American football Books
Taylor Trade Publishing On the Clock: The Story of the NFL Draft
Book SynopsisThe NFL draft features no action on the field. No passing, running, tackling, or kicking. Hey, there isn't even a field. Yet the draft has become more popular than many other sporting events, including the NBA and NHL playoff games, against which it goes head-to-head for viewers. In fact, the draft has spawned its own cottage industry in which names such as Gil Brandt, Mel Kiper Jr., and Mike Mayock have become as well known as any of the first-round selections. In On the Clock, Barry Wilner and Ken Rappoport chronicle the history of the proceedings. The veteran sportswriters take you from the first grab bag in 1936, when Philadelphia chose Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago only for him to decline to play in the NFL, to the 2014 draft—considered one of the deepest in talent ever. Along the 78-year journey, learn about the competitions for the top overall spot (Peyton Manning vs. Ryan Leaf), the unhappy No. 1s (John Elway and Tom Cousineau), the big flops (JaMarcus Russell), and the late-rounders-turned-superstars (Tom Brady). Meet the draft wizards, from Paul Brown to Bill Walsh and Jimmy Johnson, and read about the draft whiffs that cost personnel executives their jobs. On the Clock takes you behind the scenes at one of pro football’s most suspenseful annual events.Trade ReviewSportswriters Wilner and Rappoport chronicle the fascinating history of the National Football League (NFL) draft day. . . . [T]he authors give an excellent account of how the draft works through an in-depth look at the 2014 draft [and] they never lose sight of the players and professionals who have given the draft its drama over the years. . . . [F]ootball fans will be most delighted by the heart of the book, lists of 'the bold and beautiful, the fantastics and the flops, in NFL draft history,' including a look at the best and worst picks of each franchise, and separate best and worst lists for quarterbacks, running backs, linebackers, and safeties. * Publishers Weekly *A compelling look at NFL history through the draft, which has become, for many fans, more important than any single game outside the Super Bowl. Wilner and Rappoport weave compelling little-known facts into the brilliant moves, the blunders, and many of the oddities of the draft process. Informative and a wonderful read. -- Dave Goldberg, former AP NFL writer and Hall of Fame Committee memberTable of Contents1.Draft Day 2014: The Most Exciting Draft Ever 2.Ringing the Bell 3.The First 4.African American Breakthrough 5.The War between the Leagues 6.A Draft Genius and Three Wise Men 7.The Lists 8.Watch This! TV and the Digital Age 9.Fan Frenzy 10.The Underwear Olympics 11.The Gurus 12.Three for the Show 13.Irrelevant Men, Tall Tales, and Short Stories 14.Mock Drafts
£12.59
HarperCollins Boys Will Be Boys The Glory Days and Party Nights
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£15.29
The Slattery Media Group (AFL Publishing) Tiger Time: The Pictorial Story of Richmond’s
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£23.24
Pitch Publishing Ltd The Greatest American Football Story that has
Book SynopsisThe compelling story of how American football was used to boost morale and inject camaraderie between the Allied forces in wartime London.In December 1943, as London faced a fifth Christmas of blackouts and no sign of World War Two ending, a chance encounter at an English pub between a Canadian and an American officer led to the staging of a football game: the Tea Bowl.A few weeks later, 30,000 Canadian and American troops, as well as some confused British spectators, were gifted respite from the devastation. The game involved players who had paused their football careers back home to serve their country in foreign lands.The Canadians won, so a rematch was arranged in front of 50,000 at London's White City Stadium. They called it the Coffee Bowl. A few ringers were even drafted from the NFL, including Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tommy Thompson.With first-hand accounts and detailed reports of the games, this is the first time the fascinating tales of the Tea and Coffee Bowls have been shared in one place.Trade Review"An impressive story, well told. Rating: 9/10." -- Mark Watkins * Dare Radio *
£15.99
Pegasus Books The Lions Finally Roar
Book SynopsisThe epic and tumultuous story of the Lions, the Ford family, the city of Detroit—and how all three have come together on the cusp of a new era.On Nov. 22, 1963, William Clay Ford, the youngest grandson of auto pioneer Henry Ford, made a successful bid to buy the Detroit Lions of the National Football League for the unheard-of sum of $6 million. As Ford and his entourage settled down to a celebratory luncheon, their waitress delivered the news that President John F. Kennedy had been shot dead in Dallas. Born under a bad sign is how Bill Ford’s ownership of the Lions began. After a decade of supremacy, Ford led the team on a half-century slog of mediocrity, the fruit of his mercurial nature and undying loyalty to the wrong people. The Lions Finally Roar is bursting with the colorful ruffians who have made the team one of America’s most beloved sports franchises despite its years of futility. Readers meet the hell-raising quarterback Bobby
£18.70
Reach plc The mostly Football World According to Ollie
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£12.74
Random House Publishing Group How Good Do You Want to Be
