Biography: sport Books

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Book SynopsisAs one of the most successful and controversial managers in world-wide footaball, Scolari's biography covers his career, methods and infamous pitch side rages.

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Book SynopsisSteve Stacey became the first African-American to play professional football in England when he made his debut for Bristol City in 1962. This poignant, funny and at times deeply moving tale, takes you behind the scenes as a professional footballer working up through the ranks while at the same time searching for his roots.

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Book SynopsisAcclaimed hillwalking writers Ian R Mitchell and George Rodway tell the fascinating story of Aberdeen-born Alexander Kellas, and his contribution to mountaineering from the 20th century to the present day. Now a largely neglected figure, Kellas is the pioneer of high altitude physiology, his climbing routes still in evidence today. Follow Kellas' journey, which takes him from the Scottish Cairngorms to the Himalaya, and discover how his struggles and explorations have impacted upon mountaineering today.Trade ReviewPraise for Ian R Mitchell: To have produced a work of such significance that is also fun to read is an achievement. - Terry Gifford, High Reviews on Scotland's Mountains Before the Mountaineers Praise for George W Rodway: For all who appreciate the origins and development of high altitude mountaineering, this is a must. - John I Murray, Irish Mountain Log on George Ingle Finch's The Struggle for Everest

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Book SynopsisBoris's story is almost without parallel in tennis, from astonishing teenage talent, to Wimbledon champion, to a renowned television commentator, manager, and coach of one of the world's greatest contemporary players, Novak Djokovic. In this wonderful illustrated autobiography, Boris shares his unique story, tracing his career through the many changes in the game but which has, at its heart, his loving relationship with Wimbledon, the place where it all began for him. Boris talks frankly about his own career, how it transformed his life and those of so many others, reflecting on what it was like to play in the era of McEnroe, Connors, Lendl and Edberg - about the highs and lows of his life as played on the grand stage of Centre Court, and tennis' other great arenas; the changes that have transpired in fitness, the media, the partying, the equipment, the tactics, the personalities, the technology, and the commerce.

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Book SynopsisThe first biography of the enigmatic coach who has completely transformed the England rugby team.After Eddie Jones began coaching England's rugby team, they won 22 of their next 23 matches. The side that limped out of the 2015 World Cup was thoroughly revitalised. But who was the unconventional figure responsible for this change of fortune? And, given recent setbacks, will Eddie be able to inspire England to bring their best to the 2019 World Cup?From his school days playing alongside the legendary Ella brothers to his masterminding of Japan's jaw-dropping World Cup victory over South Africa, Eddie Jones has always been a polarising figure, known for his punishing work ethic. Constantly controversial, never complacent, Jones has truly shaken up English rugby. Drawing on over a hundred interviews with former teammates, players, administrators, coaching colleagues and Jones himself, veteran rugby writer Mike Colman brings a rare level of insight to his biography of this singular man.Trade ReviewPersonalities don't come bigger than Eddie Jones, whose colourful and somewhat crazy rugby career was always going to make a blinding book...Mike Colman was knocked back in his attempts to make this an authorised biography but pressed ahead anyway - and it was certainly worth the effort. Colman has stolen a march on any subsequent accounts of Jones's life...It makes for very entertaining reading. * Rugby World *Jones is a fascinating bloke and if you are interested in rugby or coaching or management this is a fascinating read. * Rugby Spy *Table of Contents1: LARPA BOYS 2: LITTLE GREEN MAN 3: SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS 4: CLASS ACT 5: FIGHTING HARADA 6: BOSS WALLABY 7: THE CLIVE AND EDDIE SHOW 8: ALL OR NOTHING 9: DOWN AND OUT 10: THE HELP 11: RED FACES 12: INSIDE THE BOKS 13: RUGBY SAMURAI 14: EDDIE-SAN 15: THE BLOSSOM AND THE ROSE 16: NO DAME EDNA 17: THE EDDIE EFFECT 18: UNSTEADY EDDIE 19: BUSTED FLUSH 20: AUTUMN HARVEST 21: HOME STRETCH EPILOGUE: DESTINATION JAPAN

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Book SynopsisSteph and Peter bravely tell both sides of their journey with a direct honesty and an empathy born of real-life experience, offering advice and hope to not only those affected by gambling, but sufferers of other chronic addictions.

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Book Synopsis"Inoki can use his bare fists. He can use karate. This is serious. There's $10 million involved. I wouldn't pull a fraud on the public. This is real. There's no plan. The blood. The holds. The pain. Everything is going to be real. I'm not here in this time of my life to come out with some phony action. I want you to know this is real." --Muhammad Ali, June 14, 1976, The Tonight Show On June 26, 1976, Muhammad Ali fought in a mixed-rules contest against iconic pro wrestling champion Antonio Inoki for the so-called "martial arts championship of the world." Broadcast from Tokyo to a potential audience of 1.4 billion in 34 countries, the spectacle foreshadowed and, in many ways, led to the rise of mixed martial arts as a major sport. The unique contest was controversial and panned by wrestling and boxing supporters alike, but the real action was behind the scenes. Egos, competing interests, and a general sense of apprehension over what would happen in the ring led to hodgepodge rules thrown together at the last minute. Bizarre plans to "save" Ali if the fight got out of hand were even concocted. In Ali vs. Inoki, author Josh Gross gets inside Ali's head leading up to the match by resurrecting pre-fight interviews. Gross also introduces us to Inoki, the most famous face in Japan who was instrumental in shaping modern mixed martial arts.Trade Review"It's only fitting the Josh Gross--an early MMA adopter and as fine a writer/reporter as the sport has--gives us this dispatch of an original boxer-versus-grappler contest. Our only question: when's the movie coming out?" --L. Jon Wertheim, executive editor, Sports Illustrated "If you're interested in Muhammad Ali, the history of combat sports or pro wrestling, this book is a must-have in your collection." --Denny Burkholder, features writer for CBS Sports

