Books by James Montague
“He goes into a pub in Newcastle and speaks to fans, who say—over quite a number of pages—why should we be the ones to have to worry about sportswashing? We’ve been waiting a long time for money to be invested into the club, so why do we have to stand up and say it isn’t right, and that we don’t want this money? You get a feel for how the Saudi decision to go into sport affects people on the ground.” Read more...
Alyson Rudd, Journalist
Interviews where books by James Montague were recommended
-

1
The Escape: The Tour, the Cyclist and Me
by Pippa York & David Walsh -

2
Finding the Edge
by Jimmy Anderson, with Felix White -

3
Ultra Women: The Trailblazers Defying Sexism in Sport
by Emma Wilkinson & Lily Canter -

4
States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football
by Miguel Delaney -

5
The Last Bell: Life, Death and Boxing
by Donald McRae -

6
Engulfed: How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, and the World
by James Montague
The Best Sports Books of 2025, recommended by Alyson Rudd
The Best Sports Books of 2025, recommended by Alyson Rudd
Every year, the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award—the world’s longest-running sports writing prize—highlights the very best new books in the genre. We asked Alyson Rudd, chair of the judges, to introduce us to this year’s winner—The Escape, by cyclist Pippa York and reporter David Walsh—and the six runners-up.