Book SynopsisThe winning philosophy for creating and inspiring success that will help you triumph at work and in life from renowned football coach Nick Saban—with a foreword by Bill BelichickExcellence doesn’t happen overnight. It comes from hard work, consistency, the drive to be the best, and a passion for what you do. Few understand this better than Nick Saban. With more than three decades of experience as a player and coach, Saban has worked alongside some of the game’s legends and has seen firsthand how great leaders encourage greatness in others. In this candid and thoughtful guide, he shares his unique wisdom:• Organization, Organization, Organization: Create an environment where everybody knows his or her responsibilities—and each is responsible to the entire group.• Motivate to Dominate: Understand the psychology of teams and individuals, and use that knowledge to breed success.• No Other Way than Right:
£11.39
Picador USA Monsters The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild
Book SynopsisMonsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football is the New York Times bestselling gripping account of a once-in-a-lifetime team and their lone Super Bowl season. For Rich Cohen and millions of other fans, the 1985 Chicago Bears were more than a football team: they were the greatest football team evera gang of colorful nuts, dancing and pounding their way to victory. They won a Super Bowl and saved a city. It was not just that the Monsters of the Midway won, but how they did it. On offense, there was high-stepping running back Walter Payton and Punky QB Jim McMahon, who had a knack for pissing off Coach Mike Ditka as he made his way to the end zone. On defense, there was the 46: a revolutionary, quarterback-concussing scheme cooked up by Buddy Ryan and ruthlessly implemented by Hall of Famers such as Dan Danimal Hampton and Samurai Mike Singletary. On the sidelines, in the locker rooms, and in bars, there was the never-ending soa
£16.15
Soccertutor.com Ltd. Periodization Fitness Training A Revolutionary Football Conditioning Program
£23.70
Taylor Trade Publishing So You Think You Know Football?: The Armchair
Book SynopsisSo You Think You Know Football? is the motherlode of NFL rules and their interpretations. Whether you know everything about on- and off-field rules or are a true novice, Austro deftly illustrates the ins and outs of the NFL rulebook using examples from actual games. Test your inner referee with questions about the correct call and how slight changes might affect the ruling. Do you know why spiking the ball immediately to stop the clock is not considered intentional grounding, while hesitating a few seconds then spiking the ball is? See if you would have made the right call in a game played between the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders on November 27, 2011—with additional quiz questions from other games involving similar controversies. Keep this book right next to your favorite football-watching chair to consult during the game and visit ThinkYouKnowFootball.com to stay updated on interpretations affected by rule modifications.Trade ReviewBen Austro is so deft and smart about every football rule that he could be working at the right hand of Dean Blandino in the NFL officiating department. But you're lucky he isn't, because now he has time to enrich your football experience with this book. -- Peter King, The MMQB editor-in-chief; NBC NFL analystA readable, informative, and entertaining casebook of NFL rules that appeals to the casual and expert fan. Austro explains nuanced examples with an authority typically unseen from NFL media. -- Kevin Seifert, ESPN.comIt’s been fascinating to follow Ben Austro’s progression from interested fan to qualified commentator to bona fide expert on NFL rules and officiating. So You Think You Know Football? is must-reading for NFL fans who want to know how the game really works. The book takes you from the start of the game to the finish and highlights interesting rule quirks with real-life examples taken from recent NFL games. -- John Murphy, Buffalo Bills play-by-play announcerBen Austro has done an outstanding job of research and analysis of the rules and nuances of the game of football as played and officiated in the National Football League. For every fan that has ever said ‘I could’ve made that call’ to themselves or their football buddies—here’s your chance. Austro leaves no stone unturned as he fully explains the when, what, and how behind various rules and interpretations which come into play each and every week during an NFL game. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I have. -- Larry Upson, former NFL officiating supervisor and on-field official; former vice president of officiating for UFL
£11.69
McFarland and Company, Inc. Pro Football Schedules A Complete Historical
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£27.54
Globe Pequot The 50 Greatest Players in Buffalo Bills History
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£16.99
McFarland & Co Inc Saints in the Broken City
Book Synopsis Telling the story of Saints football in New Orleans is a way to understand larger social, political and economic conditions during pivotal moments of the city''s history. This book is the first to explore the team''s role in rebuilding the city following Hurricane Katrina. The author documents New Orleans'' initial efforts to attract professional football, the Katrina disaster and some successes and failures during 10 years of post-disaster recovery. The narrative of community recovery and cohesion crafted by Saints fans transcends racial divides and illustrates the relationship between professional sports and the American city. The voices of female fans--largely overlooked in the study of sports--compel a more inclusive definition of football fandom.