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Book SynopsisChristy Martin is the most successful female fighter in boxing history and widely regarded as the woman who legitimized women's participation in boxing and other combat sports. Discovered by legendary promoter Don King, Martin went undefeated for nearly a decade, won the WBC world junior welterweight championship, and became the first female fighter to box on national television, premium cable (SHOWTIME), and pay-per-view. In 2020 she became the first woman enshrined by the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Martin is CEO of Christy Martin Promotions and runs a charitable foundation, Christy's Champs, that helps domestic violence survivors and their children. She is a frequent speaker around the country on domestic violence issues. Today she is happily married to a former opponent, Lisa Holewyne. Originally from Mullens, WV, Martin now splits her time between central Florida and Austin, TX.Ron Borges covered boxing, pro football, golf, baseball, hockey, and four Olympic Games for 25 years at the Boston Globe. He then became the lead sports columnist at the Boston Herald for 12 years. He was selected one of America's top 10 sports columnists by the Associated Press Sports Editors multiple times, and his work has been anthologized in Best Sports Stories more than a dozen times. He is the author of Fighting for Survival with Christy Martin, who is considered the greatest female fighter in combat sports history. He is a winner of the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism and, in 2022, was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

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Book SynopsisMarvin Miller changed major league baseball and the business of sports. Drawing on research and interviews with Miller and others, Marvin Miller, Baseball Revolutionary offers the first biography covering the pivotal labor leader''s entire life and career. Baseball historian Robert F. Burk follows the formative encounters with Depression-era hard times, racial and religious bigotry, and bare-knuckle Washington and labor politics that prepared Miller for his biggest professional challenge--running the moribund Major League Baseball Players Association. Educating and uniting the players as a workforce, Miller embarked on a long campaign to win the concessions that defined his legacy: decent workplace conditions, a pension system, outside mediation of player grievances and salary disputes, a system of profit sharing, and the long-sought dismantling of the reserve clause that opened the door to free agency. Through it all, allies and adversaries alike praised Miller''s hardnosed Trade Review“The first comprehensive biography of Miller, the former steelworkers union official who transformed the toothless Players Association into what may be the nation’s most powerful private-sector union.”--Wall Street Journal “A must-read for anyone interested in how MLB salaries went from an average of $11,000 in 1966 to $3,386,212 in 2013.”—Library Journal"This sound biography is required reading for those interested in sports and in 20th-century history and labor."--Choice"Burk writes gracefully and insightfully, chronicling the life of one of baseball's most significant figures. He succeeds admirably in illuminating the evolution of Marvin Miller's intellect as well as his soul, in placing Miller's life in its historical context and in explaining how this frail man from Brooklyn with a bum arm was able to reshape the landscape of our national pastime." --Andrew Zimbalist, author of In the Best Interests of Baseball? Governing Our National Pastime"Whether he ever gets into the Hall of Fame, Marvin Miller revolutionized the business of sport. Along with Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey, Kenesaw Mountain Landis and Babe Ruth, Miller belongs among the handful of true baseball immortals. No one transformed the national pastime more significantly. Robert F. Burk provides a book worthy of its subject."--Aethlon: The Journal of Sport Literature"A welcomed contribution that serves as required reading for anyone interested in exploring the complexities of baseball, economics, or labor history in the 1960s through 1980s."--Journal of Sport History"The Baseball Hall of Fame is not a hall of fame without Marvin Miller. As Robert F. Burk and others have written, Miller belongs on baseball’s Mount Rushmore. In Marvin Miller: Baseball Revolutionary, Burk has written a book worthy of Miller the man, the communicator, the strategist, the labor leader, and the baseball visionary. Every big league player and baseball fan should read it."-- Brad Snyder, author of A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood’s Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports"Burk knows the business of baseball inside and out, making him the ideal person to write about Miller. His research is impeccable and his writing is straightforward. The compelling aspect of the book is the story of Miller's role in transforming Major League Baseball, and that Burk tells with confidence and focus."--Randy Roberts, author of Joe Louis: Hard Times Man

