The following poems are about sports, including baseball, basketball, track, and wrestling. They are appropriate for young people.
“Victory” by Sherman Alexie
When I was twelve, I shoplifted a pair…
“The Trouble Ball” by Martín Espada
In 1941, my father saw his first big league baseball game at Ebbets Field…
“All the Thoughts at a Football Game” by Juan Felipe Herrera
There are baby thoughts…
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“You Can’t Put Muhammad Ali in a Poem” by Juan Felipe Herrera
If you did…
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“Fast Break” by Edward Hirsch
A hook shot kisses the rim and…
“American Pharoah” by Ada Limón
Despite the morning’s gray static of rain…
“The Church of Michael Jordan” by Jeffrey McDaniel
The hoop is not metal, but a pair of outstretched arms…
“A Boy Juggling a Soccer Ball” by Christopher Merrill
after practice: right foot…
“Perfect Form” by Kamilah Aisha Moon
Walter Scott must have been a track athlete…
“Run Every Race as if It’s Your Last” by Lisa Olstein
as you round the bend…
“The Rookie” by January Gill O’Neil
America under the lights…
“Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer
The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day…
“Losing the 440-Yard Dash” by Afaa Michael Weaver
If he hits the curve before you do, all is lost…
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