Jon Finkel

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About Jon Finkel
Jon Finkel’s books have been endorsed by everyone from Kevin Durant and Tony Dungy, to Spike Lee and Mark Cuban. He is the author of the recent books:
Hoops Heist: Seattle, the Sonics, and How a Stolen Team's Legacy Gave Rise to the NBA's Secret Empire
The Life of Dad: Reflections on Fatherhood from Today’s Leaders, Icons and Legendary Dads
The Athlete: Greatness, Grace and the Unprecedented Life of Charlie Ward on Heisman Trophy winner, National Champion and New York Knicks star, Charlie Ward.
He also wrote “Mean” Joe Greene: Built By Football with 4x Super Bowl Champion Joe Greene, Heart Over Height with 3x NBA Dunk Champion Nate Robinson and Forces of Character with 3x Super Bowl Champion and Fighter Pilot Chad Hennings. In addition, he authored the Mario Lopez-endorsed fatherhood fitness book, The Dadvantage.
His book, Jocks In Chief: Forty-Four Essays Ranking the Most Athletic Presidents, from the Fight Crazy to the Spectacularly Lazy, is the first book in US History to rank every single president - athletically.
As a feature writer, he has written for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, The New York Times, GQ, Details, Yahoo! Sports and many more. His NBA book series, ‘Greatest Stars of the NBA’ won several American Library Association awards and the twelve books were a part of the NBA’s famous ‘Read to Achieve’ program. His feature writing also received a notable mention in the 2015 Best American Sports Writing Anthology.
Jon has been a live TV guest on CBS: This Morning and Good Morning Texas and has appeared on hundreds of radio stations, podcasts and live-streams promoting his work.
He is also the co-host of the Life of Dad Show podcast (600k downloads) and the Lunch Break Facebook Live Show (1M viewers).
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Blog postI suppose it’s somewhat meta to reach out to the author of the book that inspired The Social Network about his new book, The Antisocial Network on AN ACTUAL SOCIAL NETWORK, but when used as a force for good, platforms like Twitter can help you get in touch with people whose work you admire in record time and with near zero friction.
It was through this miracle of modern connectivity that I got in touch with one of my favorite authors, Ben Mezrich.
After las8 months ago Read more -
Blog postAs Finkels the world over prepare to celebrate their eponymous holiday this May 5th their thoughts naturally turn to the pantheon of patronymic Finkelsteins and Finkelbergs and Finkelthals that came before them, most of whom shed their excess syllables upon emigrating to America like a space shuttle dumping its rocket boosters after launch. For those […]
The post Sean Young on Bringing Ray Finkle/Lois Einhorn to Life in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective appeared first on Jon Finkel.
8 months ago Read more -
Blog postWhen I was a writer for Muscle & Fitness magazine I wrote a first-person feature in the lead-up to the 2008 Olympics where I had the swimming coach at Pierce College in California put me through an entire in-season Michael Phelps butterfly workout. I believe it was two separate 3,000 meter sessions with an emphasis […]
The post This is What Swimming a 200 Meter Butterfly Feels Like appeared first on Jon Finkel.
10 months ago Read more -
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Blog postGiannis Antetokounmpo recently reached basketball’s Mount Olympus, securing his place in hoop immortality by leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA title in 50 years. He won the championship and the Finals MVP and he did it with a fireworks display on offense and defense, smacking the Suns for 50 points and 5 blocks. […]
The post Three Answers with Author Mirin Fader appeared first on Jon Finkel.
10 months ago Read more -
Blog postI Was There
I think attendance is imperative to claiming that a specific sporting event is your favorite of all time. In this case, the ’99 Major League Baseball All-Star Game is the only MLB All-Star Game that I’ve been to… But so what? I am confident that if I went to every single All-Star Game for the last thirty years the ’99 game couldn’t be topped. Ever. Here are my reasons why:
It Was at Fenway
Fenway is the best place on earth that doesn’t have an ocean view. P10 months ago Read more -
Blog postBy: Jon Finkel You meet a guy in his late 40s whose last name is DiMaggio or Killebrew or Aaron and yes, you naturally wonder if his dad isn’t Joe or Harmon or Hank. But you meet a guy with a seemingly ordinary last name and you think nothing of it. In fact, when said […]
The post Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris And Jim Gentile: The Story Of Baseball’s Forgotten 1961 Sensation appeared first on Jon Finkel.