£20.89
Cornerstone All-American Murder
Book Synopsis_____________________________THE NEW YORK TIMES NO. 1 BESTSELLER on the murder behind the Netflix documentary Killer InsideHe had it all. A $40 million NFL contract. Fame. Adoration – until he was convicted of murder, and jailed for life without parole.A true story told by the master of crime fiction, All-American Murder is the tale of Aaron Hernandez, once the NFL's youngest player, a star for the New England Patriots and a Super Bowl veteran. His every move played out in the headlines, and yet he led a secret life – one that ended in a maximum-security prison. What drove him to go so wrong, so fast?This explosive account of the rise and fall of a life cut short in the dark shadow of fame, culminating in Hernandez's own untimely death behind bars, is built on original, in-depth reporting. Was Hernandez a victim himself, suffering violence-inducing brain damage from the sport that meant everything to him – or was he just a heartless killer?_____________________________‘The man behind the hugely popular Alex Cross series has interviewed those closest to Hernandez to get the full, winding story on the NFL star turned murderer.’ The Sun‘Patterson unravels Hernandez’s complicated and troubling story.’ CBS News'This disturbing true-crime thriller is another fast and captivating Patterson read.' USA TodayTrade ReviewThe man behind the hugely popular Alex Cross series has interviewed those closest to Hernandez to get the full, winding story on the NFL star turned murderer. * Sun *Patterson unravels Hernandez’s complicated and troubling story. * CBS News *This disturbing true-crime thriller is another fast and captivating Patterson read. * USA Today *
£7.59
Danann Media Publishing Limited NFL Legends: The Incredible stories of the NFL's
Book SynopsisOver almost a century, the NFL has provided fans with hundreds of unique personalities, countless unforgettable moments and some of the greatest feats of sporting brilliance ever seen. From its humble beginnings in the American Midwest to the global phenomenon it has become today, the league has evolved and changed almost beyond recognition. But the exploits of the footballing heroes of years past continue to stand the test of time In NFL - Legends we've collected stories on dozens of the league's most celebrated players. With expert commentary and lavish photography, you'll explore and rediscover the attributes that made these players, coaches and teams iconic, as well as the moments that propelled them to greatness. From early innovators like Don Hutson and Jim Brown, to modern giants such as Tom Brady, there's something for every NFL fan here. Over 50 Iconic Players Unforgettable Games Legendary Coaches
£15.29
Rowman & Littlefield The 50 Greatest Players in New England Patriots
Book SynopsisPerhaps even more than the Boston Red Sox, the New England Patriots are the team of the entire northeast from Rhode Island to Canada. Here, sports historian Robert W. Cohen ranks the 50 best players to ever take the field for the Patriots. Who can forget Wes Welker, Troy Brown, Jim Nance, Ted Bruschi, and Tom Brady. They're all here in this fascinating collection of bios, stats, quotes from opposing players and former teammates, photographs, and recaps of memorable performances and seasons. This book is a must-read not only for Patriots fans, but for all fans of professional football.
£17.09
Surrey Books,U.S. The Chicago Tribune Book of the Chicago Bears,
Book SynopsisIn Chicago, the Bears’s grip on the city spans generations and cultures, endures disappointments, and impels celebration of triumphs great and small. From the team’s humble beginnings to its century-long status as the flagship NFL franchise, the Chicago Tribune has documented every season. The Chicago Tribune Book of the Chicago Bears is an impressive testament to Bears tradition, compiling photography, original box scores, and entertaining essays from Hall of Fame reporters. This expanded second edition will include updated writing from the past five years, and will be released to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the NFL—and the Chicago Bears. The Chicago Tribune Book of the Chicago Bears is a decade-by-decade look at the team, beginning with George Halas moving the team to Chicago in 1921. The Bears soon became known as the Monsters of the Midway, dominating the sport with four NFL titles in the 1940s, seven winning campaigns in the 1950s, and a final title with Halas as coach in 1963. Their 1985 Super Bowl championship transformed the city's passion into a full-blown love affair that continues today. Professional football was practically born in Chicago, nurtured by Halas through the Depression and a world war. The NFL game was made for Chicago, in Chicago, by a Chicagoan. Now the award-winning journalists, photographers, and editors of the Chicago Tribune have produced a comprehensive collector’s item that every Bears fan will love.
£28.99
Luath Press Ltd Stramash: Tackling Scotland's Towns and Teams
Book SynopsisFatigued by bloated big-game football and bored of samey big cities, Daniel Gray went in search of small town Scotland and its teams. At the time when the Scottish club game is drifting towards its lowest ebb once more, Stramash singularly fails to wring its hands and address the state of the game, preferring instead to focus on Bobby Mann's waistline. Part travelogue, part history and part mistakenly spilling ketchup on the face of a small child, Stramash takes an uplifting look at the country's nether regions. Using the excuse of a match to visit places from Dumfries to Dingwall, Gray surveys Scotland's towns and teams in their present state. Stramash accomplishes the feats of visiting Dumfries without mentioning Robert Burns, being positive about Cumbernauld and linking Elgin City to Lenin. It is a fond look at Scotland as you've never seen it before.Trade ReviewThere have been previous attempts by authors to explore the off-the-beaten paths of the Scottish football landscape, but Daniel Gray's volume is in another league. - THE SCOTSMAN Truly splendid' - ARTHUR MONTFORD An excellent book about the country's smaller teams - [Stramash] captures the vague romance that still clings to these smaller Scottish clubs. It will make a must-read for every non-Old Firm football fan - and for many Rangers and Celtic supporters too. - DAILY RECORD As he takes in a match at each stopping-off point, Gray presents little portraits of small Scottish towns, relating histories of declining industry, radical politics and the connection between a team and its community. It's a brilliant way to rediscover Scotland. - THE HERALD A great read, because Gray doesn't write about just football, he uses football as an excuse to explore the histories of small towns in Scotland. - THE SKINNY Why do the Gers and Hoops have retail outlets in the capital? Why do buses depart for Glasgow on a Saturday morning from every corner of Scotland? Gray's book is a splendid attempt to answer these questions, and more besides - The result is sociology at its best, which is to say eminently readable - Stramash may turn out to be a memoir of the way we were, and an epitaph. - SUNDAY HERALD I defy anyone to read Stramash and not fall in love with Scottish football's blessed eccentricities all over again - Funny enough to bring on involuntary laugh out loud moments. - THE SCOTTISH FOOTBALL BLOG
