Notable Sports Figures

Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Unbiased biographies of 600 sports figures. Each one- to three-page article includes a black-and-white photograph, subheadings that make for easy fact finding and reading, boxed statistics, "where is s/he now?" information, a chronology, and lists of awards and personal highlights. Entries examine athletic accomplishments and why the person is considered important. Not all of the individuals are record breakers but all have had an impact on sports. Controversies and/or failures are also examined, as in the case of Tonya Harding, who did not reach her sports goals but had an effect on competitors. Coaches, team executives, administrators, sportscasters, and writers are also considered. People from a number of countries are represented, but more than 70 percent of the biographies are of Americans. While baseball, basketball, and football personalities predominate the entries, lesser-known athletes representing racecar driving, bobsledding, rock climbing, cricket, bowling, snowboarding, and softball are included. However, track-and-field male athletes or marathoners from Africa are not mentioned, though they have dominated distance running in recent years. The occupational, geographic, and subject indexes are useful additions. This set is comparable to Arnold Markoe's The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives: Sports Figures (Scribner's, 2002), which offers biographies of more than 600 people. Notable Sports Figures has more world coverage, a larger font, and more extensive indexing. It is excellent for libraries needing to add to or update their sports reference collections.-Michael McCullough, Byron-Bergen Middle School, Bergen, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.