For twenty-five years,  The Best American Sports Writing  has built a solid reputation by showcasing the greatest sports journalism of the past year, culled from hundreds of national, regional, and specialty print and digital publications. Wright Thompson, many times included in this volume over the years, takes his turn at the helm by curating this exceptional collection. The only shared trait among these diverse pieces is the extraordinarily high caliber of writing, but collectively they tap into the pure passion that can only come from sports. And for all aspiring sports writers, says Thompson, “these selections are both road map and compass.”   The Best American Sports Writing 2015  includes Don Van Natta Jr., Chris Ballard, Katie Baker, Christopher Beam, Wells Tower, Seth Wickersham, Ariel Levy and others WRIGHT THOMPSON, guest editor, started his sports writing career as a student at the University of Missouri, where he covered sports for the  Columbia Missourian . He interned at the  Times-Picayune  in New Orleans and worked as the LSU beat writer. He then moved to the  Kansas City   Star,  where he covered a wide variety of sports. In 2006 he joined ESPN.com and  ESPN: The Magazine  as a senior writer. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi. GLENN STOUT, series editor for  The Best American Sports Writing  since its inception, is the author of  Young Woman   and the Sea  and  Fenway 1912 .  He serves as the long-form editor for SB Nation and lives in Alburgh, Vermont.