Biography: sport Books

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Book SynopsisThe story of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s extraordinary rise from poverty in Athens, Greece, to superstardom in America with the Milwaukee Bucks—becoming one of the most transcendent players in history and an NBA Champion—from award-winning basketball reporter and feature writer at The Ringer Mirin Fader.   As the face of the NBA’s new world order, Giannis Antetokounmpo has overcome unfathomable obstacles to become a symbol of hope for people all over the world; the personification of the American Dream. But his backstory remains largely untold. Fader unearths new information about the childhood that shaped “The Greek Freak”—from sleeping side by side with his brothers to selling trinkets on the street with his family to the racism he experienced. Antetokounmpo grew up in an era when Golden Dawn, Greece’s far-right, anti-immigrant party, patrolled his neighborhood, and his status as an illegal immigrant largel

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Book SynopsisThe definitive biography of Yogi Berra, the New York Yankees icon, winner of 13 World Series championships, and the most-quoted player in baseball history

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Book SynopsisForever remembered as one of the most dramatic storylines in the history of golf, Payne Stewart''s phenomenal career was bookended by a brass and colorful start and an inspired comeback with a shocking, tragic end.Written off as a pompous showman past the prime of his career, Stewart emerged from a long slump in the unforgettable season of 1999 to capture the U.S. Open and play on the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup team. He appeared to be a new man that summer: wiser, deeper, and on the verge of a new level of greatness. Then his journey to redemption ended in October, when his chartered Learjet flew aimlessly for more than a thousand miles, ran out of fuel, and fell to earth in a prairie in South Dakota.His death marked the end of an era, one made up of shotmakers who played the game with artistry, guile, finesse, and heart. Behind them were Tiger Woods, David Duval, Phil Mickelson, and other young players whose power and strength changed the PGA Tour forever. With exclu

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Book Synopsis In this nostalgic memoir, a son provides a unique perspective on his legendary father–the baseball star, Yogi Berra. Yogi Berra was the backbone of the New York Yankees through ten World Series Championships. In My Dad, Yogi is Dale Berra chronicles his unshakeable bond with his father, going back to his suburban New Jersey upbringing, his parents’ enduring relationship, and his Dad’s formidable career. Following in his Dad’s footsteps, Dale came up with the Pittsburgh Pirates, contributing to their 1979 championship season and emerging as one of baseball's most talented young players before eventually uniting with his Dad in the Yankee dugout. Yogi supported his son throughout his highs of his careers and lows of a drug addiction, eventually staging an intervention that would save Dale's life, and draw the entire family even closer. My Dad, Yogi is Dale's tribute to hi

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Book SynopsisOf the many storylines to the Chicago Cubs incredible 2016 season was the late career renaissance of David Ross, the 39-year-old journeyman player affectionately known to his Cubs teammates as Grandpa Rossy. Ross became the unlikely heart and soul of the championship team, who finally broke the near 100-year Cubs curse. At the end of the Cubs victorious game seven--in which Ross entered the game in the 5th inning and proceeded to hit a crucial home run (becoming the oldest player to homer in World Series History), he was carried off the field by his teammates. Ross''s late career blossoming and role as a Cubs mentor has been one of the defining sports stories of 2016, inspiring a write-in campaign for him for the All Star game, an endless series of feature stories and becoming the nightly talk of TV analysts and sports radio. This book would be memoir of Ross'' career -- written with veteran collaborator Don Yaeger -- with the championship run at Wrigley this year as the cap

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Book SynopsisHenry Blofeld singles out the most exciting and entertaining cricketers of all time in his irrepressibly enthusiastic book.Trade ReviewIt confirms his encyclopaedic knowledge of the game from Alfred Mynn to Michael Vaughan * Daily Mail *

