Tucson Festival of Books

Back to the Future in Sports?


There was a time when boxers and baseball players were the true heroes of American sports. Are those golden ages now past, or are they ready for a resurgence? Let’s ask Jane Leavy and Mark Kriegel, both of whom should know.


Panelists
Mark Kriegel

Mark Kriegel is a former sports columnist for The New York Post and the Daily News and is a boxing analyst and essayist for ESPN. He is the author of "Namath: A Biography," "Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich," and "The Good Son: The Life of Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini....

Jane Leavy

Jane Leavy is the author of The New York Times bestsellers "The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World He Created," "The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood," and "Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy," and the comic novel "Squeeze Play....

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Books:
Baddest Man
The Making of Mike Tyson
Mark Kriegel
Sports
Penguin Group
June 2025
ISBN 9780735223400
448 pages
Buy now

Make Me Commissioner
I Know What's Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It
Jane Leavy
Sports
Grand Central Publishing
September 2025
ISBN 9780306834684
400 pages
Buy now