Howard Bryant

Howard Bryant is the author of eleven books: the forthcoming Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America (Mariner Books, 2026), Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original (Mariner Books, 2022), Full Dissidence: Notes From an Uneven Playing Field (Beacon Press, 2020), The Heritage: Black Athletes, A Divided America and the Politics of Patriotism (Beacon Press, 2018), The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron (Pantheon, 2010), Juicing the Game: Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball (Viking, 2005), Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston (Routledge 2002), the three-book Legends sports series for middle-grade readers (Penguin, 2014-17), and Sisters and Champions: The True Story of Venus and Serena Williams (Penguin, 2018) illustrated by Floyd Cooper.

Mr. Bryant has also contributed essays to 21 other books and anthologies, and in 2017 served as guest editor for the Best American Sports Writing anthology.

He began his career at the Oakland Tribune and has worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Bergen Record, Boston Herald, and Washington Post. Mr. Bryant wrote for ESPN from 2007 to 2025 and has served as the sports correspondent for NPR’sWeekend Edition Saturday since 2006.

He is a three-time National Magazine Award nominee for commentary (2016, 2018, 2021), a two-time Casey Award winner (Shut Out, 2003, The Last Hero, 2011) for best baseball book of the year, and a 2003 finalist for the Society for American Baseball Research Seymour Medal. The Heritage was the recipient of the 2019 Nonfiction Award from the American Library Association’s Black Caucus, and the Harry Shaw and Katrina Hazard Donald Award for Outstanding Work in African American Studies awarded by the Popular Culture Association. His work has also earned him the 2016 and 2025 Salute to Excellence Award from the National Association of Black Journalists.

Mr. Bryant is also an award-winning producer, serving as executive producer for HBO’s Emmy-nominated Back on the Record with Bob Costas from 2021 to 2023, and won the 2025 Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary Series as an executive producer for Netflix’s The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox. He won the 2024 Best Feature Award from the Education Writers Association for the ESPN feature The Walkout: A Florida Baseball Team’s Battle – against itself. From 2021 to 2025, he worked in Development at Meadowlark Media serving as executive director for unscripted development from 2024 to 2025. In June 2025, he formed his own production company, Hawley Road LLC.

Mr. Bryant was a consulting producer on four films directed and/or produced by the legendary documentarian Ken Burns: Baseball: The Tenth Inning, Hemingway, The U.S. and the Holocaust, and Muhammad Ali, as well as College Behind Bars, directed by Lynn Novick and executive produced by Ken Burns. He has appeared in several documentary projects, including The Comeback, HBO’s Murder in Boston, directed by Jason Hehir, Lauren Stovall’s HBO series Celtics City, Apple TV’s The Dynasty: The New England Patriots, directed by Matt Hamachek, Jackie Robinson, directed by David McMahon and Sarah Burns, Major League Legends: Hank Aaron, produced by the Smithsonian and Major League Baseball, the ESPN 30 for 30 films Venus Versus, directed by Ava DuVernay, and This is What They Want, directed by Brian Koppelman. He also appeared in Baseball: The Tenth Inning, and Muhammad Ali, both directed by Ken Burns, among others.