£9.49
Diversion Books Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football
Book SynopsisNewly-minted Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach tells his captivating story––from rural Wyoming to law school to the upper echelons of the SEC. SWING YOUR SWORD is the first ever book by one of the most fascinating and successful coaches in sports today. A maverick who took an unlikely path to coaching through law school, Mike Leach talks about his unorthodox approach to coaching and the choices that have brought him success throughout his career. A lover of the game who started creating formations and drawing his own plays as a kid, Leach took his Texas Tech Red Raiders to numerous bowl games, achieving the #2 slot in national rankings and being voted 2008 Coach of the Year before being unceremoniously fired at the end of the 2009 season. The scandalous nature of his dismissal created a media frenzy and began a personal battle between Leach and his accusers that remains unresolved.Trade ReviewI could tell that our players liked him right away. What really struck me was how sure of himself of what he wanted to do. He had such conviction and confidence in his way of doing it and there wasn't any second guessing it: "This is what we're going to do. It is going to work. It has worked everywhere we've been." I remember feeling great. This is exactly what we needed to do. -- Bob Stoops, Mike’s former boss at OklahomaHe’s one of the most unique people I’ve ever met. He’s infinitely curious about everything. He doesn’t come in there and meet new situations with an agenda. He likes to walk straight up and ask the tough questions. He loves it when someone is real as can be. He wants to learn something new. He wants to hear another point of view on something. Mike Leach is an infinitely interesting guy. His free association is epic. Nobody has the ability to free associate like this guy. He starts going and you’re thinking, ‘O.K., where are you going with this?’ I love his re-set. His re-set line is always, ‘well, the thing is.’ Whenever he switches gears to another subject, that his comma, it’s ‘Well, the thing is. . . ‘ -- Matthew McConaugheyMike Leach has proved he can write a book that's as good as his passing schemes. I might add that it also ranks up there with his leadership and communication skills. Don't miss this eye-opening entertainment. -- Dan JenkinsI think he’s brilliant. Mike Leach is a renaissance man through and through. The commercials about the World’s Most Interesting Man—that’s Mike Leach. I love him so much. I aspire to live a full and rich life and he’s doing it. He’s as interested in literature as he is in football. He’s just a very complicated, well-rounded individual. He’s a real maverick and an inspiration. -- Peter Berg, filmmaker, director FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTSMike Leach is a great leader and an amazing motivator of men. And he got screwed. He’s got fantastic ingenuity, not only on the football field, but what he did with Texas Tech. The guy was on the cover of the New York Times Sunday Magazine as the head coach of Texas Tech. Think about how unusual that is. He is just so smart and really is a great guy, and a great coach. -- Donald Trump
£14.39
Globe Pequot The 50 Greatest Players in Pittsburgh Steelers
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£13.49
Orange Frazer Press From Bulldog to Bengal: The Joe Burrow Story
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£18.71
Sports Publishing LLC Tomlin: The Making of a Football Coach
Book SynopsisIn 2007, at the age of thirty-four, Mike Tomlin was hired as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Replacing Hall of Famer Bill Cowher—and two years removed from the team’s Super Bowl XL victory—there was immense pressure on the first-year head coach, who many fans and those in the media were largely unfamiliar with. After five seasons as an assistant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a single season as the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, the hiring came as a surprise to many. From his first day at the helm, numerous questions began to be asked: Was this young coach able to lead a veteran team that still had championship hopes? Could the newly hired, soft-spoken coach be able to fill the shoes of the great Cowher, known for being brash and outspoken? Was his hiring based solely on the “Rooney Rule”—named after Steelers owner Dan Rooney—which states that every team must interview at least one minority candidate for their open head coaching position? Not only did Tomlin rise above the questions and criticism about his credentials, he continued the franchise’s reputation of excellence. The youngest coach to win a Super Bowl in only his second season at the helm, Tomlin has yet to have a losing record in sixteen seasons with the team. He is also the second-most tenured head coach in the league, only behind Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots. But the question still unanswered is, who is Mike Tomlin? Known for giving little to the media and keeping his thoughts and opinions private, those outside the locker room and Steelers offices know little about the future Hall of Fame coach. Even as one of the most successful African American head coaches in NFL history, and one that has handled numerous locker room “personalities” over the years, much of what is written and reported about the coach is only above the surface. That’s where John Harris comes in. A veteran journalist who covered Tomlin’s hiring for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Harris works to pull back the curtain on the mystique behind this “coaching unicorn.” Beginning with his days as a wide receiver at William & Mary, his several years in the college coaching ranks, to getting hired by Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy with the Buccaneers and his single season with the Vikings, Tomlin shares how a young man from Hampton, Virginia, was able to establish himself as a leader of men in a business with so much turnover, earned the respect from his peers and players, and has continued to be someone that is looked up to by so many in the league. With interviews from former players, coaches, and executives, Harris lets readers in on what it’s like to play for Tomlin, why he is (or is not) beloved in Pittsburgh, and how his continued success has helped change the landscape of what NFL franchises look for in hiring a head coach. All from a man that chooses to give all the success to his players and coaches—past and present—than take it for himself: exactly what every franchise hopes for from the leader of their team.
£21.59
Triumph Books Football is a Numbers Game: The History of Pro
Book SynopsisIn the 1980s, Neil Hornsby was one of very few National Football League fans in England. Never one to do anything casually, he began keeping hand-written score sheets of every game using his own tracking system. Soon he'd enlisted some fellow British super fans in his mission to take football information an extra layer deeper. This was the beginning of Pro Football Focus, an analytics company that now supplies data to all 32 NFL teams and every major broadcasting corporation. PFF player grades appear on the screen during Sunday Night Football broadcasts, and PFF's pioneering research and analysis informs discussions at the highest level, from coaching to drafting to game-planning and player evaluation. In Football is a Numbers Game, Matthew Coller chronicles this improbable start-up tale with unprecedented access, exploring the company's origin as a band of obsessive outsiders, its pivotal acquisition by Cris Collinsworth, and its role in the proliferation of data in the NFL and professional sports. Featuring a cast of memorable characters, this is a portrait of an unlikely business success as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the forces guiding modern NFL teams as they search for a competitive edge.
£21.21
Rowman & Littlefield The 50 Greatest Players in Dallas Cowboys History
Book SynopsisThe 50 Greatest Players in Dallas Cowboys History examines the careers of the 50 men who made the greatest impact on one of the National Football League's most iconic and successful franchises. Using as measuring sticks the degree to which they impacted the fortunes of the team, the extent to which they added to the Cowboy legacy of excellence, and the levels of statistical compilation and overall dominance they attained while wearing a Cowboy uniform, The 50 Greatest Players in Dallas Cowboys History ranks, from 1 to 50, the top 50 players in team history. Quotes from opposing players and former teammates are provided along the way, as are summaries of each player's greatest season, most memorable performances, and most notable achievements
£13.49
The Slattery Media Group (AFL Publishing) Cyril, Celebrating a Hawthorn Champion
Book SynopsisOn 4 July, 2018, a sporting era seemed to pass as Hawthorn champion Cyril Rioli announced his retirement from AFL football, two weeks shy of his 29th birthday. Once the shock had subsided, the football world paused and applauded a one-of-a-kind player whose brilliance transcended club allegiances and old rivalries. Paying tribute to his star pupil, Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson summed it up best: His ability to influence a contest with a minimal amount of disposals is like no player I have ever seen and thats why the whole footy world loves watching him play. A pure footballer whose speed and skill delighted even hardened cynics, Cyril was one of the most decorated stars of League football, winning four Premierships and three All-Australian guernseys in 189 games as a key contributor to Hawthorns golden run under Clarkson. In 2015 Cyril followed in the footsteps of his uncles Maurice Rioli and Michael Long, claiming the Norm Smith Medal with a scintillating display as the Hawks secured that remarkable hat-trick of Premierships. On Grand Final day, no player struck fear into opposition hearts as did Cyril Rioli. From Cyrils first thrilling days as a fresh-faced rookie in Hawthorns 2008 Premiership season, AFL Media photographer Michael Willson has been right on the spot, documenting the unpredictable genius of a football superstar in the compelling images in CYRIL: Celebrating a Hawthorn Champion. Emerging from Willsons stunning photographs is a unique and intimate portrait of a football star -- not just showcasing the spectacular marks, freakish goals and thrilling tackles, but taking fans inside Hawthorns inner sanctum and letting us see the private Cyril. A must for Hawthorn fans and lovers of the Australian game, CYRIL is a beautiful keepsake in honour of an irreplaceable player.
£10.79
Rowman & Littlefield Tom Brady
Book SynopsisIn modern professional sports history, only a handful of elite players have spent their entire career with one franchise. The fact that Tom Brady has spent nearly two decades with one team, together with his on-field excellence, has formed an unbreakable bond with fans of the New England Patriots.Selected as the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback in pro football history. He has six Super Bowl rings, four Super Bowl MVP awards, and is a three-time NFL MVP. Now playing in his twentieth NFL season, he is one of the longest-tenured players in league history.Author David Fischer celebrates Brady''s career with passionate and vivid prose, supreme photographic images, call-out quotes, and boxed features. In addition, dozens of personal anecdotes and recollections about Brady from prominent members of the Patriots organization and the NFL community enhance the nostalgic experience.
