Professional athletes are now joining the book club trend, a surprising twist from the usual celebrity book club scene. In the NBA, San Antonio Spurs players Victor Wembanyama and Harrison Barnes have initiated a book club, aiming to expand the participation among their teammates. Similarly, the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, including players like Will Smith, Macklin Celebrini, Tyler Toffoli, and Ty Dellandrea, have a secretive book club, adding a touch of mystery by not disclosing their current reads.
Athletes from different leagues, such as the PWHL and the WNBA, have also embraced book clubs as a means of bonding. Teams like the Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Toronto Tempo, and New York Liberty have actively participated in literary discussions. Toronto Sceptres forward Claire Dalton shared her love for reading and the natural transition of bringing the book club tradition from her previous team to the current one.
The Sceptres’ book club, led by Dalton and goalie Raygan Kirk, met regularly during the season, engaging in discussions inspired by prompts sourced from Google and Reddit. Their book selections included titles like “Gone Before Goodbye,” “The Heir Apparent,” and “Palm Villa.” The club boasted around 15 members during the season, although roster changes due to free agency and expansion may impact the club’s dynamics in the upcoming season.
The Toronto Tempo, a newly formed WNBA team, established its own book club inspired by guard Kia Nurse and teammate Nyara Sabally. Nurse highlighted the importance of off-court activities like the book club in fostering team chemistry, especially for a freshly assembled squad. The team’s inaugural book discussion featured the thriller “It Should Have Been You” by Andrea Mara, conveniently held during a team travel.
For Nurse, reading serves as a valuable escape from the pressures of sports and a way to explore different identities beyond athletics. The impact of these athlete-led book clubs extends beyond the teams, with the Toronto Sceptres promoting reading publicly and engaging with fans through social media posts about their book choices. The community involvement also flourished, leading to collaborative events like the Sceptres Storytime with The Children’s Book Bank, encouraging literacy and diverse reading role models for children.