PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing
# PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing

The PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing was awarded by the PEN America (formerly PEN American Center) to honor "a nonfiction book about sports." The award was established in 2010 and is awarded to a title that is "biographical, investigative, historical, or analytical" in nature. Judges have included Robert Lipsyte, Tim O'Brien, and Susan Orlean. In June 2019 ESPN announced it would no longer partner with PEN. The awards have not been rebooted by PEN as of April 2021.

Presented in conjunction is the PEN/ESPN Lifetime Achievement Award for Literary Sports Writing. This award is given to an American or U.S.-based writer to honor "their body of work and long-term contributions to the field of literary sports writing." The award was established in 2011 and includes an honorarium of US$5,000. Candidates are nominated by PEN Members.

The award is one of many PEN awards sponsored by International PEN affiliates in over 145 PEN centers around the world. The PEN American Center awards have been characterized as being among the "major" American literary prizes.

## Award winners

| Year | Category | Writer | Title |
| - | - | - | - |
| 2010 | Lifetime Achievement Award | | |
| 2010 | Literary Sports Writing | Marshall Jon Fisher | A Terrible Splendor |
| 2011 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Roger Angell | |
| 2011 | Literary Sports Writing | George Dohrmann | Play Their Hearts Out |
| 2012 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Dan Jenkins | |
| 2012 | Literary Sports Writing | Dan Barry | The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball's Lost Triumph |
| 2013 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Frank Deford | |
| 2013 | Literary Sports Writing | Mark Kram, Jr. | Like Any Normal Day |
| 2014 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Dave Anderson | |
| 2014 | Literary Sports Writing | Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru | League of Denial |
| 2015 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Bob Ryan | |
| 2015 | Literary Sports Writing | John Branch | Boy on Ice: The Life and Death of Derek Boogaard |
| 2016 | Lifetime Achievement Award | John Schulian | |
| 2016 | Literary Sports Writing | Scott Ellsworth | The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball's Lost Triumph |
| 2017 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Bill Nack | |
| 2017 | Literary Sports Writing | Joe Nocera and Bill Strauss | Indentured: The Inside Story of the Rebellion against the NCAA |
| 2018 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Dave Kindred | |
| 2018 | Literary Sports Writing | Jonathan Eig | Ali: A Life |
| 2019 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Jackie "Mac" MacMullan | |
| 2019 | Literary Sports Writing | Rowan Ricardo Phillips | The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey |
