Children of Hercules

"For decades, sports journalism was the stepchild of the media. Sports editors were appendages that belonged in the corner of the 'big' editors.
With the evolution of its subject - sports has become big business - sports journalism acquired a right to exist. The extent to which it was taken seriously was also the work of a few passionate pioneers: pioneering spirits who combined extraordinary writing talent with organizational vision.
Within Flemish sports writing, Joris Jacobs, who was sports editor at Het Nieuwsblad-De Standaard for many years, was one of these great conductors. In this book, he testifies about the groundbreaking emancipation work that he carried out as a promoter of sports journalism from the Second World War until the eighties. He alternates the intriguing story of his career with numerous anecdotes in which he portrays the great sports heroes of this century. Jacobs paints these children of Hercules and their environment in a way that is reminiscent of great storytellers such as Somerset Maugham or Dostojewski. From Pelé to Maradona, from Rik Coppens to Gilles De Bilde, from Fausto Coppi to Eddy Merckx, from Ingrid Bergman to Mike Tyson: they are brought to life within a context in which one is treated to nice truths and critical raisins in between. In this book, Jacobs proves his own thesis: sports journalism can reach incredibly high peaks.
Rik Vanwalleghem''