Booking Through Thursday - Gold Medal Reading

This weeks Booking Through Thursday topic is "Gold Medal Reading" 

You, um, may have noticed that the Olympics are going on right now, so that’s the genesis of this week’s question, in two parts:

First:

• Do you or have you ever read books about the Olympics? About sports in general?
• Fictional ones? Or non-fiction? Or both?

And, Second:

• Do you consider yourself a sports fan?
• Because, of course, if you’re a rabid fan and read about sports constantly, there’s a logic there; if you hate sports and never read anything sports-related, that, too … but you don’t have to love sports to enjoy a good sports story.
• (Or a good sports movie, for that matter. Feel free to expand this into a discussion about “Friday Night Lights” or “The Natural” or whatever…)

Well I'm not a huge sports fan myself, but having a husband and 2 teenage boys who love most anything athletic I do watch the occasional sports event or sports related movie/video game/TV show. Usually with a book in my hand lol!

I haven't ever read a book about the Olympics, but I have read a few biographies of hockey players (I'm Canadian so that's a given). Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard both have a few biographies floating around that were very enjoyable.

As for movies, I believe that I have watched just about every sports related one out there. Some that I have enjoyed are the Major League series (starring Charlie Sheen, about a baseball team full of misfits including Charlie Sheen, it's a screwball comedy, did I mention Charlie Sheen??) There are also quite a few CBC movies about Canadian hockey and the original NHL teams which I liked. Can't forget SlapShot starring Paul Newman, made in 1977 but it's still great. Ohh I almost forgot Wildcats, who wouldn't love a movie where Goldie Hawn coaches a football team! (I know my picks are obscure but I wanted to avoid the obvious choices like Jerry Maguire, Rocky and Friday Night Lights - not that they aren't good but I gotta give props to the underdogs of sports entertainment)

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