For 14 years during the golden age of sports, Paul Gallico was one of
America's ace sportswriters. He saw them all--the stars and the hams,
the immortals and the phonies in boxing, wrestling, baseball, football,
golf, tennis, and every other field of muscular endeavor in which men
and women try to break hearts and necks for cash or glory. Then in 1937,
at the height of his game (and the height of the payroll), Gallico
suddenly and famously called it quits and left the New York Daily
News. But before he departed the world of sports, he left his legions
of fans one last hurrah: a collection of his best sports essays called,
appropriately, Farewell to Sport.
Here, in 26 chapters, every major and minor sport is covered. Included
are sketches of Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Tex Rickard, and
Jack Sharkey, written in an accessible, conversational style. Often
credited with creating "participatory journalism," Gallico would play
golf with Bobby Jones, catch Major League pitcher Dizzy Dean's fastball,
swim with Johnny Weissmuller, play tennis with Helen Wills, catch passes
from quarterback Benny Friedman, and box with Jack Dempsey (he lasted
one minute, 37 seconds).