£22.50
HarperCollins Publishers OUTCASTS UNITED A Refugee Team an American Town
Book SynopsisThe incredible true story of a a football team in the United States made up of refugee children.Trade Review‘Remarkable … Like all good books about sport, this is about much more than sport …This is a marvellous story, all the more moving for being written straight by a talented reporter.’ Mike Atherton, The Times ‘“Outcasts United” succeeds so emphatically because, just as the Fugees are so much more than a football team, this is much more than a sports book … a dense and unjudgmental portrait of America in the 21st century (and a vital primer to African and colonial history in the last one).’ Tim Lewis, Observer ‘Mufleh – a heady mixture of Brian Clough, Alex Ferguson and Martin Luther King – has wrought an astonishing transformation in the boys and their families, becoming not just a coach but a surrogate parent and stand-in social worker. St John’s expertly told account has been described as “heartwarming”, as if Mufleh has solved all the problems of multiculturalism at a stroke. Not yet, she hasn’t, but she has proved the truth of another football cliché: sometimes it is, indeed, more than just another game.’ Chris Maume, Independent
£14.24
£13.29
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Dixieland Delight
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£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Glory Game
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£12.74
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Badasses
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£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Undefeated Inside the Miami Dolphins Perfect
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£16.19
HarperCollins Publishers Inc War Room
Book SynopsisBill Belichick is one of the titans of today’s game of football. Now, sports commentator and bestselling author Michael Holley follows three NFL teams—the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and Atlanta Falcons—from training camp 2010 through the Super Bowl and into the April draft, opening a new window into Belichick’s influence on the game. This one-of-a-kind exploration takes football fans behind the scenes of the most popular sport in America, with unprecedented insider access to the head coaches, scouts, trainers, and players who make the game what it is—including new insights from Bill Parcells, Todd and Dick Haley, and Belichick himself. For true fans of the game, and for readers of Badasses, Patriot Reign, and Boys Will Be Boys, Holley’s War Room is not to be missed.
£14.44
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Believe My Faith and the Tackle That Changed My
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£20.39
HarperCollins Publishers Inc NFL Confidential
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£21.59
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Hell Mary A Former NFL Players Descent into the
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£20.24
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Fear Is a Choice
Book SynopsisFrom fighting for his life to pursuing a career in the NFL, ACC Player of the Year and star Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner has lived a story offering wisdom and advice for anyone who has faced adversity.During his first two years at the University of Pittsburgh, running back James Conner became one of the Panthers’ biggest stars, breaking records and winning the adoration of fans. Then, in the first game of his junior year, disaster struck in the form of a torn MCL. During rehab, James’s health continued to inexplicably deteriorate until a chest X-ray and biopsy confirmed the unthinkable: a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Suddenly, it wasn’t just the dream of an NFL career that was in jeopardy; it was James’s life. Yet when he shared the news of his diagnosis publicly, James rallied family, friends, and fans, with his message of hope and courage: “
£20.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Across the River
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Babb takes us to a place most of us would never go, telling us a story we’d never know. This book is so important.” — PETER KING, NBC Sports "A penetrating, wide-screen story of what it means to mentor under the toughest of circumstances." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “This spectacular book carefully fuses voice and tone to transport the reader into a world few can imagine and transforms the tales of disparate individuals into a narrative that is both touching and tragic.” — DeMAURICE SMITH, executive director, NFL Players Association “ Masterful . . . an equal parts heartbreaking and life-affirming look at a city, a school, and a football team whose players and coaches spend as much time fighting for survival as they do grid triumph.” — JEFF PEARLMAN, New York Times bestselling author of Three-Ring Circus "This is the story the country needs to read--raw, expertly told, stripped of political agendas and preconceived notions. This is not a story about football, but about what football can mean." — MICHAEL ROSENBERG, senior writer, Sports Illustrated "A moving and evocative portrait of football and life" — Publishers Weekly "I've always thought the best books are those that combine great reporting and great writing. That's exactly what Kent Babb's Across The River does. It combines deeply detailed inside reporting with a wonderfully told story." — JONATHAN FEINSTEIN, New York Times Bestselling author of A Good Walk Spoiled “At the Karr High School introduced to us by Kent Babb there is the expression, ‘Give Em The Real.' This book is ‘the real.' It’s as real as birth and death and all the heartache in between. Through Babb’s eyes, the story of Karr football is so much more than a sports book. This is the other America that too many people don’t know - or care to know – exists.” — DAVE ZIRIN, sports editor, The Nation "a literary masterpiece. Lyrically written and deeply reported, Across the River reads like a gripping, can’t-put-it-down novel.” — LARS ANDERSON, New York Times bestselling author of The Mannings and Chasing the Bear “This is an essential American read and an intimate look into the soul of New Orleans.” — WRIGHT THOMPSON, ESPN senior writer and author of Pappyland “There is no better storyteller in the country than Kent Babb. Period. I’ve never learned more about the fabric of one of America’s greatest cities than I did in this book.” — IAN RAPOPORT, NFL Network Insider “In Across the River Kent Babb keeps it real as he deftly and eloquently negotiates the sidewalks, the sidelines, and the streets of New Orleans.” — GLENN STOUT, editor, The Year’s Best Sports Writing