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Tamte has produced a well-researched account of Walter Camp's wide-ranging life and careers that particularly included his actively working on the early development of the game of American football, and his many years at Yale. This is an easy to read and valuable look at one of sport's amazing pioneers."--Raymond Schmidt, College Football Historical Society"Embedded in this biography is a fantastic narrative history of how and why football exploded in popularity on college campuses and in American popular culture. Superbly researched and well written, this book will appeal to sports enthusiasts and scholars alike. Highly recommended." --Choice "Tamte skillfully weaves myriad details of two interconnected stories. . . . A definitive study." --Journal of American Culture"Author Roger R. Tamte put together a well-researched book about the life of Walter Camp."--Knup Sports"Author Roger R. Tamte put together a well-researched book about the life of Walter Camp."--Knup Sports"In Roger R. Tamte's expansive review of Camp's life and contributions, a reader gleans insight into Camp's formative years up through his death." --Journal of Sport History"This is a painstakingly researched and wonderfully written book on the most important individual in the development of American football, Walter Camp."--Ronald A. Smith, author of Pay for Play: A History of Big-Time College Athletic Reform

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Book SynopsisA tribute to Billy Conn, one of the greatest light-heavyweight boxing champions of all timeTrade Review"Affectionate yet evenhanded biography of the fighter known as 'The Pittsburgh Kid.' O'Toole makes a relatively normal life sing with his obvious passion for his subject, his meticulous research and his ability to empathize with Conn, his family and the colorful characters who inhabited the boxer's literal and metaphorical corner. A welcome addition to the boxing-literature canon."--Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2007"The rough-and-tumble sports world of the late 1930s and early 1940s emerges vividly, as O'Toole describes the way mobsters infiltrated the fight game and how Conn needed the help of Pittsburgh Steeler owner Art Rooney to stay clear of the unsavory types. Conn, though not widely known today, was a beloved, blue-collar American hero in his era, and O'Toole masterfully re-creates both the life and the times. For all fans of boxing history."--Wes Lukowsky, Booklist“Before Roberto Clemente, Terry Bradshaw, or Mario Lemieux became household names, Billy Conn was Pittsburgh’s most famous athlete. In Andrew O’Toole’s Sweet William: The Life of Billy Conn, the East Liberty-born boxer’s career is examined, and there’s much to enjoy. O’Toole is a thorough chronicler, but the best parts of the book are the colorful backroom stories that seem to be intrinsic to boxing lore."--Pittsburgh Tribune-Review"Unapologetic, fearless and uncompromising: That's the Billy Conn, and that's the city of Pittsburgh, that O'Toole portrays in Sweet William. The book is a great read for sports fans and local historians alike. Family dustups notwithstanding, Conn is the 'Pittsburgh Kid' that Pittsburgh kids should learn about and look up to."--Pittsburgh City Paper"A rich, solid book. . . .The author has a command of the mores of both the street and the seamy life of smalltime boxing; thus the reader does indeed see a slice of 'sport in society' as told through experience, interviews, and newspaper accounts rather than the colder eye of a historian. . . . This book is best suited to scholars and fans in search of an authentic voice. Recommended."--Choice"Sweet William compellingly captures the personal life of a public icon--and beloved lifelong Pittsburgh resident--and the pageantry of American sports during the 1930s and 1940s."--Pennsylvania Heritage"A masterful biography of Billy Conn. . . . An excellent portrayal of the Golden Age of boxing."--Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography"As no one else has, O'Toole writes extensively and revealingly about [Conn's life]."--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "A mesmerizing account."--Aethlon: Journal of Sports Literature"More than just a biography, Sweet William is a sweeping portrayal of an era just before, during, and after World War II when boxing was in its Golden Age. Andrew O'Toole brilliantly captures the essence of the many unique characters of the time, including the dashing, handsome, fearless Billy Conn, the Pittsburgh Kid, whose colorful personality would have made him a celebrity in any era. The book includes his odyssey from the smoke-filled environs of Pittsburgh to New York's famed Jacobs Beach where the enigmatic Conn became the greatest light heavyweight champion of all time."--Angelo Prospero, boxing writer and historian "In Sweet William, Andrew O'Toole takes you to the streets of Pittsburgh and New York prior to World War II. You can't help but feel the sweat, feel the struggle, and get caught up in the glamour. It's a superb piece of storytelling—and an important book about an important fighter from boxing's Golden Age."--Russell Sullivan, author of Rocky Marciano: The Rock of His Times

