Professional athletes are joining the trend of organizing book clubs for their teammates, adding a new twist to the popular book club phenomenon embraced by celebrities like Dua Lipa, Morgann Book, Reese Witherspoon, and Oprah. NBA players Victor Wembanyama and Harrison Barnes of the San Antonio Spurs have initiated a book club, aiming to engage more team members, as showcased in a video on the league’s YouTube channel. Similarly, the NHL’s San Jose Sharks have a book club featuring players like Will Smith, Macklin Celebrini, Tyler Toffoli, and Ty Dellandrea, with a humorous touch of secrecy around their reading choices.
Athletes from the PWHL and the WNBA, including teams like the Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Toronto Tempo, and New York Liberty, have also embraced book clubs as a means of bonding. Claire Dalton, a forward for the Toronto Sceptres, highlighted the team’s passion for reading during an episode of The Next Chapter, mentioning how the book club evolved from her previous experience with the Montreal Victoire team. Starting the club with goalie Raygan Kirk, Dalton emphasized the camaraderie and relaxation that sharing and discussing books brought to the team.
The Toronto Sceptres’ book club, with about 15 participating players during the regular season, met over coffee, using prompts from Google and Reddit for their discussions. Their book selections included titles like Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben, The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage, and Palm Villa by Ashley Hartley. The Toronto Tempo, a new WNBA team formed through an expansion draft, free agency, and entry draft, also initiated a book club, inspired by the love for reading shared among teammates.
Kia Nurse, a guard for the Toronto Tempo, emphasized the power of friendship and team chemistry fostered through activities like book clubs. Nurse highlighted the joy of understanding her teammates better through discussions about characters and narratives in the books they read. The book club activities have garnered significant attention on social media, with fans eagerly following the teams’ reading choices and engaging in the reading experience alongside them.
Moreover, the community impact of these book clubs has extended beyond the teams, with initiatives like Sceptres Storytime organized in collaboration with The Children’s Book Bank. Events like these, featuring players like Raygan Kirk and Jessie McPherson reading to children, have not only promoted reading but also challenged stereotypes about the relationship between academics and athletics. The goal is to inspire children to see reading as an enjoyable and inclusive activity, with diverse role models like athletes showcasing the cool and fun aspects of reading.