Table of Contents
Introduction ix
The Kentucky Derby of My Childhood Was a Fantasy. Now It Feels Raw, and Real Jerry Brewer from The Washington Post 1
Stephen Curry Is Not the MVP-He's Something Much More Marcus Thompson II from The Athletic 5
Badwater Ultramarathon: What I Lost and Found During 135 Miles of the World's Most Impossible Run Kelaine Conochan from ESPN 11
I Flew to Texas to Watch Bull Riding on an Aircraft Carrier During COVID Matt Crossman from Experience 33
Simone Biles Chose Herself Camonghne Felix from The Cut 41
The Depths She'll Reach Xan Rice from Long Lead 53
Let Us Appreciate the Grace and Uncommon Decency of Henry Aaron Howard Bryant from ESPN 73
Felipe Ruiz Took the Ride of His Life Working as Tommy Lasorda's Assistant Bill Plaschke from the Los Angeles Times 79
Living Nonbinary in a Binary Sports World Frankie De La Cretaz from Sports Illustrated 85
Say You Wandered into Kansas vs. Texas Not Long After Halftime. Man, Did You Luck Out. Chuck Culpepper from The Washington Post 101
Super League Rage, Ronaldo Mania and the Fight for the Soul of Manchester United Wright Thompson from ESPN 107
'Got Back to My Roots': Nia Dennis and the Groundbreaking Genius of #BlackExcellence Thuc Nhi Nguyen from the Los Angeles Times 131
Paspalum Shadows Andrew Lawrence from The Golfer's Journal 139
Rosalie Fish Wants to Be the Face of Change Mirin Fader from The Ringer 147
Courtney's Story Diana Moskovitz from Defector 159
What It Was Like to Watch Naomi Osaka Up Close During Her Vexing 2021 US Open Kevin Van Valkenburg from ESPN 199
Beneath 9/11's Terrible Smoke, a Flash of Gold Sally Jenkins from The Washington Post 207
'Things Are Going to Be Different Now' Shaker Samman from Sports Illustrated 215
In Mavericks' Dream Surf Season, 51-Year-Old Peter Mel Making Big-Wave History Bruce Jenkins from the San Francisco Chronicle 227
Canelo Álvarez and the Mystical Man Behind His Quest for Immortality Roberto José Andrade Franco from ESPN 233
The Luckiest Two Women in the WNBA Mike Piellucci from D Magazine 249
How a Gymnast Who Lost a Friend in the Parkland Mass School Shooting Came to Iowa and Found Ways to Heal Mark Emmert from The Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen 257
Charlotte's First and Forgotten Sports Star: Life, Death and His Season in the Sun Scott Fowler from the Charlotte Observer 271
The Resurgent Appeal of Guinness World Records Tove K. Danovich from The Ringer 287
Can a Boxer Return to the Ring After Killing? Jacob Stern from The Atlantic 299
I've Covered Nine Olympics. Nothing Prepared Me for Seeing My Daughter Win a Medal Pat Forde from Sports Illustrated 319
'His Name Is Sang. He Is a Pitcher.' A Family's American Dream, Their Unbearable Loss Stephen J. Nesbitt from The Athletic 327
Why Giannis Antetokounmpo Chose the Path of Most Resistance Zach Baron from GQ 343
Advisory Board 357
Notable Sports Writing of 2021 359