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Blog postI write a weekly newsletter that comes out every Friday morning called Books & Biceps and usually three out of four weeks during the month I recommend a book. Regular readers know I have a job, I write two books a year, I have two kids, I coach, I have a dog, I meathead out at 5AM in my garage gym every morning…basically, I’m as busy as your average dude these days.
Since the newsletter grows at a decent clip week-to-week, I’d say once a month I get an e-mail from a new reader ask10 months ago Read more -
Blog postJoseph J. Ellis and Richard Brookhiser are my literary version of ’03-’04 Manny and Big Papi when it comes to early U.S. history biographies. They knock every single book out of the park on the subject. I’ve been reading about the American Revolution as a side-hobby ever since I got out of college. This is all the more amazing to me personally because while I was in college and high school, I don’t think I paid attention for 5 minutes during a US History class. I’d love to say that all of my10 months ago Read more
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Blog postThis Feature Earned a Notable Mention in the 2015 Best American Sports Writing Anthology (originally featured on ThePostGame.com) By: Jon Finkel The foul line we sprayed on the driveway had faded long ago. The white box on our clear backboard had likewise vanished, but amazingly, nobody knew when. The hoop itself, once a gleaming announcement […]
The post The Night The Legend of the Driveway Was Born appeared first on Jon Finkel.
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Blog postAuthor Glenn Stout is the longtime Series Editor of the “Best American Sports Writing” yearly showcase, AKA, every sportswriter’s bible and gold standard. Stout is also one hell of a writer and I’ve enjoyed and recommended a bunch of his books, most recently Young Woman and The Sea. His newest book, Tiger Girl and the Candy Kid has nothing to do with sports, but man is it good. How’s this for a great teaser: “Before Bonnie and Clyde there was Tiger Girl and the C11 months ago Read more
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Titles By Jon Finkel
Few cities in the history of modern sports had a visceral connection to a professional sports team like the citizens of Seattle and their Sonics. Beginning with their first season in 1967 through their last in 2008, the city’s love affair with their team and players was unlike any other. From Lenny Wilkens, Spencer Haywood, Slick Watts, “Downtown” Freddie Brown and Jack Sikma, through Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp and the electric 90s era, all the way up to Ray Allen’s run and Kevin Durant’s single season, Hoops Heist explores the incredible impact of the Sonics locally and the importance of the franchise nationally.
Featuring exhaustive research and exclusive interviews with Seattle legends, NBA Hall of Famers and the players who came of age in the Sonics’ shadow, including Isaiah Thomas, Brandon Roy, Doug Christie, Jason Terry, Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford and more, Hoops Heist captures the transcendence of the Pacific Northwest’s basketball scene and its ongoing influence in today’s NBA.
Throughout the pages of Heart Over Height, Robinson takes fans behind-the-scenes of his childhood, his career and his most famous moments. From outperforming LeBron James on one of the NBA’s biggest stages, to mapping out his iconic slam dunk contest win over Dwight Howard, to being named Washington’s high school football and basketball player of the year, Heart Over Height brings to life a story that personifies perseverance.
Beginning with his improbable selection as the New York Knicks’ first-round draft pick after only playing basketball full time for two years, and continuing on to his unprecedented three NBA Slam Dunk Championships, Robinson has defied the odds every step of his career; a career that many analysts and pundits felt would never happen because in a sport filled with seven-footers, Robinson stands only 5’9” tall.
Having just completed his 9th electrifying year in the NBA, Robinson has proven all doubters wrong. Heart Over Height tells the story of the people, places, teams and fans that helped make his rise to stardom possible.
Dominique Wilkins is now a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. He's a 9x All-Star, a 7x All-NBA team member, 2x dunk champion, NBA scoring champion, a Hall of Famer and a bona fide 80s and early 90s icon. He duked it out with Michael Jordan, dueled with Larry Bird and has a statue outside of the Hawks' arena in Atlanta...and yet, no biography has properly chronicled the electric, exhilarating career of Dominique Wilkins...until now!
From the author of Hoops Heist endorsed by Kevin Durant and Gary Payton, The Athlete, endorsed by Tony Dungy and Jeff Van Gundy, and 1996: A Biography, endorsed by Jeff Pearlman and Steve Rushin, comes Windmills & Tomahawks: Nine Chapters on Dominique Wilkins - illustrated by Mike Farhat.
If Dominique Wilkins played today he’d have a signature shoe and his own logo. His in-game dunks would trend on Twitter nightly. He’d be unstoppable in 2K. He’d be top five in jersey sales. He was like prime Blake Griffin AND Kevin Durant.
That’s how dominant 'Nique was.