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Book Synopsis'The Voice of Golf' tells his compelling and colourful life story in this revealing autobiography.Trade ReviewThe overwhelming sense from the book is Alliss's passion for and devotion to a sport * Yorkshire Post *There can be no finer accompaniment to a round of golf than his master's voice. * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisOn a sunny afternoon in May 1868, nineteen-year-old Gilbert Grace stood in a Wiltshire field, wondering why he was playing cricket against the Great Western Railway Club. A batting genius, ''W. G.'' should have been starring at Lord''s in the grand opening match of the season. But MCC did not want to elect this humble son of a provincial doctor. W. G''s career was faltering before it had barely begun.Grace finally forced his way into MCC and over the next three decades, millions came to watch him - not just at Lord''s, but across the British Empire and beyond. Only W. G. could boast a fan base that stretched from an American Civil War general and the Prince of Wales''s mistress to the children who fingered his coat-tails as he walked down the street, just to say ''I touched him''.The public never knew the darker story behind W. G.''s triumphal progress. Accused of avarice, W. G. was married to the daughter of a bankrupt. Disparaged as a simpleton, his subversive minTrade ReviewRichard Tomlinson's magnificent biography of sport's first global superstar -- Jim White * Daily Telegraph *Amazing Grace is a fluently written study, imbued with humour and sympathy, that yields many insights as well as much pleasure -- David Kynaston * Daily Telegraph *What makes [Tomlinson's] book so refreshing is that he is entirely clear-sighted about his subject's foibles . . . [he] effectively conveys the sheer competitive drive that made him so successful . . . offers some intriguing glimpses of the anxieties that made him stay so long and probably made him such a great player . . . [Grace] emerges from this book as Ian Botham, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Gascoigne and David Beckham rolled into one: a symbol not just of Victorian England, but of sport itself -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *A compelling book that uncovers a man as complex and contrary as any in Victorian society * Mail on Sunday *It's a pleasure to read a biography as thoughtful and assiduous as Richard Tomlinson's . . . Tomlinson clearly likes [Grace] as well as revering him, and so did I after finishing this lovingly crafted piece of work -- Markus Berkmann * Daily Mail *Industrious, witty, insightful, this biography ought to be the standard work on W.G. for years to come -- Sam Kitchener * Independent *Scrupulously researched and well written -- Simon Heffer * New Statesman *My biography of the year . . . a revelatory study of the giant who remains cricket's most iconic figure -- Tom Holland * Evening Standard *The cricketer W. G. Grace is instantly recognisable as an icon of the Victorian age, if only by virtue of his impossibly bushy beard, but as Richard Tomlinson emphasises in this terrifically readable biography, he was, in his time, at the cutting edge of modernity. Grace dominated the game to an extent matched later only by Australian Donald Bradman and was the word's first sporting superstar -- Simon Shaw * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisWhat artifact best captures the spirit of American sports? The bat Babe Ruth used to hit his allegedly called shot, or the ball on which Pete Rose wrote, I''m sorry I bet on baseball? Could it be Lance Armstrong''s red-white-and-blue bike, now tarnished by doping and hubris? Or perhaps its ancestor, the nineteenth-century safety bicycle that opened an avenue of previously unknown freedom to women? The jerseys of rivals Larry Bird and Magic Johnson? Or the handball that Abraham Lincoln threw against a wall as he waited for news of his presidential nomination?From nearly forgotten heroes like Tad Lucas (rodeo) and Tommy Kono (weightlifting) to celebrities like Amelia Earhart, Muhammad Ali, and Michael Phelps, Cait Murphy tells the stories of the people, events, and things that have forged the epic of American sports, in both its splendor and its squalor. Stories of heroism and triumph rub up against tales of discrimination and cheating. These objects tell much more than just stories aboTrade Review"Among the best vignettes in A History of American Sports in 100 Objects is one devoted to debunking some of the myths surrounding Jesse Owens' four-gold-medal performance in the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany, and another affirming Jackie Robinson's place in baseball and American history." -Washington Independent Review of Books "Cait Murphy's A History of American Sports in 100 Objects has the balls to map our love of the game, one photograph at a time." -Vanity Fair, Hot Type "Murphy is an insightful artist who has opened the doors to new understanding about the importance and the impact of sports on the playing field and in the community in general. To be more specific, she has brought to the reader of sports literature an understanding that is the soul of boarding schools and summer camps - places where everyone plays games - and the appreciation of the game itself becomes as important as winning. We call that good sportsmanship." -Roanoke Times "Immensely entertaining and beautifully written... [Murphy's] selections resonate socially, politically, and technologically across American sports history, with each item containing a perceptive explanation of its significance. This is a great concept for a sports book, and it's expertly executed." -Booklist, starred review "Entertaining... Murphy writes in a conversational, witty fashion, making wry observations without losing touch with the larger historical, social, and political significance of the events and athletes that give the objects their significance... An enjoyable romp through the things that helped make the sports we love." -Kirkus Reviews "It's almost unfair that someone could have as much fun putting together a book as Cait Murphy clearly did while working on this one. Her buoyant trip through the history of American sports is filled with surprise and delight." -Daniel Okrent, author of Nine Innings "I couldn't put this book down. Endlessly fascinating and expertly curated, A History of American Sports in 100 Objects not only brings to life what matters most about the games we play and the athletes who play them, it also tells a compelling story about the place of sports in American culture and society. By turns fresh and funny, poignant and insightful, Cait Murphy is the ideal guide for this absorbing journey." -William A. Gleason, Professor of English, Princeton University "How do we love sports? Cait Murphy counts the ways in this gem of a book. It ought to come with a warning label: these pages may be addictive." -Jonathan Eig, author of Luckiest Man and Opening Day "The items found within these pages are less objects than memorial markers, jumping-off points for a satisfying exploration of our nation's sporting history. Cait Murphy's descriptions are easy and informative, opening 100 windows though which to leap feet first-and, thanks to some adroit writing, the landing is always certain. Whether you're being reminded about things you already knew, or informed about vital history that may have eluded you, the ride is always a fun one." -Jason Turbow, author of The Baseball Codes "With the deft eye for telling detail that has become her hallmark, Cait Murphy offers a delightful journey into the history of American sports through 100 fascinating objects. Most of them are anything but obvious: Along with Curt Schilling's fabled bloody sock, Murphy digs into soil from the Elysian Fields of Hoboken, New Jersey; the yellow blazer worn on Monday Night Football; a stuffed animal left behind after the Boston Marathon bombing; Jesse Owens's baton from the 1936 Olympics. You'll relish these riveting, charming and engaging side trips into iconic objects of American sports, each of which tells us much about what it means to be an American." -Edward Achorn, author of The Summer of Beer and Whiskey and Fifty-Nine in '84 "There's nothing sports fans like more than best-of lists. Objects is a strange choice for a catalog-and, in the hands of Cait Murphy-a brilliant one. Whether it's Secretariat's shoe nail, Billy Jean King's sequined dress, or, my favorite, the brace that let Bobby Orr skate with deeply scarred knees-Murphy finds just the telling details to conjure up sweet sports memories and stoke our imaginations." -Larry Tye, author of Bobby Kennedy and Satchel