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction to the Second EditionForeword by Dean SmithAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Hall of Fame2. Non-Skids3. Salesman4. The Invisible Pass5. Special Service6. Air-Tecs7. World Tourney8. "Me"9. GloryAppendix: The History of the Converse Rubber Shoe CompanyNotes on ResearchNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisFeaturing profiles of 49 athletes who attended IU, Indiana University Olympians celebrates over a century of Indiana University Olympic competitors.Table of ContentsTable of contentsPreface1. BasketballSteve Alford, 1984Quinn Buckner and Scott May, 1976Walt Bellamy, 19602. Track and fieldDerek Drouin, 2012, 2016David Neville, 2008DeDee Nathan, 2000Bob Kennedy, 1992, 1996Jim Spivey, 1984, 1992, 1996Dave Volz, 1992Sunder Nix, 1984Willie May, 1960Milt Campbell, 1952, 1956Greg Bell, 1956Fred Wilt, 1948, 1952Roy Cochran, 1948Charles Hornbostel, 1932, 1936Don Lash, 1936Ivan Fuqua, 1932LeRoy Samse, 19043. SwimmingLilly King, 2016Cody Miller, 2016Blake Pieroni, 2016Gary Hall, 1968, 1972, 1976Jim Montgomery, 1976Mark Spitz, 1968, 1972Mike Stamm, 1972John Kinsella, 1968, 1972Charlie Hickcox, 1968Don McKenzie, 1968Chet Jastremski, 1964, 1968Kathy Ellis, 1964Fred Schmidt, 1964Frank McKinney, 1956, 1960Mike Troy, 1960Bill Woolsey, 1952, 19564. DivingMichael Hixon, 2016Mark Lenzi, 1992, 1996Cynthia Potter, 1972, 1976Lesley Bush, 1964, 1968Ken Sitzberger, 19645. SoccerBrian Maissoneuve, 1996Steve Snow, 1992John Stollmeyer, 1988Angelo DiBernardo, 1984Greg Thompson, 19846. Other sportsMichelle Venturella, 2000, softballMickey Morandini, 1988, baseballDick Voliva, 1936, wrestlingIndiana University OlympiansSourcesPhoto captions and credits

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Book SynopsisFeaturing profiles of 49 athletes who attended IU, Indiana University Olympians celebrates over a century of Indiana University Olympic competitors.Table of ContentsTable of contentsPreface1. BasketballSteve Alford, 1984Quinn Buckner and Scott May, 1976Walt Bellamy, 19602. Track and fieldDerek Drouin, 2012, 2016David Neville, 2008DeDee Nathan, 2000Bob Kennedy, 1992, 1996Jim Spivey, 1984, 1992, 1996Dave Volz, 1992Sunder Nix, 1984Willie May, 1960Milt Campbell, 1952, 1956Greg Bell, 1956Fred Wilt, 1948, 1952Roy Cochran, 1948Charles Hornbostel, 1932, 1936Don Lash, 1936Ivan Fuqua, 1932LeRoy Samse, 19043. SwimmingLilly King, 2016Cody Miller, 2016Blake Pieroni, 2016Gary Hall, 1968, 1972, 1976Jim Montgomery, 1976Mark Spitz, 1968, 1972Mike Stamm, 1972John Kinsella, 1968, 1972Charlie Hickcox, 1968Don McKenzie, 1968Chet Jastremski, 1964, 1968Kathy Ellis, 1964Fred Schmidt, 1964Frank McKinney, 1956, 1960Mike Troy, 1960Bill Woolsey, 1952, 19564. DivingMichael Hixon, 2016Mark Lenzi, 1992, 1996Cynthia Potter, 1972, 1976Lesley Bush, 1964, 1968Ken Sitzberger, 19645. SoccerBrian Maissoneuve, 1996Steve Snow, 1992John Stollmeyer, 1988Angelo DiBernardo, 1984Greg Thompson, 19846. Other sportsMichelle Venturella, 2000, softballMickey Morandini, 1988, baseballDick Voliva, 1936, wrestlingIndiana University OlympiansSourcesPhoto captions and credits

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Book SynopsisJerrold Casway's fascinating biography of legendary baseball player Ed Delahanty (18671903) offers a compelling examination of the first King of Swatsville's life and career, including the enigma surrounding his tragic and untimely death. Through Delahanty's story, Casway traces the evolving character of major league baseball and its effect on the lives and ambitions of its athletes.Delahanty's career spanned the last decades of the nineteenth century during a time when the sons of post-famine Irish refugees dominated the sport and changed the playing style of America's national pastime. In this Emerald Age of baseball, Irish-American players comprised 3050 percent of all players, managers, and team captains. Baseball for Delahanty and other young Irishmen was a ticket out of poverty and into a life of fame and fortune. The allure and promise of celebrity and wealth, however, were disastrous for Delahanty. He found himself enmeshed in desperate contract dealings and a gamblinTrade Review“Long before the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees, Ed Delahanty was the 'King of Swatsville.' A player for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Senators who still holds the record for the fourth highest lifetime batting average, Delahanty “personified the flamboyant, exciting spectator-favorite, the Casey-at-the-bat, Irish slugger” writes Jerrold Casway in Ed Delahanty in the Emerald Age of Baseball. He was the “handsome masculine athlete who was expected to live as large as he played.” And he did: Gambling his way into a drinking problem, he turned up dead at the bottom of Niagara's Horseshoe Falls.” —The Washington Post"Jerrold Casway. . . has written a book that takes the romantic sheen off nineteenth-century baseball. The focus of his study is the Hall of Fame outfielder and first baseman Edward Delahanty, one of the most feared batsmen of his time. More substantively, Casway places Delahanty at the fore of the ethnic and labor strife that marked early professional baseball. Poor Ed Delahanty ended up at the bottom of Niagara Falls. Whether he jumped, was pushed, or dumped remains a mystery, although each scenario was plausible given professional baseball's penchant for treating its ethnic workforce as interchangeable parts in its myth-making machine." —Journal of American Culture". . . Casway provides valuable insight into baseball's past, paying tribute to an athlete, who, as fellow Irishman John McGraw noted, was unquestionably the Babe Ruth of his day." —North Dakota Quarterly“. . . Casway. . . provides a colorful study of the life and times of one of baseball’s earliest sluggers at a time when the game was the unchallenged national pastime. Casway has written a fascinating, carefully researched biography of a long-neglected baseball hero that will appeal to scholars as well as general readers. Ed Delahanty in the Emerald Age of Baseball is a valuable contribution to our understanding of the culture and evolution of the national pastime at the turn of the century.” —History: Reviews of New Books“Baseball enthusiasts will find this book one of the most satisfying biographies of recent years. . . Readers who approach this volume from the perspective of Irish Studies will find something even more rewarding in the larger story that underpins Casway’s book. —Irish Literary Supplement“. . . impressive and persuasive. . . Casway. . . shows us how baseball when it was evolving. . . can help us better appreciate the joys and miseries of baseball today.” —The Virginia Quarterly Review“. . . this book presents an interesting picture of the early days of baseball. One hundred years hasn’t really changed the sport. Many young men still come into fame and fortune before they are mature enough to handle it. Delahanty’s demise stands as an eerie precursor to those athletes of the modern era whose careers were cut short by drug use.” —The Tampa Tribune"I recommend Jerrold Casway’s new book. . . . Through Delahanty’s career, Mr. Casway ably tells the story of the wars between the National League and the upstart American League that culminated in the National Agreement and ended in the comparably settled Deadball Era." —New York Sun“Sad and compelling . . . this is a lucid examination of the ‘behind the scenes’ complexities of the national pasttime. . . . This is not an uplifting story, but it is essential for understanding how difficulties in a fledgling sport led to the unfortunate downfall of a great athlete.” —ForeWord". . . this is an estimable biography. If Ed Delahanty has been a neglected figure in baseball history, now, thanks to Jerrold Casway's dedication and perseverance, he has finally received the kind of thorough treatment he has long deserved." —Journal of Sport History

