A growing trend in book clubs is emerging among professional athletes, showcasing a unique way for teams to bond off the field. Athletes like NBA’s Victor Wembanyama and Harrison Barnes from the San Antonio Spurs and NHL’s Will Smith, Macklin Celebrini, Tyler Toffoli, and Ty Dellandrea from the San Jose Sharks are spearheading book clubs within their teams.
Athletes from the PWHL and the WNBA, including teams like the Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Toronto Tempo, and New York Liberty, are actively participating in book club activities. Toronto Sceptres forward Claire Dalton, who previously played for Montreal Victoire, initiated a book club within the team alongside goalie Raygan Kirk to create a space for debriefing recent reads and unwinding together.
The book club meetings for the Sceptres, which attracted around 15 players at the time, were held over coffee during the season, with discussions guided by prompts from Google and Reddit. The club has delved into various books such as “Gone Before Goodbye” by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben, “The Heir Apparent” by Rebecca Armitage, and “Palm Villa” by Ashley Hartley.
Similarly, the Toronto Tempo in the WNBA, a newly formed team through expansion, drafted players like Kia Nurse and Nyara Sabally, who initiated a book club within the squad to enhance team chemistry off the court. Nurse highlighted the importance of building friendships within the team, emphasizing the positive impact of shared reading experiences on team dynamics.
For athletes like Nurse, reading serves as a form of escape from the pressures of sports, allowing them to explore different worlds and characters beyond their athletic identities. The book clubs initiated by these teams have garnered significant attention, with the Toronto Sceptres even engaging fans by sharing their reading list on social media platforms.
Moreover, the community involvement sparked by these book club initiatives has led to collaborative events like the Sceptres Storytime, where athletes like Kirk and McPherson engage with children, promoting literacy and reading as enjoyable and inclusive activities. The events have been instrumental in breaking stereotypes and encouraging children to embrace reading by showcasing diverse role models within the sports community.