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Book Synopsis“Taking risks and pushing oneself to the limit are strong themes, as well, and the loving bond between a father and son is evident throughout . . . . A tale that will appeal to sports fans and those who appreciate the determination and physical and mental toughness required to thrive at the top level of sports.” —Kirkus The inspiring story of Nate Ebner's bond with his unconventional father and its remarkable consequencesNate Ebner and his father were inseparable. From an early age, they worked side-by-side in the family junkyard, where part of the job was dispensing citizen's justice to aspiring robbers, and they worked out side-by-side in their grungy homemade gym. Even though Nate was a great peewee football player in football-mad Ohio, he followed his father's passion for rugby and started playing for the same club as his father when he was only thirteen years old. But Nate had to face the fact that the

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Book SynopsisFootball is the world game. It unites. At a grassroots level it creates communities and, in 2019, those communities helped save the life of one of its own.In 2012, Hakeem al-Araibi was a promising young player on Bahrain''s national football team when he was arrested for attacking a police station during the Arab Spring, despite television footage showing him playing soccer at the time of the alleged attack. After three months of torture and wrongful imprisonment, Hakeem was released. He fled the country and made his way to Australia, where he was granted refugee status. Hakeem made a life here and was playing for the suburban Pascoe Vale Football Club, in Melbourne. He thought he was safe.But, in November 2018, on a holiday to Thailand with his wife, Hakeem was again arrested. The Bahraini government wanted to extradite him to face a ten-year jail sentence, or worse. What happened next shows the best of what soccer can do, and the worst the governing body of FIFA br

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Book SynopsisThis is the book that speedway fans the world over have been waiting for: the inside story of the Californian hell-raiser, Kelly Moran.

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Book SynopsisThe wicketkeeper, known as his sport’s most prolific ‘sledger’, has amassed more than 20 years of stories from his career at the heart of the game and now reveals them in typically outspoken style.

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Book SynopsisThis is the life story of Ernie Hunt, footballer for Swindown Town, told through his own recollections and through tributes from those who knew him best.

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Book SynopsisRed Rum''s classic win in the 1977 Grand National is the stuff of sporting legend. Red himself became a national treasure, and his charismatic trainer - the redoubtable Ginger McCain - became a sporting hero. While the public adored Ginger, there were those who sniped that he was a one-horse trainer. All that changed 27 years later when, in a thrilling race, Ginger won his fourth National with Amberleigh House, equalling the record of Fred Rimmer. Once again Ginger had taken the sporting world by storm. In the 70s, the popularity of Red Rum and Ginger almost single-handedly saved the great race when there were plans afoot to turn the track into a housing estate. Ginger himself is a remarkable individual - charming, forthright, not afraid to speak his mind and a hugely entertaining raconteur. This is his story, at times funny, sad, exciting and always captivating, told in his own inimitable style.

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Book SynopsisMuhammad Ali was born as Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky. Early in his life, his skills developed from those he needed to stand up to a playground bully into the championship form that earned him a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics. As a professional fighter, Ali became known not just for the speed and agility with which he won three world heavyweight championships, but also for his charm, wit, and showmanship. Outside the ring, the courage of his stand against the military draft made him both a revered cultural hero and a lightning rod for the issues that divided Americans during the Vietnam War. In the decades following his boxing career, Ali was regarded as one of the most recognized people on the planet. He lent his name, influence, and generosity to a host of humanitarian causes. Having earned the affection of billions of people worldwide, the people''s champ will forever be The Greatest.

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