Meet John Eisenberg | Sports Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Eisenberg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
Looking back, I was almost destined to become a sports author. I grew up in Dallas, Texas, in a family where reading was emphasized. There were books all over the house. We took morning and evening newspapers. Television wasn’t as pervasive in the culture so I read a lot. I also enjoyed watching and playing sports. The football Cowboys were a relatively new franchise and my grandfather bought season tickets for the whole family. Going to the games was a thrill for a young boy — the sights, the sounds, the colors, the cheers. I actually started writing about sports as a boy. After I played imaginary games in the backyard, I would come inside and type up a game story, imitating the ones I read in the newspapers. My love affair with writing and reading continued with my first job as a teenager — I worked at an independent bookstore that my mother co-owned. At the University of Pennsylvania, I majored in English but spent most of my time at the school newspaper, where I was a staff writer and sports columnist. A career in journalism loomed.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have written 11 books for major publishers, all nonfiction about various sports, football, baseball, horse racing. Reviewers routinely praise them for their clear writing and deep research. I also wrote daily sports journalism for 44 years, starting with the Dallas Times Herald and later with the Baltimore Sun and the Baltimore Ravens’ Digital operation. It all happened because I was able to convert my thoughts into print, a skill I don’t take for granted. I also had the discipline to hit deadlines instead of letting them pass.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When my friends visit Baltimore, where I have lived since 1984, I take them to eat a crab cake or Italian food, tour the Baltimore Museum of Art, and share a beer at one of the many fabulous breweries in the area.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
In high school I had an English teacher, Christine Eastus, who fostered my love of reading and encouraged me to write. She taught me to persist, take chances and have confidence in what I wrote — all linchpins in a successful writing career. Before she passed away in 2022, I made sure she understood how greatly she influenced me.

Website: www.johneisenberg.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-eisenberg-60a93362/

Twitter: @bmoreeisenberg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.eisenberg.5