These sporting lives: David Storey, Barry Hines, and the case of the author-athlete

This article introduces the concept of the ‘author-athlete’ as a mechanism for examining the sporting narratives produced by authors who have experienced high level sport. This concept is examined through the careers of David Storey and Barry Hines, two authors from Yorkshire who were prominent in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and who turned to writing after careers in Rugby League and football respectively. The article draws on archival material alongside analyses of both writers’ sporting narratives to identify common features and to reflect on the particular qualities of sporting narratives produced by ex-athletes. In the case of Hines and Storey, it is argued that the concept of the author-athlete enables an understanding to emerge of the ways in which essentialist narratives of Northern sporting heroism and masculinity can be challenged.