The Group Chat: The GIST meets Goodreads

Mid-October is a magical time when sports overlap with the official start of cozy season — in other words, the ideal time to build up your “To Be Read” pile with sporty recommendations straight from The GIST team. Curl up with a warm mug of something tasty, and let’s get into it.

⚽ “Playing the Long Game” by Christine Sinclair: It’s such a light and fun read — it’s just the story of a girl who grew up loving soccer, her journey to becoming one of the greats, and the things she learned along the way — but it had so many nice little tidbits that I share with the kids I coach all the time. — Jayashree, social media producer

🎾 “Open” by Andre Agassi and J.R. Moehringer: The best autobiography I’ve ever read, hands down. He’s unflinching as he describes the cognitive dissonance of his success on the court and his rollercoaster of a personal life. Becoming a worldwide celebrity as a teenager is not for the weak. — Ellen, co-founder and head of content

⚽ “One Life” by Megan Rapinoe and Emma Brockes: Only Rapinoe could write about winning multiple FIFA Women’s World Cups and becoming a vocal advocate for social justice with so much humor and originality. Come for an inside look at the best love story in sports, stay for the inspiration to live your life for others. — Alessandra, newsletter & podcast producer

👟 “Shoe Dog” by Phil Knight: Nike’s founder tells the story of how he built the company from nothing into one of the world’s most iconic, highest-grossing brands. He literally started selling shoes out of the trunk of his car, and now the company is worth $100B. Unreal. — McKenzie, growth marketer

♥️ “Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back: Dilemmas of the Modern Fan” by Jessica Luther and Kavitha Davidson: A must-read for GISTers and anyone who has ever felt left out of the sports community. The title says it all. — Marga, newsletter and growth operations

🏀 “Hoop Muses: An Insider’s Guide to Pop Culture and the (Women’s) Game” by Seimone Augustus and Kate Fagan, illustrated by Sophia Chang: A who’s who of women’s hoops history and required reading for fans. The authors blend fiction and nonfiction to bring you through the game’s evolution and its connection to the culture. Basically, if The Group Chat were a book. — Lisa, newsletter & podcast producer

🏒 “Beartown” by Fredrik Backman, translated by Neil Smith: The first in a haunting trilogy, “Beartown” explores how hockey binds people together…and tears them apart. Part family drama, part coming-of-age tearjerker, part love letter to small towns and tight communities, it’ll pull on your heartstrings in a big way. — Jamie, account executive

🎾 “Carrie Soto is Back” by Taylor Jenkins Reid: TJR’s one of the hottest authors out there right now, so you know I tore through her sportiest title. It follows tennis’ fictional GOAT, the fiercely competitive and hard-nosed Soto, as she comes back from retirement to defend her legacy. It’ll have you ready to run through a brick wall and reconsider what’s most important in your life. — Katie, newsletter producer

🏒 “Time to Shine: A Spicy Bisexual Hockey Romance” by Rachel Reid: Sports romances aren’t just fun, spicy reads — they help make sports more welcoming for marginalized fans, and this one is a great example. A bromance-to-romance love story between elite hockey players, set over the holidays? Say less. — Nadia, client solutions manager

🏀 “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano: William Waters is a college basketball player with a loving girlfriend, Julia. But when an injury disrupts his career, it changes the course of his life and the lives of Julia’s entire family. An intense and moving story of love and sisterhood — if you liked Ann Patchett’s “Tom Lake,” you’ll love this one. — Erin, account executive