Big Fan

Two Friends, 82,490 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love

By: Michael Schur, Joe Posnanski, Tom Hanks - introduction

Narrated by: Michael Schur, Joe Posnanski, Ivy Schur, Nick Offerman, Cord Jefferson, Ellen Adair, Katie Posnanski

USA TODAY BESTSELLER

NPR's Book of the Day

New York Times bestselling authors Mike Schur and Joe Posnanski travel the world in a hilarious and heartwarming celebration of fans and the things they love: baseball, basketball, chess, darts, football, futbol, Indigenous North American stickball, pickleball, WWE, Taylor Swift, Star Wars, and more.

Two great friends. Lots of frequent flyer miles. And a bottomless appetite for experiencing sports. That’s what BIG FAN is all about.

Bestselling authors and podcast hosts Joe Posnanski and Mike Schur love games—almost any game!—and they bring readers to the front row (and sometimes even right onto the field). Whether ringside at WrestleMania in Las Vegas, singing along with the maniacs at the World Darts Championships in London, or just watching eight straight hours of football at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Dallas, they bring us to the very heart of what it means to love something so much it hurts.

Through crushing defeats and glorious wins, whether cheering penalty kicks with 65,000 fans in Liverpool or beholding a chess master castling in dead silence, BIG FAN is about why we love what we love and how fandom connects us in a time when so much else pulls us apart.

Critic reviews

Praise for Big Fan:
“Swifties, Kopites and yet-to-be-nicknamed chess enthusiasts abound in this sprawling survey of the world of fandom.”
—The New York Times, “The Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026”

“The hosts of the sports podcast 'The PosCast' hit the road for the ultimate buddy trip, exploring competitions ranging from a riotous Liverpool football match and Las Vegas Wrestlemania to perfectly silent chess game and the World Darts Championship. Tom Hanks provides the foreword.”
—New York Post, Buzziest Books to Read this Spring

"The best book I’ve ever read about what it feels like to be a fan.”
—America Magazine

"A treat for the sports fanatic of the household.”
—Kirkus

“An entertaining, humorous, and thought-provoking examination of the human obsession with sports and entertainment told with a delightful, self-deprecating style that will appeal to a variety of readers.”
—Booklist

"'They’re letting you do what?' Posnanski’s wife said to her husband when hearing about his accepted book proposal. It sure sounds like a win for these sports-obsessed pals: Podcast hosts Schur and Posnanski... took to the road (and air) to report on their observations of sporty adventures of all sorts, including visits to WrestleMania in Las Vegas and the World Darts Championships in London."
—AARP

“So, this is like a ‘mid-life crisis’ situation?”
—Mike’s friend Alex, when told of the premise of this book

“$#%&$.”
—Montreal hockey fan sitting next to Joe

“They're letting you do what?”
—Joe's wife Margo

“I mean, I guess I would say, ‘That’s too many Mookie Betts rookie cards.’”
—Mike’s friend Olivia, when she saw how many Mookie Betts rookie cards Mike has

“#@%$#&.”
—A lot of other fans, sitting next to us, at a lot of other events

“I can’t seem to find your name on the list.”
—Every single will call employee, at every single event, when we gave them our names to get our tickets

Brilliant!

This book is absolutely brilliant… its writing, its narration, its tone, its style, and I could tell they are friends. Maybe someday I’ll get to do two or three of these things and I will enjoy them just as much as the authors.

Wonderful Listen sports fan or not

Two exceptional storytellers - Posnanski, perhaps the best sportswriter going, and Schur, an award-winning comedy writer - and perhaps unsurprisingly their own best narrators. Listened to this one in a couple daily walks though the individual segments do not require listening in succession. Not just for sports fans. I have never watched "the darts" but would put this chapter up against any comic writing and then there's the one about close-up magic and the one about the Sweet Adelines in Alaska. If you like this title, then you'd probably enjoy any of Posnanski's other books and Schur's How to Be Perfect. Enjoy!

Utterly Joyful

Hearing Mike and Joe talk enthusiastically about fandom has been a magnificent experience. I am not all that big of a sports fan myself, but I do love the Poscast and this is the equivalent of many hours of happy listening. 10/10

humor and deep understanding of the pathos of being a fan.

occasionally had to pull over because of laughter. The reason us Ohio North coasters didn't learn hockey was the lack of usable pond ice. You can't skate on frozen slush.

All Fans - run to listen

I loved learning about all the sports and passions of Mike and Joe. Pickleball section made me laugh out loud since I was not a fan before I listened to this book.