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Book SynopsisBeast. Monster. Savage. Psycho. The glowering menace of Mike Tyson has spooked us for almost two decades. And still we remain fascinated. Why? Ellis Cashmorea s answer is disturbing: white society has created Tyson as vengeance for the loss of privilege produced by civil rights.Trade Review“A terrific read! This a fascinating study of a central figure in American life. Meticulously researched and perfectly timed, Tyson does more than any previous work to put Mike Tyson's story in its proper sprawling context.” Grant Wahl, Sports Illustrated “Ellis Cashmore has gone beneath the persona of Tyson with intelligent sensitivity. He has pointed us towards the motives in the psyche of an extraordinary figure in the history of sport and analysed why Tyson remains such a figure of fascination to so many people.” John Goodbody, The Times “Ellis Cashmore’s book will fascinate and frustrate an unusually wide range of readers. He juxtaposes the biography of Mike Tyson against mini-narratives of other prominent athletes and celebrities, African American leaders, and contemporaneous incidents, allowing biographical narrative to unfold almost seamlessly into analysis and cultural history. In situating Tyson in his times, Cashmore offers an uncompromising critique of late twentieth-century US race relations, as well as presenting a compelling account of an intriguing career and life story.” Douglas Hartmann, University of Minnesota "His account is a well-written and fascinating attempt to help us understand this. It will undoubtedly appeal to a large readership. It is not a purely academic read, but neither is it a trashy hagiography. As such it deserves a broad audience outside of what is traditional for an 'academic' book." Guy Osborn, University of WestminsterTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vii one INTRODUCTION: I WILL KILL YOU. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THIS? 1 two IF YOU’D BE KIND ENOUGH, I’D LOVE TO DO IT AGAIN 13 three ARE YOU AN ANIMAL? IT DEPENDS 29 four LIKE WATCHING A SERENGETI LION RIP INTO A WARTHOG 43 five HIS VITAL ORGANS IN EXCHANGE FOR FORGIVENESS 60 six GOD’S PLANNING TO SCREW HIM 87 seven TO RAPE THE VIRGINAL BLACK PRINCESS 108 eight IN HANDCUFFS IN THE BACK OF A POLICE CRUISER 131 nine THEY BELIEVE WHITE MEN HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR BLACK SUCCESS 144 ten TIME TO LEAVE THE WHITE MAN’S WORLD 162 eleven FACTS ARE LOST IN THE PRECONCEPTIONS OF RACIAL GRIEVANCE 191 twelve GIVE HIM ENOUGH TIME AND THE NIGGER WILL COME OUT IN HIM AGAIN 213 thirteen THE DEBT OF THE GHETTO BOUND 231 fourteen YOU’D STILL LOOK AT ME AS A SCUMBAG 245 Bibliography 256 Index 260

