Home › Essays › Be on That Hill: Stories from the Summits of Sport

Be on That Hill: Stories from the Summits of Sport

by Seth Wickersham

Sport beyond the scoreboard

Regular price $18.95 USD
Regular price $31.59 USD Sale price $18.95 USD
Save 40%

Paperback New

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

Awards & Recognition

  • Author recognition

    New York Times bestselling author

    The metadata describes Seth Wickersham as a New York Times bestselling author of American Kings and It's Better ...

  • Critical praise

    Los Angeles Times praise

    The Los Angeles Times passage says the book put the last 26 years of American sports and sportswriting into pers...

AlbakiReads Editorial

Sport beyond the scoreboard

Across 26 essays drawn from more than two decades of sports journalism, Seth Wickersham moves between athlete profiles, investigations and personal columns. NFL figures including Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Sean McVay and Deion Sanders share space with subjects such as Kobe Bryant, climber Alex Honnold, the making of “We Will Rock You,” and the pull between global reach and local fandom. The collection also considers how competition intersects with violence, planning, improvisation and the pursuit of achievement. A foreword by Wright Thompson introduces these varied accounts of athletes, teams and the forces shaping sport.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • For readers interested in reported sports essays and athlete profiles.
  • For sports fans curious about subjects beyond game results, including team power structures and fan culture.
  • For readers who enjoy collections spanning multiple sports and figures.

Themes

Athletic ambition and achievementSports journalism and investigationAthlete profiles and team powerViolence, planning and improvisation in sportGlobalization and local fandom

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Epic stories from one of the great sportswriters of his generation.

ESPN senior writer Seth Wickersham, the New York Times bestselling author of American Kings and It's Better to Be Feared, shares more than two decades of his sports journalism in 26 essays.


"Wickersham stands with Plimpton and Halberstam."
--Jonathan Eig

"One of the last great sports journalists."
--Jim Rome

"[Be On That Hill] put the last 26 years of American sports--and sportswriting--into perspective"
--Los Angeles Times

Foreword by Wright Thompson

Seth Wickersham is among the greatest sportswriters of his generation and one of the most accomplished journalists working today. Throughout his career, he has taken readers not only inside the psyches of the biggest-name athletes but also into the most secretive boardrooms where executives and team owners shape the games that fans love. A natural storyteller and fan of sport, Wickersham travels across the globe to find masterful new ways of seeing what's on our TV screens and getting inside the minds of those we idolize, revile, but most of all, can't look away from.

Every day in America, men and women take to fields of competition ready to risk everything for a chance to make their dreams come true. They will suffer physically, emotionally, mentally--all for that moment when they might overcome the odds and become legendary.

Featuring stories from within the NFL about Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Sean McVay, Deion Sanders, the league itself, and many, many more.

Also includes unexpected stories about Kobe Bryant, Alex Honnold, the creation of "We Will Rock You," globalization vs. local fandom, improvisation vs. planning, the role of violence in games, the toxic relationship between a NASCAR racer and his girlfriend (who claimed to be a government assassin), and whether climbing that hill of achievement day after day gives athletes what they really want.

A perfect companion to his American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback and It's Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness, the stories of Be on That Hill are Seth Wickersham's best: probing profiles, epic investigations, and personal columns.
Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews