When I recently heard the news of the death of former longtime college basketball coach Bob Knight, the first thing I thought of was a book.
This book is A Season on the Brink: A Year with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers by John Feinstein. Published in 1986, Feinstein’s book provides an in-depth look at the Indiana University men’s basketball team’s 1985-86 season, in which they finished second in the Big 10 and secured a third-place finish in the NCAA Tournament before disappointing were selected in the first round by Cleveland State, a result that I was very happy about as an Illinois native and future student at the University of Illinois.
It’s considered one of the biggest sports bets of all time, and I’m not inclined to argue with that. Feinstein’s insider account of the way a major college basketball program operated under the direction of the volatile and often abusive Knight was (and is) deeply fascinating, even if some of the details are troubling. My deepest memory of the book is the way Knight psychologically manipulated his superstar guard Steve Alford as Knight tried to push Alford to even greater heights.
“A Season on the Brink” is a flying tale in the truest sense of the word, as Feinstein had secured Knight’s trust and almost unrestricted behind-the-scenes access. Knight’s portrait is full of warts, but at the same time it is clear that, deep down, Feinstein affirms Knight’s “right” to act the way he does, given his status and track record.
As I thought about A Season on the Sidelines, I realized that we don’t see many sports books like this anymore, books that literally give us previously hidden insight into what’s going on off the field. Whenever this kind of knee-jerk nostalgia kicks in, I decided to spend some time thinking about what’s changed instead of just complaining that we just don’t do things as well as we used to.
For one thing, after “A Season on the Brink,” the NCAA adopted a rule prohibiting individual reporters from granting privileged access. Either the team activities were open to the entire press or they weren’t, there are no more flies on the wall.
Another change was the rise of the long-form sports insider documentary. “The Last Dance,” the documentary about the Chicago Bulls’ championship era and their final run to their last title, was able to do things in hindsight that would be impossible for a book, including two great books published during the Michael Jordan era, David Halberstam’s “Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made” and the former Bull’s “The Jordan Rules” beat author Sam Smith.
But perhaps most importantly, online media has changed the way we receive our sports news. The relentless demand for content and information leads reporters to turn to social media whenever they have even a small morsel to share. Additionally, online media conveys a power previously unavailable to players, allowing them to present their own stories directly to audiences.
The balance of power has shifted, especially for college athletes, as they have the right to use their own names, images and likenesses. Star Guard Alford had to live under a Knight dictatorship. Today, Iowa Hawkeyes great Caitlin Clark makes more money than her own coach.
All in all, I see these changes as positive. Sure, we may not get explosive sports revelations like in years past, but I’m a fan of a world where athletes can run their own lives rather than serve as fodder for coaches and journalists to do as they see fit .
John Warner is the author of Why They Can’t Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities.
Twitter @biblioracle
Book recommendations from the Biblioracle
John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you’ve read.
1. “The Golem of Brooklyn” by Adam Mansbach
2. “Okinawa” by Susumu Higa
3. “Liar, Dreamer, Thief” by Maria Dong
4. “Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom” by Ilyon Woo
5. “American Street” by Ibi Zoboi
—Laura F., Oak Park
This is a very interesting and challenging list. I hope my recommendation is justified. Breasts and Balls by Mieko Kawakami is a novel I wouldn’t have read if someone else hadn’t insisted on it, and it was a strange and even unique experience. I pass this recommendation on to Laura.
1. “The Martian” by Andy Weir
2. “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley
3. “Hillbilly Elegy” by JD Vance
4. “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens
5. “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano
—Larry G., Buffalo Grove
What I see here is an interest in adventure stories. Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad is a dark adventure, but it is essentially an adventure novel.
1. “Belfast: The Story of a City and its People” by Feargal Cochrane
2. “Dead Mountain” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
3. “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
4. “The Boys from Biloxi” by John Grisham
5. “The Ferryman” by Justin Cronin
— John C., South Elgin
There is a lot of history and secrets here. Zadie Smith’s new book The Fraud meets both criteria quite well.
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Send a list of the last five books you have read and your hometown to [email protected].
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