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Book SynopsisThe Beckham enigma continues. Since the publication of Cashmore's challenging social biography in 2003, the working-class kid from the East London has left Manchester and conquered the world. Undisputedly one of the world's most famous men, Beckham has transcended sport to become an all-purpose cultural icon for the twenty-first century. What are the sources of Beckham's godlike status? Why does someone who looks good, but speaks in platitudes and does little but play football, command the adulation of the planet? By dissecting his life and setting it in context of the age of celebrity, Cashmore argues that Beckham has been turned into a product, a commodity that can be bought and sold like any other piece of merchandise. There is not just a person named Beckham: there are countless Beckhams that exist independently of time and space, constructions of peoples' imaginations. The second edition of Beckham updates the original's arguments, covering the eventsTable of ContentsIntroduction. 1. OF FROGS AND PRINCES. 2. DISASTER OR DELIVERANCE?. 3. INTO THE WHIRLPOOL. 4. ARTISAN AND ARTIST. 5. THE WORLD IS JUST ABOUT ENOUGH. 6. VICTORIA’S MACHINE. 7. MANCHILD IN PURGATORY. 8. SEX, MASCULINITY AND THE TEMPTATION OF GAY MEN. 9. CUSTODIANS OF THE IMAGE. 10. MADONNA’S PACT. 11. AN AD, A PRODUCT AND A BRAND. 12. YOUR FIFTEEN MINUTES ARE ALMOST UP. BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Book SynopsisThe Beckham enigma continues. Since the publication of Cashmore's challenging social biography in 2003, the working-class kid from the East London has left Manchester and conquered the world. Undisputedly one of the world's most famous men, Beckham has transcended sport to become an all-purpose cultural icon for the twenty-first century. What are the sources of Beckham's godlike status? Why does someone who looks good, but speaks in platitudes and does little but play football, command the adulation of the planet? By dissecting his life and setting it in context of the age of celebrity, Cashmore argues that Beckham has been turned into a product, a commodity that can be bought and sold like any other piece of merchandise. There is not just a person named Beckham: there are countless Beckhams that exist independently of time and space, constructions of peoples' imaginations. The second edition of Beckham updates the original's arguments, covering the eventsTable of ContentsIntroduction. 1. OF FROGS AND PRINCES. 2. DISASTER OR DELIVERANCE?. 3. INTO THE WHIRLPOOL. 4. ARTISAN AND ARTIST. 5. THE WORLD IS JUST ABOUT ENOUGH. 6. VICTORIA’S MACHINE. 7. MANCHILD IN PURGATORY. 8. SEX, MASCULINITY AND THE TEMPTATION OF GAY MEN. 9. CUSTODIANS OF THE IMAGE. 10. MADONNA’S PACT. 11. AN AD, A PRODUCT AND A BRAND. 12. YOUR FIFTEEN MINUTES ARE ALMOST UP. BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Book SynopsisBased on ten years of research-including extensive interviews with Major Taylor's 91-year old daughter-this is the dramatic story of a young black man who, against prodigious odds, rose to fame and stardom in the tempestuous world of international professional bicycle racing a century ago.Trade ReviewAs Andrew Ritchie's excellent biography demonstrates, [Taylor] became a cycling star not only through natural talent. He also had what one might call a force of dignity. -- Tim Hilton Times Literary Supplement A point made by Mr. Ritchie... in this earnest and well-researched study is that Taylor, only the second black after the boxer George Dixon to win a world championship, hardly left a trace that he had passed. -- Samuel Abt New York Times Book Review Member of an oppressed race, hero in a nation with limited historical memory, this man, who had been so well known and whose life was so interesting, has been virtually forgotten. Ritchie's book admirably recaptures the story for us. -- Elliott J. Gorn Journal of American HistoryTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsChapter 1. PrologueChapter 2. Early Guidance and InspirationChapter 3. Bicycle Boom and Jim CrowChapter 4. Precocious Teenager, Colored Champion of AmericaChapter 5. Rising StarChapter 6. New Horizons, New OppositionChapter 7. The Fastest Bicycle Rider in the WorldChapter 8. Champion of America at LastChapter 9. SuperstarChapter 10. World Traveler and International CelebrityChapter 11. Comeback and DeclineChapter 12. Difficult AdjustmentChapter 13. Autobiography and IllnessChapter 14. Chicago TragedyAuthor's PostscriptAbout the PhotographsIllustrations, Picture Sources, and CreditsNotes and SourcesGlossary of Bicycle Racing TerminologyBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThe first Japanese American jockey, Kokomo Joe burst like a comet on the American horse-racing scene in the summer of 1941. As war with Japan loomed, Yoshio ""Kokomo Joe"" Kobuki won race after race. His is a story of the American dream catapulting headlong into the nightmare of a nation gripped by wartime hysteria and xenophobia. His story is at once inspiring, deeply sad, and richly ironic.Trade Review“Christgau masterfully unearths a story about a small man with a giant spirit struggling to realize a dream in the midst of racial hatred and war.”—Satsuki Ina, producer of From a Silk Cocoon“John Christgau has given us the bittersweet story of ‘Kokomo Joe’ Kobuki, who carried the American dream on his tiny shoulders, and of those whose fear of others tried to wrest the dream from him.”—Stephen Fox, author of Fear Itself: Inside the FBI Roundup of German Americans during World War II"Through his detailed writing Christgau makes Kokomo Joe's rise representative of the rise of Japanese America."—Kerwin Berk, Nichi Bei TimesTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsAcknowledgments1. The Pocket Baby2. Kokomo Joe3. Mister Charley4. Brilliant Queen5. The Yankee Doodle Boys6. Joltin' Joe7. The Railbird Witch8. The Oriental Invaders9. Lumberjacks and Truckers10. Joe Btfsplk11. Miserable Saboteurs12. Nipponese Dynamite13. Hoover's Lists14. Fibber McGee15. The Whiz Kid with the Jive Drive16. The Canadian Mounties17. Chester from Gunsmoke18. StargazersSources

