description: Gift ideas for the sports-loving moms and dads on your shopping list twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # 6 Sports Books to Check Out for Mother's Day or Father's Day Gifts > Sponsored content. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley May 10, 2017 2:49 PM UTC by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley May 10, 2017 2:49 PM UTC With Opening Day behind us and the [NBA](http://time.com/4672815/qa-james-harden-tells-time-hes-the-worlds-best-player/) finals on the horizon, there’s a new crop of sports books making the rounds. This season’s offerings include a guide to soccer-speak, a [Muhammad Ali ](http://time.com/4365878/muhammad-ali-boxing-hall-of-fame-remember-inductees/)biography and a novel about the [Tour de France](http://time.com/3972389/tour-de-france-fans/). Here are six of the most intriguing new books by or about athletes — all of which would make great gift ideas for sports-loving parents on [Mother’s Day](http://time.com/money/4769211/best-cool-mothers-day-gifts/) or [Father’s Day](http://time.com/4761403/fathers-day-gift-guide-ideas-sports-golf/). ### 1\. [_Arnie: The Life of Arnold Palmer_](https://www.amazon.com//dp/0062439723/?tag=timecom-20)  Harper By Tom Callahan In the latest biography of “the King,” Callahan (a former TIME writer) not only documents the facts and figures of the golf legend’s incredible career, but also shares stories from his own interactions with Palmer, and anecdotes from friends and competitors who admired him. [_Get it now_](https://www.amazon.com//dp/0062439723/?tag=timecom-20) ### 2\. [_Sting Like a Bee: Muhammad Ali vs. the United States of America, 1966-1971_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385536054/?tag=timecom-20)  Doubleday By Leigh Montville Montville follows the world-class boxer’s political controversies, beginning with his initial religious conversion and name change and carrying through his court battle as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. Even after making deeply unpopular decisions, he remained an American hero, and his legacy would only grow brighter. [_Get it May 16_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385536054/?tag=timecom-20) ### 3\. [_Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed by Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts, and Breaking the Rules_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0451496663/?tag=timecom-20)  Crown Archetype By A.J. Mendez Brooks The recently retired WWE wrestler (ring name: A.J. Lee) opens up about her transformation from a shy, lonely kid who idolized superheroes, into an athlete capable of pretty super feats herself. Brooks opens up about her bipolar disorder diagnosis and recounts a time when she refused to take part in a storyline for her WWE character that would have trivialized mental illness. Ultimately, she says, she opted for early retirement because of damage she sustained to her cervical spine. [_Get it now_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0451496663/?tag=timecom-20) ### 4\. [_The Invisible Mile_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609453972/?tag=timecom-20)  Europa By David Coventry This book fictionalizes the 1928 Tour de France, when a pack of cyclists from New Zealand and Australia became the first English-speaking group to compete in the famous race. One of the riders competes while under the influence of cocaine and opium, struggling to finish the race as its landscapes bring back his traumatic memories of the Great War. [_Get it May 30_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609453972/?tag=timecom-20) ### 5\. [_Ballplayer_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101984406/?tag=timecom-20)  Dutton By Chipper Jones The former Atlanta Braves third baseman recounts his rise from a Florida childhood to a career as one of the greatest switch-hitters in MLB history. An eight-time All-Star and likely first-ballot inductee for the Hall of Fame next year, Jones doesn’t just dwell on the high points but opens up about his sometimes turbulent personal life, his infamous rivalry with the New York Mets and the temptation to take steroids during an era when they were rampant (though he says he never did). [_Get it now_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101984406/?tag=timecom-20) ### 6\. [_How to Speak Soccer_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250072018/?tag=timecom-20)  Flatiron Books By Sally Cook and Ross MacDonald Soccer is gaining in popularity as a spectator sport in the U.S., which means it’s time for us to bone up on our vocabulary. Cook and MacDonald define lingo that will help you look smart at your next viewing party. For instance, you may know that scoring three goals in a match is a “hat trick,” but did you know scoring two goals is called a “brace”? [_Get it now_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250072018/?tag=timecom-20) [(_Read TIME’s affiliate link policy_.)](http://time.com/4605406/time-affiliate-link-policy/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4771275/sports-books-gifts/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4771275/sports-books-gifts/"},"headline":"6 Sports Books to Check Out for Mother's Day or Father's Day Gifts","datePublished":"2017-05-10T14:49:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:58:52.414Z","description":"Gift ideas for the sports-loving moms and dads on your shopping list","url":"https://time.com/4771275/sports-books-gifts/","keywords":["Books","onetime","Sports","timeshop"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4771275/sports-books-gifts/","name":"6 Sports Books to Check Out for Mother's Day or Father's Day Gifts"}}]}] ```