Back in his peak in the 1980s and early 90s he’d have three or four "did you see that!?!?!?" dunks and about thirty points every single night.
But he was more than the highlights and the stats. He had sponsorships with Reebok and Gatorade and Minute Maid. In short, he was a superstar.
Lunch room arguments would break out about who was a better dunker.
‘Nique or Jordan?
Jordan or ‘Nique?
Was a windmill swung down to your ankles harder than a foul line dunk?
Was it more explosive to jump off two feet or one?
Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins were like the McDonald’s and Burger King of our dunking universe for a solid decade…and yet we seem to have slowly and collectively begun to only remember the Jordan half of the equation.
When I started researching this project I got in touch with Spud Webb, Wilkins’ dunking rival and longtime Hawks teammate and friend, to get his take on Dominique’s legacy and he summed it up best.
“It’s amazing that people act like they’ve never seen anyone in the 80s and 90s play other than MJ,” he said. “People need to bring up Dominique. Dominique was an all-time scorer. He never got his credit.”
Exactly!
I’ve wanted to write about the Human Highlight Film’s highlights from the first time I saw his highlights on film. I’ve even had that sentence stowed away in a notebook for about eight years. And I’m damn glad to finally use it.
From ‘Nique’s legendary high school games to his bulldozing of the SEC at Georgia to his FIVE dunk contests to his duels with Jordan and Larry Bird and even his late-career EuroLeague Championship and Final Four MVP and beyond, you will love this digital, illustrated biography of the electric, incomparable Dominique Wilkins.
I’ve dug into the newspaper archives, watched all the games, interviewed NBA players and picked the brains of the best NBA historians and journalists around to make this the definitive short biography on the Human Highlight Film.
And to make it even better, I’m collaborating with the most talented NBA artist working today, Michael Farhat (AKA Art Mobb). Farhat is an absolute creative genius. He illustrated/designed the incredible cover and is creating original art work for each chapter. It’s awesome.
Take a rollicking tour through the sports world of 1996, when debuts, comebacks, movies, and pop culture crossover changed the sports landscape forever. From college to the Olympics to the pros; from the NBA to golf, tennis, and boxing, 1996 was home to athletes and teams who were among the best marketed, most beloved, colorful, and greatest in history. In 1996: A Biography, sportswriter and author Jon Finkel uncovers the stories behind the stories while interviewing a who’s who of ’96ers to reveal in thrilling detail how their collective influence on sports and pop culture still resonates to this day.
For those of us who remember when Iverson, Kobe, The Rock and Stone Cold, the MLS and the WNBA all debuted; when the US Women’s Olympic Gymnastics Team—the Magnificent Seven—won gold for the first time in history; when Mike Tyson and Magic Johnson made their comebacks; when MTV’s Rock n’ Jock, Michael Jordan’s Space Jam, and ESPN’s Dan Patrick and Stuart Scott were the bomb; when the Fun ’n’ Gun offense changed college football; when Ken Griffey Jr. ran for president (really! remember?); when Derek Jeter won Rookie of the Year, Favre marched to his first Super Bowl and Jerry Maguire had everyone saying “show me the money”. . . . 1996 is a sports time machine you’ve got to take for a spin.
decisions happen to good people every day. It doesn't have to be this way.
The Three Dollar Scholar
will teach you how to ace almost every single major decision in your life, including how to:Plan the perfect marriage proposal
Find the best baby name (not the trendiest)
Choose a dog name you’ll love that isn’t already overused and popular
Win any debate about global warming, climate change or even the ozone layer
Nail a job interview with unbeatable tips
Decide between moving to California or Florida (if you’re sick of winter)
End your college search with the perfect school
Lose weight once and for all
And much, much more…
Millions of readers have benefited from Finkel’s advice via his previous columns and features in GQ, Muscle & Fitness, Men’s Fitness, Men’s Health, ArtofManliness.com and many others.
You’re one click away from stopping your next bad decision and winning the next mindless debate.
Scroll up and hit the BUY button to start reading right now .
The book is divided into four fast chapters:
Chapter I: Stop the Dad Bod Before It Starts
Chapter II: Exercise While Exhausted
Chapter III: Yeah Baby - The Unconventional Fitness Guide
Chapter IV: The Simplest New Dad Diet That Guarantees Weight Loss
Chapters I and II of the book reveal why the mainstream expectations put on new fathers to set their health aside for the good of their wife and child is ridiculous, why men shouldn't feel guilty about taking care of themselves and how every guy absolutely has the time in his existing schedule to perform some practical, easy exercises throughout the day to stay in shape.
