Two Guardian writers, Andy Bull and Donald McRae, have been named on the shortlist for the 27th William Hill Sports Book of the Year award, with McRae aiming to win the prestigious literary title for a record third time.
Bull has been nominated for Speed Kings, which is published by Bantam Press and focuses on the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympics and the four then unknown men who took up the new event of bobsledding and went on to win gold.
McRae’s work, A Man’s World: The Double Life of Emile Griffith, has been published by Simon & Schuster and tells the extraordinary story of the homosexual US boxer Griffith, who became a world champion in the 1960s. His best-known contest was a 1962 title match with Benny Paret. At the weigh-in, Paret infuriated Griffith by touching his buttocks and taunting him about his sexuality. Griffith won the bout by knockout; Paret never recovered consciousness and died in the hospital 10 days later.
McRae previously won the award in 1996 for Dark Trade, and in 2002 for In Black & White: the Untold Story of Joe Louis and Jesse Owens. If he wins this year, he will become the first writer to have won three times, tThe only other double winner is Duncan Hamilton.
“Five brave writers are stepping into the ring with Donald McRae but the outcome is far from certain,” said the William Hill spokesman and co-founder of the award, Graham Sharpe. “These books represent non-fiction writing at its best, with truly exceptional writers casting light on stories of triumph and tragedy from the world of sport. Our judges have a tough job ahead of them.”
The judging panel consists of: the retired former chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association, Clarke Carlisle, the broadcaster and writer John Inverdale, the broadcaster Danny Kelly; the award-winning journalist Hugh McIlvanney; and columnist and author, Alyson Rudd. Chairman of the judging panel is John Gaustad, co-creator of the award and founder of the Sportspages bookshop.
The winner will be announced on 27 November.
The shortlist for the 27th William Hill Sports Book of the Year award
Speed Kings by Andy Bull (Bantam Press)
Living on the Volcano: The Secrets of Surviving as a Football Manager by Michael Calvin (Century)
Fifty-Six: The Story of the Bradford Fire by Martin Fletcher (Bloomsbury)
The Game of Our Lives: The Meaning and Making of English Football by David Goldblatt (Viking)
Fire in Babylon: How a West Indies Cricket Team Brought a People to its Feet by Simon Lister (Yellow Jersey)
A Man’s World: The Double Life of Emile Griffith by Donald McRae (Simon & Schuster)
