Heartbreak City

"Shaun Scott’s Heartbreak City unfolds like a baseball game. First through its structure: divided chronologically, recounting a people’s history of Seattle into nine innings—and some extra bits—corresponding to key eras between the start of white settlement and today. Then through a vibrant array of characters shaping how history unfolds: divulging their shared hopes, committing errors, moving through losses, rallying. Heartbreak City is as much about casting a light on keystone, bygone sports dynasties. . . . as it is about questioning Seattle’s teams, champions, and projects the city rallies behind."

"After unearthing a big Seattle baseball game one hundred years before the Mariners debuted, Shaun Scott weaves a richly researched saga that intertwines the city's robust, progressive civic ambitions and its lust for sports. Scott describes well how losses exceeded wins, especially when Seattle so often failed to engage the city's diverse racial, ethnic and gender communities. An incomparable hot take on Seattle sports."

"Through the incisive and bracingly original cultural lens of Shaun Scott, we relearn the history of Seattle by examining it through the games people played. Scott makes a compelling case that through sports, we can learn our urban histories in a way that provides clarity about past, present and future. And the Emerald City has never shone with such clarity. Every city deserves a sports history this good. My only heartbreak was when I reached the last page."

"Scott is teaching people about far more than simply sports. He skillfully examines the intersecting histories of sports, gender, and race alongside politics and Seattle’s social history."

"Heartbreak City airs Seattle's dirty laundry via deep research and fresh, surprising storytelling—essential reading for anyone interested in how intersections of sports and power have shaped America's cities."