£19.00
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Across the River
Book SynopsisOn the west bank of the Mississippi lies the New Orleans neighborhood of Algiers. Short on hope but big on dreams, its mostly poor and marginalized residents find joy on Friday nights when the Cougars of Edna Karr High School take the field. For years, this football program has brought glory to Algiers, winning three consecutive state championships and sending dozens of young men to college on football scholarships. Although he is preparing for a fourth title, head coach Brice Brown is focused on something else: keeping his players alive. An epidemic of gun violence plagues New Orleans and its surrounding communities and has claimed many innocent lives, including Brown’s former star quarterback, Tollette “Tonka” George, shot near a local gas station. In Across the River, award-winning sports journalist Kent Babb follows the Karr football team through its 2019 season as Brown and his team—perhaps the scrappiest and most rebellious group in the program’s history—vie to again succeed on and off the field. What is sure to be a classic work of sports journalism, Across the River is a necessary investigation into the serious realities of young athletes in struggling neighborhoods: gentrification, eviction, mental health issues, the drug trade, and gun violence. It offers a rich and unflinching portrait of a coach, his players, and the West Bank, a community where it’s difficult—but not impossible—to rise above the chaos, discover purpose, and find a way out.Trade Review“Babb takes us to a place most of us would never go, telling us a story we’d never know. This book is so important.” — PETER KING, NBC Sports "A penetrating, wide-screen story of what it means to mentor under the toughest of circumstances." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “This spectacular book carefully fuses voice and tone to transport the reader into a world few can imagine and transforms the tales of disparate individuals into a narrative that is both touching and tragic.” — DeMAURICE SMITH, executive director, NFL Players Association “ Masterful . . . an equal parts heartbreaking and life-affirming look at a city, a school, and a football team whose players and coaches spend as much time fighting for survival as they do grid triumph.” — JEFF PEARLMAN, New York Times bestselling author of Three-Ring Circus "This is the story the country needs to read--raw, expertly told, stripped of political agendas and preconceived notions. This is not a story about football, but about what football can mean." — MICHAEL ROSENBERG, senior writer, Sports Illustrated "A moving and evocative portrait of football and life" — Publishers Weekly "I've always thought the best books are those that combine great reporting and great writing. That's exactly what Kent Babb's Across The River does. It combines deeply detailed inside reporting with a wonderfully told story." — JONATHAN FEINSTEIN, New York Times Bestselling author of A Good Walk Spoiled “At the Karr High School introduced to us by Kent Babb there is the expression, ‘Give Em The Real.' This book is ‘the real.' It’s as real as birth and death and all the heartache in between. Through Babb’s eyes, the story of Karr football is so much more than a sports book. This is the other America that too many people don’t know - or care to know – exists.” — DAVE ZIRIN, sports editor, The Nation "a literary masterpiece. Lyrically written and deeply reported, Across the River reads like a gripping, can’t-put-it-down novel.” — LARS ANDERSON, New York Times bestselling author of The Mannings and Chasing the Bear “This is an essential American read and an intimate look into the soul of New Orleans.” — WRIGHT THOMPSON, ESPN senior writer and author of Pappyland “There is no better storyteller in the country than Kent Babb. Period. I’ve never learned more about the fabric of one of America’s greatest cities than I did in this book.” — IAN RAPOPORT, NFL Network Insider “In Across the River Kent Babb keeps it real as he deftly and eloquently negotiates the sidewalks, the sidelines, and the streets of New Orleans.” — GLENN STOUT, editor, The Year’s Best Sports Writing
£10.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Mosquito Bowl
Book Synopsis
£25.88
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Last Folk Hero
Book Synopsis
£17.59
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Coach Prime
Book Synopsis
£21.74
Penguin Putnam Inc The Cost of These Dreams
Book Synopsis
£15.30
Oxford University Press Inc Not for Long
Book SynopsisThe NFL is the most popular professional sports league in the United States. Its athletes receive multi-million dollar contracts and almost endless media attention. The league''s most important game, the Super Bowl, is practically a national holiday. Making it to the NFL, however, is not about the promised land of fame and fortune. Robert Turner draws on his personal experience as a former pro and interviews with over 120 current and former NFL players to get behind the bravado and reveal what it means to be an athlete in the NFL and why so many players struggle with life after football. Without guaranteed contracts, the majority of players are forced out of the league after a few seasons. Over three-quarters of retirees experience bankruptcy or financial ruin, two-thirds live with chronic pain, and too many find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Robert Turner argues that the fall from grace of so many players is no accident. The NFL, he contends, is a total institution, powerfuTable of ContentsPrologue: NFL Means Not For Long Preface: The Athletes' Journey through the National Football League Chapter One: Broke and Broken Chapter Two: The Star, the Journeyman, and the Dedicated Spectator Chapter Three: The Field of Goals and Dreams Chapter Four: College Football Chapter Five: The Totalizing Institution Chapter Six: Masking the Pain Chapter Seven: Making it to the Big Show Chapter Eight: Eye in the Sky Chapter Nine: The Owner's Playbook Chapter Ten: Billionaires vs. Millionaires Chapter Eleven: Forced Out Chapter Twelve: Preparing for, Surviving and Thriving beyond the NFL
£19.94
Vintage Publishing Friday Night Lights
