The Right Kind of Tribe
As more and more people turn inward away from lasting friendships and relationships and genuine connection, sports remains one of the last institutions in American society that cuts against that damaging trend. Fandom can be a community-builder, and it’s needed now more than ever.

Young Mamba and the Pursuit of Greatness
Kobe Bryant resonates as a global figure because he fulfilled a great and difficult dream: He aspired to be the best, then at an early age devoted himself to that pursuit, then achieved it.

Storytelling and Sports
The games that children can play matter, and they matter because they are a way for us to follow, tell, and be moved by stories about ourselves.

The Power of Distance
In an age when we’re all trying to shape and tell our own narratives and speak “our truth,” it is the narrator who strives to be as thorough, balanced, and reliable as possible who is worthy of trust and whose work will last.

“Extremely powerful and memorable.”
— Col. Douglas LeVien, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recipient of The Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal

“Mike Sielski is one of the great sportswriters of our time.”
— Bomani Jones, Emmy-winning writer and producer, host of The Right Time

“One of our greatest columnists and truth-tellers.”
— Ian O’Connor, New York Times bestselling author

Praise for GOING THE DISTANCE: STALLONE, PHILLY, AND THE STORY OF ROCKY
“Going the Distance is that rare book where a gem of an idea leads to the kind of detail-driven reporting that yields a book so entertaining and elegantly written that the only issue you’ll have is roaring through it too quickly. Like a great meal, you’ll want to savor it and linger over it. This is the kind of book we all aspire to write.”
— Mike Vaccaro, New York Times bestselling author of The Bosses of the Bronx: The Endless Drama of the Yankees Under the House of Steinbrenner

“Mike Sielski’s fascinating book is many things: a Sylvester Stallone bio, a modern history of Philadelphia sports culture, and a close-up of screenplay writing under pressure. But above all it is a a myth-puncturing account of how Stallone created Rocky, turned himself into a movie star, and became an icon. Solidly reported, crisply and thoughtfully written, Going the Distance shows how a failing actor, like his character in the film, took a wild, desperate swing at success and created an enduring masterpiece.”
— Mark Bowden, New York Times bestselling author of Blackhawk Down and Killing Pablo

“A delightful mix of histories—a history of film, of sport, of economics, of urban development, and most especially of an extraordinary collection of individuals who came together to create an iconic cultural experience. Mike Sielski has given us a quintessential American story.”
— Tracy Daugherty, author of Larry McMurtry: A Life