Read, read and read some more: Some best of 2013 lists

I hope it’s not too late to share a few lists of the best sportswriting of 2013.

Every good writer who ever gets asked to give advice to other writers gets around to saying, “Read a lot.” You may agree or disagree with the choices on the lists below, but you’ll find plenty of great writing.

Find the pieces you like best and work ‘em over: What did the writer do that touched you, made you laugh, made you angry or sad? How did the writer grab your attention and keep it?

Don’t just look at the big picture. What do the best writers’ best sentences look like? Could yours be better, more interesting, do more work for you?

The 13 greatest pieces of sportswriting in 2013 by Dan Shanoff, ForTheWin

It Was A Great Year For Sportswriting; Here’s Some Of The Best Of It by Tim Marchman, Deadspin

The Best Sports Stories of 2013 by Selena Roberts, Sports on Earth

Seven More Favorites of 2013 by Patrick Hruby, Sports on Earth (a companion piece to Roberts’ list)

My Own “Best of” List, With a Twist by Kate Fagan, personal blog (the twist by this ESPN columnist and feature writer is that the pieces were all written by women)

My Favourite Reads by Scott Cullen, personal blog (Cullen writes for TSN.ca)

If you’re looking for more reading recommendations once you’ve exhausted the choices on these lists, check in every Sunday with Richard Deitsch’s “Media Circus” column at SI.com. In a section he calls “The Noise Report,” Deitsch lists the best sports and non-sports stories he’s read that week. And he reads widely. Here’s his most recent column.

Did you read something great in 2013 that doesn’t appear on any of the lists above? Let us know in the comments.