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Book SynopsisThe biography of George Allen, one of the greatest and most memorable coaches in NFL history and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Trade Review"This biography of Allen by Michael Richman is a wonderful tribute to the coach."—Guy Who Reviews Sports Books“Every chapter reveals intriguing, motivational stories about the spirit of the innovative maverick George Allen. Mike Richman provides fresh, inspirational perspectives giving readers meaningful life lessons and understanding of why for indefatigably driven George Allen—the future is always now!”—George Felix Allen, son of coach George Allen and former governor of Virginia and U.S. senator“In his exhaustive biography, Mike Richman captures the life of the ultimate Cold War coach from football’s golden age, George Allen. This is the story of a man both consumed and capable, a big winner who could only be defeated by his own flaws.”—Jack Gilden, author of Collision of Wills: Johnny Unitas, Don Shula, and the Rise of the Modern NFL“We set out to do a thirty-minute documentary on George Allen. We realized thirty minutes wasn’t enough, so we expanded it to an hour. But you need a book to tell Allen’s story. Mike Richman has written a great one.”—Ray Didinger, senior producer, NFL FilmsTable of Contents List of Illustrations Foreword by Dick Vermeil Preface Prologue: Driven to Succeed 1. Humble Beginnings 2. The Roots of His Genius 3. From America’s Heartland to Southern California 4. At the Car Wash 5. Doing It George’s Way 6. “Allen Never Should Have Left” 7. Erasing a “Country Club” Image 8. An Addiction to Winning 9. “Merry Christmas, You’re Fired” 10. A Bear and a Moose 11. Mr. Allen Goes to Washington 12. Waking a Sleeping Giant 13. His Crowning Moment 14. Cruising with George Allen 15. “Two Major Egos Clashing” 16. The Fourth Estate 17. Motivation—George Allen Style 18. “He’s All They Have” 19. The Beginning of the End 20. “Someone Has Cut Out My Heart” 21. Uncharted Waters 22. A New League Comes Calling 23. “Are You Kidding?” 24. An “Almost Impossible” Task Epilogue: The Ultimate Honor Acknowledgments Appendix A: All-Time Coaching Record Appendix B: Coaching Tree Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe Summer Game, Roger Angell’s first book on the sport, changed baseball writing forever. Thoughtful, funny, appreciative of the elegance of the game and the passions invested by players and fans, it goes beyond the usual sports reporter’s beat to examine baseball’s complex place in the American psyche.Trade Review“This collection of essays takes you into the heart of baseball as it was in the 1960s, conveyed with humor and insight. . . . The key here is that Roger Angell is a stunning writer. He is also in many ways a highly cerebral one and yet utterly down to earth—a writer who can translate the nuances of the game with perfect clarity.”—Tim McCarver, The Wall Street Journal“Page for page, The Summer Game contains not only the classiest but also the most resourceful baseball writing I have ever read.”—New York Times Book Review“Only Angell’s love of language surpasses his passion for baseball. . . . A splendid book.”—Newsweek“A decade’s worth of meditations and observations . . . searching for the Higher Game, the cosmology behind each pitch, each swing, each ‘shared joy and ridiculous hope’ of summer’s long adventure.”—New York Review of Books"Fans know that Angell, fiction editor for The New Yorker, is one of the heavy hitters of baseball writing. Dating back to 1977 and 1972, respectively, these are two of his finest collections. Essential for public and academic libraries."—Library Journal

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Book SynopsisOne of the most endearing of American heroes, Casey Stengel guided the New York Yankees to ten pennants in twelve seasons. In this book, the brilliant manager is stripped naked - the person underneath all the clowning, mugging, and double-talking. It also shows us Casey at twenty-two, famous from his very first day in the big leagues.Trade Review"A superb book. . . . Creamer has set a standard of excellence for sports biographies."—Sports Illustrated"Exemplary . . . by scaling down the legend of Stengel to human proportions, Mr. Creamer has made it seem all the more vital."—New York Times Book Review"Full of energy and surprises and laughter. . . . In Creamer’s wonderful portrait, the real man is even more likable than the legend."—Washington Post Book World

