‘Unfair Play: The Battle For Women’s Sport’ Shortlisted For William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award
Sharron Davies’ book ‘Unfair Play: The Battle For Women’s Sport’ is one of six to have been shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.
The book, co-written with swimming luminary Craig Lord, was released in June and tackles sexism and misogny in sport.
For some time now, Davies – who won silver in the 400IM at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow – has also been fighting against the inclusion of transgender women in women’s sporting categories with Lia Thomas the most high-profile transgender athlete in the sport.
While Davies has found herself vilified and more while losing lucrative work and contracts, she has also been feted by the likes of three-time Olympic champion Nancy Hogshead-Makar and tennis legend Martina Navratilova.
Now, she joins five fellow authors – of whom three are also women – on the shortlist for the award which will be announced on 30 November at a ceremony in Piccadilly, London, with the winner set to receive £30,000 (USD 36,320).
New York Times bestseller, Good for a Girl: My Life Running in a Man’s World by Lauren Fleshman; biography Althea: The Life of Tennis Champion Althea Gibson by Sally H. Jacobs; Davies and her book, Unfair Play: The Battle for Women’s Sport; and novel Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan, are shortlisted and in with a chance of becoming the award’s third female winner.
Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan is also shortlisted for his autobiography, Unbreakable.
Journalist Sam Peters, who brings to light the devastating effects head injuries have on sportspeople, particularly rugby players, in his balanced and eloquently written book, Concussed, completes the list.
Independently judged by a panel of experts, led for the fifth year by award-winning sports journalist, Alyson Rudd, the diverse six-book shortlist was selected from more than 150 entries.
Rudd, a writer for The Times, said:
“This is arguably the most exciting shortlist in the history of the award. It has something for everyone, and the quality is exceptionally high. There is a way above average autobiography in the form of the page turner that is Ronnie O’Sullivan’s book and a compelling biography of Althea Gibson, the tennis pioneer too few sports fans know about. Sam Peters, meanwhile, bravely and eloquently details how concussion has blighted rugby.
“At long last women are being commissioned to write about sport and this is reflected in the fact that four of the shortlisted authors are female and two of them, Sharron Davies and Lauren Fleshman, have produced books that cut, courageously, to the heart of the challenges facing women’s sport. And, finally, Kathryn Scanlan has summoned a genre busting book that captures the raw energy of sporting passion.”