Great books for the sports fan in your life

What is about sport that so many of us love so much? Is it the allegiances, and the rivalries? The displays of extreme human athleticism, the fallen heroes, the underdogs come good? It's all this and more; between the triumphs and the tragedies, there is metaphor in sport for every aspect of life.

It's for this reason exactly that so many great books have been written about sport, from explosive memoirs to theoretical essays, love-letter novels to philosophical texts. So, without further ado, here is a selection of great books for the sports lover in your life.