Chapters III and IV take a unique look at how new dads can use the simple things around them to fit in short, one or two minute workouts. Exercises like "Car Seat Curls", "Baby Bjorn Lunges" and "Mailbox Intervals" transform everyday dad activities into calorie burners and muscle builders. The final chapter shows men how simple, subtle meal changes can have lasting and impressive effects on their diet and physique with minimal effort.
The fact is, most men will probably gain weight during their wife’s pregnancy. We don’t want to, but we will. I did.
Unfortunately, guys don't have access to the one-day miracle weight loss plan that women utilize called giving birth. One minute, a woman is bursting at the seams with child, the next minute; she's 15 pounds lighter. Three months later, she's 30 pounds lighter. For men, what was once affectionately called "sympathy weight" is now referred to as "being fat". Once a guy is fat for a certain amount of time, he has officially "let himself go". And once he's "let himself go", it's not easy to get himself back.
Scroll up, click the BUY button and start reading right now.
Mean Joe Greene's memoir is a master class in determination, domination and perseverance. For the first time ever, the College and Pro Football Hall of Famer gives readers an unflinching look at his rise from high school bully-victim and bench warmer to North Texas legend and Steelers icon.
Many years before he would anchor the most-feared, most-successful defense the NFL had ever seen, Joe Greene was just a big, timid kid from Temple, Texas struggling to find his confidence as a teenager being raised by a single mother.
In his compelling, eye-opening autobiography, Greene takes readers on an unprecedented tour of his life, exploring the people who influenced him and the events that shaped him: from humiliating high school embarrassments to the grit and guts that led to four Super Bowl titles.
Mean Joe Greene: Built By Football is the inside story of how a series of mentors, mindset changes and maybe some luck helped a young man turn a scholarship offer from a small college in Texas into a selection as an All-American, a first-round draft pick in the NFL and a life in football that would net him six Super Bowl rings, including two as a coach.
As the first book in the Football Matters' 'Built By Football' series, Greene discusses how football helped shape his character, his leadership skills, taught him humility and integrity, and helped him learn the lessons he would use throughout his life as a player, husband, father, friend and coach.
Becoming a dad gives men a VIP pass into the greatest club on earth: fatherhood. Its rewards are unmatched, its challenges, uncharted. The experience can reach euphoric highs and gut-punching lows. For those moments (and everything in between), The Life of Dad has your back.
The Life of Dad is an all-encompassing, entertaining distillation of the full dad experience, through a collection of interviews, podcasts, online chats, Facebook Lives, and more, dispensing collective wisdom from dads who have been in the trenches.
From Shaquille O’Neal explaining how he’s taught his kids to be grateful, or Michael Strahan highlighting the importance of accountability, or Jim Gaffigan discussing the challenges of having a house full of kids, The Life of Dad has it all. Including thoughts from Ice Cube, Henry Winkler, Chris Jericho, Denis Leary, Freddie Prinze Jr, Charles Tillman, Mark Feuerstein, and many, many more, you’ll find plenty of camaraderie in the hardest—but most rewarding—job of your life!
- Kurt Warner, NFL MVP, Super Bowl Champion, Philanthropist
In FORCES OF CHARACTER, three-time Super Bowl Champion, College Football Hall of Famer and Fighter Pilot Chad Hennings presents a series of conversations with extraordinary individuals who have lived a life of high moral and functional character; people who demonstrate habits of excellence consistently, who elevate their performance toward a noble purpose, and who begin lifting others to their highest potential.
Through candid interviews with an array of luminaries, Hennings explores the transformational moments, the mentors and the mindsets that have shaped the lives of his subjects, including:
Roger Staubach - Navy Veteran and Pro Football Hall of Famer
Tom Henricks - NASA Space Shuttle Commander
Gregg Popovich – 5x NBA Championship Head Coach of the San Antonio Spurs
Carey Casey - CEO of the National Center for Fathering
Dr. Edith Eva Eger - Holocaust Survivor and international Speaker
Jason Garrett – Dallas Cowboys Head Coach
Bob Sweeney – Homeless Warrior and Executive Director of Dallas Life
Virginia Prodan – International Freedom Fighter
Troy Aikman – 3x Super Bowl Champion, Pro Football Hall of Famer, Broadcaster
Special Guest – High Level Government Official
The Forces of Character in this book have made a conscious choice to try to live every day as their best possible self, to lift others to their full potential and to elevate the performance of those around them.
