John Feinstein, sports commentator and best-selling author, dies at 69
Started by Ladypanther


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Ladypanther
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03-14-2025, 10:03 AM -
#1
We lost a good one.


John Feinstein, a Washington Post sportswriter who became the best-selling author of more than 40 books, including “A Season on the Brink,” an inside look at volatile Indiana University men’s basketball coach Bob Knight, died March 13 at his brother’s home in McLean, Virginia. He was 69.

His brother, Robert Feinstein, confirmed the death and said the cause may have been a heart attack.

Mr. Feinstein (pronounced Fine-steen) joined The Post in 1977 as a night police reporter but soon distinguished himself on the sports beat. He covered a wide range of subjects and developed a talent for deep sourcing that fed personality-driven and dramatic narratives about athletes, coaches and management. One of the most popular sports authors of his era, he also became a frequent commentator on NPR, ESPN and the Golf Channel and had radio programs on Sirius XM.

He wrote books about baseball, football, tennis, golf and the Olympics, as well as novels for young readers, but he was perhaps best known for his coverage of college basketball. With an indefatigable work ethic, Mr. Feinstein filed a day before his death a column for The Post on Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo.

In 1985, Mr. Feinstein took a leave of absence from The Post to follow the Indiana Hoosiers and their coach, Knight, for the season. Knight, who had already won the first two of his three national championships, was at the height of his career.

When “A Season on the Brink” appeared in 1986, it was immediately recognized as a breakthrough in sports writing. Instead of deifying a successful coach, Mr. Feinstein portrayed Knight in all his complexities, which combined a sensitivity toward his players with a violent, uncontrollable temper often marked by obscenity-laced tirades.

“Knight was an almost Shakespearean character: brilliant, thoughtful and tragically flawed,” Mr. Feinstein wrote in a 2023 column after Knight’s death.

The book, often cited among a pantheon of unblinkered sports books such as Jim Bouton’s irreverent “Ball Four,” spent 17 weeks as a No. 1 bestseller and was later made into a TV movie starring Brian Dennehy.

Mr. Feinstein seldom wrote about superstars, preferring to explore the struggles of obscure, even marginal athletes. In 1995’s “A Good Walk Spoiled” — the title comes from Mark Twain’s description of golf — Mr. Feinstein alluded to such top golfers as Greg Norman, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, but his primary focus was on little-known players trying to maintain their places on the PGA Tour.

In “The Last Amateurs” (2000), “Where Nobody Knows Your Name” (2014) and “The Ancient Eight” (2024), he told the stories of, respectively, college basketball players, baseball bush leaguers and Ivy League football players who were devoted to their sports, despite having little chance of becoming stars.

“I’ve always been … someone who thinks that the unknown fighting for his life is a better story than the millionaire fighting for his next million,” Mr. Feinstein wrote in his introduction to “A Good Walk Spoiled.” “I’ve always been fascinated by the struggle of sports.”

Mr. Feinstein helped his high school swim team win the New York City championship, and he competed in swimming at Duke University as a freshman. After breaking his foot, he decided to join the school newspaper. Eventually he became sports editor and contributed stories on college basketball to The Post, which named him an intern after graduating in 1977.

He impressed the sports editor but, because there was no job opening in the section, he was hired to cover police and courts in Prince George’s County. Bob Woodward, who helped unravel the Watergate conspiracy and was then an editor in the Metro section, became his mentor.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituarie...ator-dies/
Hobbit99
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03-14-2025, 11:12 AM -
#2
Not being a fan of politically "optimized" news (from either side.!!), I am not certain that I ever followed this guy's work at The Post-- mostly because I don't (typically) read The Post.... or The Examiner, or The Tribune, or The Mirror, or The Times.... ad infinitum. However, if 'success' is measured, even in part, by quantity, then he must have had a successful run. I did read A Season On The Brink and it was, let's say, illuminating. I was not aware that he wrote it. In fact, I hate to admit, I couldn't recall the byline before reading this forum post (which says a lot more about my esoteric choices than it does about Mr. Feinstein...).

In any event, I am a fan of good writing and good communication in general. I feel a touch of sadness when I hear news like this because it means one more good communicator can no longer share their craft and we are poorer because of it. My wish is for peace and respect for his family and loved ones. Mr Feinstein deserves nothing less than a soft landing spot from where he can continue to support and motivate his family and those who held him close.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Feinstein.
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Ladypanther
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03-14-2025, 02:42 PM -
#3
He was all over the place.  Was a commentator on TV....ESPN, and the Golf Channel were a couple.  He did sports...nothing political.  Not someone taken in by the superstars.  Appreciated good athletes, their work and their struggles.  Shined a light where many others had not. Was honest, even when it was controversial.  
Hobbit99
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03-14-2025, 05:09 PM -
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(03-14-2025, 02:42 PM)Ladypanther Wrote: He was all over the place.  Was a commentator on TV....ESPN, and the Golf Channel were a couple.  He did sports...nothing political.  Not someone taken in by the superstars.  Appreciated good athletes, their work and their struggles.  Shined a light where many others had not. Was honest, even when it was controversial.  

Sounds like a good guy.

I know I should broaden my horizons. But I can't seem to generate enough interest to sustain a long-term track record of reading anything from outlets that seek to impair or unduly influence my political philosophy... and the Washington Post is one of those publications. They are not alone though. Both Red and Blue "news" organizations are equally culpable. I dislike both sides with equal rancor.

Thank you, LP for posting and describing the man behind the scenes. I know I have probably missed a lot of 'stuff' that would have been fascinating.
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Ladypanther
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Tongue  03-14-2025, 06:22 PM -
#5
(03-14-2025, 05:09 PM)Hobbit99 Wrote:
(03-14-2025, 02:42 PM)Ladypanther Wrote: He was all over the place.  Was a commentator on TV....ESPN, and the Golf Channel were a couple.  He did sports...nothing political.  Not someone taken in by the superstars.  Appreciated good athletes, their work and their struggles.  Shined a light where many others had not. Was honest, even when it was controversial.  

Sounds like a good guy.

I know I should broaden my horizons. But I can't seem to generate enough interest to sustain a long-term track record of reading anything from outlets that seek to impair or unduly influence my political philosophy... and the Washington Post is one of those publications. They are not alone though. Both Red and Blue "news" organizations are equally culpable. I dislike both sides with equal rancor.

Thank you, LP for posting and describing the man behind the scenes. I know I have probably missed a lot of 'stuff' that would have been fascinating.

You are such a suspicious man Hobs lol.  I knew of Feinstein long before I ever read the WP.  I like the post because they do a lot of in depth reporting (non political issues).  Their reports on the devastation of properties/infrastructure, and lives in the rural mountain areas of NC were awesome. They have some dedicated and talented journalists.  I like to be informed.  I like to know about things outside of my little world.  And I like to be challenged.  Nothing will impair my political philosophy.

But, everyone is different and has to do what they are comfortable with.  We are both long suffering Panther fans.  That is good enough for me.   CoolDance
This post was last modified: 03-14-2025, 06:27 PM by Ladypanther.


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