The Olympic Games 2024 are here, and athletes and fans are flocking to Paris or tuning in from their favourite broadcasting networks to witness this global spectacle.
At BookNet, we love events that bring people together and give us a reason to explore a unique corner of the market. For example, during Pride we shared the top LGBTQ+ books in 2024 and for Black History Month we highlighted the sales of Black titles in Canada.
This time we’re diving into the sales of Sports & Recreation books from Q3 2019 to Q2 2024, using BookNet’s SalesData, our national sales tracking service for the Canadian English-language trade book market. We’ll share the overall top-performing subcategories; the top-performing subcategories related to sports where Canadian athletes are competing in the 2024 Olympic Games; and as a bonus, the list of the top five BISAC subcategories that have seen the highest growth over these five years.
To kick things off, here’s an interesting stat from one of our recent studies. In our free publication, Canadian Leisure & Reading Study 2023, we found out that 31% of Canadian readers exercise or work out daily, and 29% do so weekly. Could there be a link between these habits and what they read? Let’s find out!
Top-selling Sports & Recreation subjects
Non-Fiction / Sports & Recreation / Winter Sports
Given that winter dominates much of the year in Canada and hockey is the nation's most beloved sport, it’s no surprise that Winter Sports is the top-selling Sports & Recreation subcategory. Despite significant growth in Q4 2019 (a 1,359% increase quarter-over-quarter), along with notable sales increases in Q4 2020, Q4 2022, and Q4 2023, this subcategory saw only a 7% increase over the entire five-year period.
The bestselling Winter Sports titles from Q3 2019 to Q2 2024 are:
Scotty by Ken Dryden 🍁
The Series by Ken Dryden 🍁
No Days Off by Max Domi 🍁; Jim Lang 🍁
Non-Fiction / Sports & Recreation / Basketball
June 13, 2019 was a historic day for Canadians as the Toronto Raptors won their first NBA championship. This victory was so significant that several Toronto restaurants offered Kawhi Leonard a lifetime of free dining if he signed a long-term contract with the Raptors. But how does this enthusiasm for basketball translate to reading habits? Surprisingly, it does to some extent. The second most popular Sports & Recreation subcategory in terms of sales is Basketball. Despite consistent, higher-than-average sales from Q4 2019 to Q2 2020, a massive surge in Q4 2020 (a 687% increase quarter over quarter), and smaller but noticeable increases in Q4 2021, Q4 2022, and Q4 2023, Basketball titles saw a 79% decrease over the five-year period.
The bestselling Basketball titles from Q3 2019 to Q2 2024 are:
The Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant; Phil Jackson; Pau Gasol
Rapture by Nick Nurse; Michael Sokolove; Phil Jackson
We the North by Doug Smith 🍁; Vince Carter
Non-Fiction / Sports & Recreation / Outdoor Skills
With 367 million hectares of forest across Canada and 78% of Canadian households reporting participation in outdoor activities close to home in 2021, it’s no surprise that the third most popular Sports & Recreation subcategory, in terms of book sales, is Outdoor Skills. Interestingly, sales in this subcategory were higher from Q4 2019 to Q4 2021 — could the pandemic be the reason for this? It’s a possibility. The highest increase during this period occurred between Q3 2020 and Q4 2020, with sales increasing by 248%, quarter-over-quarter. Overall, from Q3 2019 to Q2 2024, the sales of Outdoor Skills titles decreased by 50%.
The bestselling Outdoor Skills titles from Q3 2019 to Q2 2024 are:
Bushcraft 101 by Dave Canterbury
The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs by Tristan Gooley
The MeatEater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival by Steven Rinella
Olympic-related subcategories
What about the subcategories of titles related to Olympic sports? For this analysis, we compiled a list of BISAC subjects related to Olympic sports in which Canadian athletes will compete and ranked them by average units sold.
Basketball takes the top spot, but since it has already been covered in our top-selling Sports & Recreation section, we'll skip it to avoid repetition. Instead, we’ll share insights into the second, third, and fourth subcategories.
Non-Fiction / Sports & Recreation / Golf
Canada’s only Olympic gold medal in golf was won in 1904 by George Lyon. With golf now back on the Olympic roster, Canadians are hopeful for another victory. The book sales showing winning promise? Over the past five years, sales of Golf titles have increased by 7%, with the highest peak in Q4 2022 and the lowest in Q1 2022.
The bestselling Golf titles from Q3 2019 to Q2 2024 are:
Ben Hogan's Five Lessons by Ben Hogan
Tiger & Phil by Bob Harig
Phil by Alan Shipnuck
Non-Fiction / Sports & Recreation / Bodybuilding & Weightlifting
With five Olympic medals in the weightlifting category in our Olympic history — two gold, two silver, one bronze — Canada is no stranger to championing this sport. But does this success translate to reading? To some extent. The highest sales occurred in Q3 2019, Q4 2019, and Q1 2020. However, sales did not fully recover from a 61% drop from Q1 to Q2 2020. Overall, from Q3 2019 to Q2 2024, sales of Bodybuilding & Weightlifting titles decreased by 66%
The bestselling Bodybuilding & Weightlifting titles from Q3 2019 to Q2 2024 are:
Becoming a Supple Leopard 2nd Edition by Kelly Starrett; Glen Cordoza
The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding: The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised by Arnold Schwarzenegger; Bill Dobbins
Glute Lab: The Art and Science of Strength and Physique Training by Bret Contreras; Glen Cordoza
Non-Fiction / Sports & Recreation / Soccer
Are we ready to talk about soccer yet? The Canadian men’s team losing to Uruguay on penalties in the Copa America was tough. Still, Canada’s Olympic outlook is much brighter, with athletes having won four Olympic medals in this sport — two gold and two bronze. What about the book buying of Soccer titles? Despite significant growth in Q4 2022 (a 395% increase quarter-over-quarter), along with some noteworthy increases in Q4 2019, Q2 2023, and Q4 2023, sales of soccer titles decreased by 22% from Q3 2019 to Q2 2024.
The bestselling Soccer titles from Q3 2019 to Q2 2024 are:
Alphonso Davies by Farhan Devji 🍁
Soccer IQ: Things That Smart Players Do by Dan Blank
The Voyageurs by Joshua Kloke 🍁
Bonus: Sports & Recreation subcategories heading towards the top
As a bonus, here are the second and third-level BISAC subcategories that have seen the highest sales increases from Q3 2019 to Q2 2024:
Non-Fiction / Sports & Recreation / Racket Sports / General — up 957%;
Non-Fiction / Sports & Recreation / Motor Sports / Automobile Racing — up 440%;
Non-Fiction / Sports & Recreation / Winter Sports / Ice & Figure Skating — up 312%
Non-Fiction / Sports & Recreation / Skateboarding — up 300%; and
Non-Fiction / Sports & Recreation / Essays — 160%.
And with that, we’ve reached the end of this blog post. At the time of publication, Canada has won six Olympic medals in 2024, but there's still a long way to go. Go Team Canada!
Ps. Did you know you can generate your own reports to stay updated on market trends? Explore our tutorials on SalesData and LibraryData to learn how to leverage these tools effectively.
Highlights from Turning Pages: Print Book Use in Canada 2023.