Whether readers learn about mental toughness and the power of a positive attitude from Edie Eger; the symbiotic relationship between character and leadership from Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman; the imperative of choosing high-integrity people for your organization from Gregg Popovich; having the courage to stand by your decisions from Tom Henricks; the importance of consciously being a mentor from Carey Casey, or any other phenomenal piece of advice from the icons in this book, whatever your takeaway is, the journey to becoming a force of character can begin with this book.
Praise for Forces of Character
"I coached Chad at the Air Force Academy and his career as a student-athlete was exemplary; on the field he was a College Football Hall of Famer, while in the skies he was a decorated fighter pilot who served with distinction. He has found an incredible array of stellar individuals to share their stories in this book. It is a must read if you truly care about the direction of our country and what we can do to protect our credibility and our ethical code.”
- Fisher DeBerry, Former Air Force Academy Football Coach and Hall of Famer
“In this book, Chad shows through his own life and a series of interviews with luminaries that when character becomes a habit, transformational change is possible. I recommend Forces of Character to people in all walks of life, business and sports."
- Jerry Jones, Owner, Dallas Cowboys
The Athlete is the first definitive biography of Charlie Ward. Culled from hundreds of articles, clippings, books and original interviews with those who know Charlie best, this story begins with a foundation of college athletic excellence laid down by his father. From there, Jon Finkel traces Ward’s background from small-town Thomasville, Georgia to football-crazed Tallahassee to basketball Mecca Madison Square Garden in New York City. Ward’s remarkable journey includes staggering setbacks—from a near career-ending leg injury in high school, to academic obstacles prior to attending Florida State, to not being drafted by an NFL team after winning the Heisman Trophy. Through it all, Charlie’s calm demeanor, high character and unshakeable faith buoyed his belief that be it basketball or football, grades or career, he was going to succeed and set a strong example along the way.
As electrifying as Charlie Ward’s highlight reel, The Athlete is a towering sports biography, epic in scope and triumphant in its portrayal of one of the greatest modern athletes the world has ever seen.
For the first time in US History, every single president's athletic ability has been researched, reviewed and ranked by acclaimed author Jon Finkel (GQ, Men's Fitness, Life of Dad, The Athlete).
Which president saved 77 lives as a lifeguard? Which one's lucky handball is still sitting in the Smithsonian over a century after he last played with it? Which president invented a sport? Or practiced jiu-jitsu three afternoons a week while in office? Or was an NCAA champion? The answers to these questions (in order: Reagan, Lincoln, Hoover, T. Roosevelt, Ford) don't even scratch the surface of the awesome athletic information covered in Jocks in Chief.
By combining his fitness and sportswriting backgrounds, Finkel takes a thorough, and often hilarious, look at the athletic resumes of every single Commander-in-Chief. From the good (George H.W. Bush played in the College World Series) to the bad (Donald Trump doesn’t believe in exercise) to the ugly (Calvin Coolidge regularly rode an electric horse in the White House).
In order to objectively rank each president, Finkel invented the White House Athlete Ranking (WH.A.R.), which gives a score of 1 - 10 across five categories, with each president receiving a total score from 0 to 50. The higher the score, the higher the president ranks athletically compared to his fellow POTUS’s.
The WH.A.R. Categories Are:
Executive Power – Ranks a president’s overall physical strength.
Running Ability – Ranks a president’s physical fitness and cardio throughout their life (both before and after office).
Fit for Office – Ranks how fit a president stayed once in office.
Executive Experience – Ranks the athletic accomplishments of a president.
Mettle of Honor – Ranks a president’s athletic toughness and endurance.
Tastebudless Bud is a fantastical story about an adventurous boy named Bud whose family owns a donut shop and lives above it. One night, a mysterious rolling pin crashes through the ceiling and slams through a wall behind the shop's oven, opening a portal to another land in the Milky Way Galaxy called Doughnesia, where all the food made of dough is alive!
Suddenly, Bud finds himself smack dab in the middle of the biggest food fight in the universe, where Bagels and Donuts are locked into a win-at-all-costs Batter Battle against giant, evil Pizzas.
In order to get home and to save his family's shop, Bud forms an alliance with the Bagels and Donuts that takes him on an eye-opening, mouth-watering, Alice in Wonderland-type journey with characters like the head of the powdered doughnuts, William Powdered Taft, the frosted doughnuts commander, President George Frostington, the sesame bagels leader, General Ulysesames S. Grant, and many more! It's every kids' favorite bakery come to life!