Book SynopsisIn the state of Texas American football is a religion. And nowhere is more fanatical about its football than the small town of Odessa. There, every Friday night from September to November, a bunch of seventeen-year-old kids play their hearts out for the honour of their high school. In front of 20,000 people. In 1988 H.G. Bissinger spent a season in Odessa discovering just what makes a town pin its hopes on eleven boys on a football field. He lived with the students, coaches and townspeople who dedicate their lives to their team, sharing their joys and triumphs, their pains, injuries and bitter disappointments. He returned with a compassionate but hard-eyed story of a town riven by money, race and class, where a high school can spend more on medical supplies for its athletic program than on its English department. Friday Night Lights is one of the best books about sport ever written. It is the story of how dreams and reality collide, at once glorious and immensTrade ReviewSuperb and disturbing - More than a sports book, it's a search for the America of ordinary people. * Newsday *A remarkable book, fascinating from start to finish, full of surprises. * David Halberstam *Friday Night Lights offers a biting indictment of the sports craziness that grips ... most of American society, while at the same time providing a moving evocation of its powerful allure. * New York Times Book Review *Just about everything you could ask for in a sports book * New York Times *
£11.69
Vintage Publishing A Fans Notes
Book Synopsis''Listen, you son of a bitch, life isn''t all a goddam football game! You won''t always get the girl! Life is rejection and pain and loss...''A Fan''s Notes - the horrible and hilarious account of a long failure. Our narrator is the ultimate unreconstructed male. His primary concerns are alcohol, sex and the New York Giants. But things go very wrong for him - he drinks too much, he''s impotent and the Giants start to loose. And so we follow his boozy trail through two failed marriages, many bars and intermittent visits to Avalon Valley - a private home for the mentally ill. Shockingly politically incorrect, terribly self-indulgent but more than redeemed by its unremitting honesty and insight this is the unforgettable story of a man laid bare.Trade ReviewA Fan's Notes is one man's life written with brilliance and insight. No one should have had Exley's life, and no one who has read it can forget it -- James DickeyWriters of every kind of aesthetic and cultural persuasion talk about it and press it on their friends. When I urge it on a friend who asks what it is about or what it is like, I say read it, just read it -- Geoffrey WolffAstonishing... It is visceral and intimate. Self-absorbed, it is also searingly perceptive about what happens between fathers and sons, men and women * Independent *
£10.44
Vintage Publishing Paper Lion
Book SynopsisGeorge Plimpton (1927-2003) was the bestselling author and editor of nearly thirty books, as well as the cofounder, publisher, and editor of the Paris Review. He wrote regularly for such magazines as Sports Illustrated and Esquire, and he appeared numerous times in films and on television.Trade ReviewA continuous feast... The best book ever about football - or anything! * Wall Street Journal *A great book that makes football absolutely fascinating to fan and non-fan alike...a tale to gladden the envious heart of every weekend athlete... Plimpton has endless curiosity, unshakable enthusiasm and nerve, and a deep respect for the world he enters * New York Times *The agility and imaginativeness of his prose transforms his account of this daydream into a classic of sports reporting * New Yorker *Possibly the most arresting and delightful narrative in all of sports literature * Book Week *With his gentle, ironic tone, and unwillingness to take himself too seriously, along with Roger Angell, John Updike and Norman Mailer he made writing about sports something that mattered. * Guardian *
£10.44
MO - University of Illinois Press Keepers of the Flame
Book SynopsisNFL Films changed the way Americans view football. This book traces the subsidiary's development from a small independent film production company to the marketing machine that Sports Illustrated named "perhaps the most effective propaganda organ in the history of corporate America."Trade Review"Vogan is able to conclude that by NFL Films' "manufacturing pro football's significance" the average fan was "taught" how to watch football, eventually leading to the replacement of baseball as "America's Pastime" with NFL football as "America's Game."--Journalism History"Keepers of the Flame is the definitive study of major-league media subsidiaries in the United States. It merits wide readership by historians of sports, media, and journalism."--Sport History Review"A readable and interesting book with a lot of descriptive history. Recommended."--Choice"Keepers of the Flame is an insightful and deeply-researched interrogation of the cultural, economic, and institutional forces that allowed a small production company to become regarded as 'perhaps the most effective propaganda organ in the history of corporate America.'"--Sport in American History"Keepers of the Flame is an impressive book that advances the historical body of knowledge concerning sports media. Vogan writes clearly, with a highly accessible style. . . . highly recommended."--Journal of Sports Management"NFL Films changed the way we thought not just about football, but, in many ways, about film. We televise sports in countless ways, from IMAX cameras to our iPhones, and no one does it as well as them. Travis Vogan captures why NFL Films is important and tells a vivid, smart tale of how they've survived, and thrived."--- Will Leitch, author of Are We Winning? and God Save The Fan, senior editor Sports On Earth, founder Deadspin"A well-conceived, persuasively argued, and consistently illuminating account of the most important and influential producer of sports films. Keepers of the Flame: NFL Films and the Rise of Sports Media is exactly the book we need to understand the significance of NFL Films over its roughly fifty-year history. Vogan's discussions of its archives and of the relationship between art and commerce are particularly original, enlightening, and provocative."--Michael Oriard, author of Brand NFL: Making and Selling America's Favorite Sport"Keepers of the Flame represents a significant, original contribution to the field of sports and media studies. Vogan's history and analysis of NFL Films and its cultural significance makes expert use of a variety of voices, from scholars to professional memoirs, popular press sources, interviews with NFL Films executives, and close analysis of films and programs."--Victoria Johnson, author of Heartland TV: Prime Time Television and the Struggle for U.S. Identity
£91.00