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Book SynopsisWhen the Philadelphia Phillies signed Dick Allen in 1960, fans of the franchise envisioned bearing witness to feats never before accomplished by a Phillies player. A half-century later, they're still trying to make sense of what they saw. Carrying to the plate baseball's heaviest and loudest bat as well as the burden of being the club's first African American superstar, Allen found both hits and controversy with ease and regularity as he established himself as the premier individualist in a game that prided itself on conformity. As one of his managers observed, I believe God Almighty hisself would have trouble handling Richie Allen. A brutal pregame fight with teammate Frank Thomas, a dogged determination to be compensated on par with the game's elite, an insistence on living life on his own terms and not management's: what did it all mean? Journalists and fans alike took sides with ferocity, and they take sides still. Despite talent that earned him Rookie of the Year and MVP honorTrade Review"I've been writing for several years that there was a very good book to be written about Dick Allen and why he isn't in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Now that book has been written. God Almighty Hisself: The Life and Legacy of Dick Allen by Mitchell J. Nathanson, a law professor at Villanova University, is, in my opinion, one of the half-dozen or so best baseball books published so far this century." * Allen Barra in Truthdig *"The story of his career is fascinating. True, Allen wrote an engaging memoir, Crash, but we suggest Nathanson’s tremendous biography for an even fuller portrait of a legendary player." * Esquire *"God Almighty Hisself provides new insight into a complex man who stood up against a system that was hopelessly stacked against him...Nathanson's clear and fluid writing style provides an extensive, in-depth look into a complicated figure making his way through a complicated time in a complicated profession, and, in doing so, shows the reader how sports acts as a microcosm of society at large in dealing with social, political, and economic issues." * Pennsylvania History *"An excellent and unflinching examination of the tragedy that ensued when the first baseball superstar insistent on full racial equality joined one of the last baseball teams to integrate." * Keith Olbermann *"Nathanson gives us an unapologetic view of the collision between the ultra-talented and complex Dick Allen and Major League Baseball's tumultuous postintegration era. He adeptly illuminates that Allen was a driver, passenger, and innocent bystander, all in one conflicted soul." * Doug Glanville *"I loved Dick Allen for reasons that I could never totally explain. Maybe it was his big bat and electric presence at the plate; maybe it was his individualism and outspokenness; maybe it was that image of him using his cleats to dig BOO into the dirt near the first base bag in Philly. Now, with Mitchell Nathanson's penetrating and revelatory book, I appreciate the full dimensions of this mysterious baseball rebel." * David Maraniss, author of Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero *Table of ContentsPrologue. Baseball's Way Chapter 1. The Individualist Chapter 2. The Double Standard Chapter 3. A Job, Not a Game Chapter 4. What Fight? Chapter 5. Rules Chapter 6. Seniority Don't Drive in Runs Chapter 7. When I Don't Like Something, I Rebel Chapter 8. A Threat to the Game Chapter 9. I Am My Own Man Chapter 10. Public Relations Men, Not Ballplayers Chapter 11. Dick, Not Richie Chapter 12. The System Chapter 13. The Return Chapter 14. No Apologies Chapter 15. Free Agent Epilogue. His Way Notes Bibliography Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisChad Rowan left his home in rural Hawaii for Tokyo with visions of becoming a star athlete in Japan's national sport, sumo. Five years later, he became the first gaijin to advance to sumo's top rank, yokozuna. This book chronicles the events leading to that improbable scene, tracing his life from his Hawaii upbringing to his retirement ceremony.

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Book SynopsisChad Rowan left his home in rural Hawaii for Tokyo with visions of becoming a star athlete in Japan's national sport, sumo. Five years later, he became the first gaijin to advance to sumo's top rank, yokozuna. This book chronicles the events leading to that improbable scene, tracing his life from his Hawaii upbringing to his retirement ceremony.

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Book SynopsisThis first-ever history of the Illinois State University football program chronicles Redbird legends and lore, from the 1880s team to today''s Missouri Valley Football Conference powerhouse. Dan Verdun covers the early years (1887 to World War II) and the post-war era (late 1940s to 1950s) before delving into a decade-by-decade examination of the program. The 1950 Corn Bowl team, playoff appearances, NFL draft picks, and the 2014 team''s second-place finish in the FCS National Championship are all included.Opening with a foreword by James Boomer Grigsby, an ISU all-American linebacker who was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005, Illinois State Redbirds Football includes many names that will be familiar to Illinois State fans, including Frank Chiodi, Guy Homoly, Kevin Glenn, Laurent Robinson, Brock Spack, and Tre Roberson. Informed by extensive research and personal interviews, Verdun relays the inside stories of several players and explores the details of where t

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Book SynopsisDrawing on coverage of Ashe's athletic career and social activism in domestic and international publications, archives including the Ashe Papers, and a variety of published memoirs and interviews, Hall has created an intimate, nuanced portrait of a great athlete who stood at the crossroads of sports and equal justice.Trade ReviewHall's elegant and well-paced narrative teases out the contradictions of one of tennis's most enigmatic characters. Times Literary Supplement Eric Allen Hall's biography of Ashe is assiduous in giving context, ever-traceable in its sources, to the tennis player's life: his childhood in segregated Richmond is recounted with a summary of how de jure segregation ruled the lives of American children; his coming of age as an athlete and ROTC member includes sketches of the Civil Rights Era on campus and in Vietnam; his ascendance to a globe-touring professional with public demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa includes glosses on the competitive structure of world tennis and the Cold War arrangement of power between the segregated nations of America and South Africa. Rain Taxi Review of Books A strong book on an outstanding topic, it serves as a reminder that Ashe's tragic death has to some extent eclipsed his life's work on behalf of racial equality. Wall Street Journal A portrait of Arthur Ashe that shows the fullness of his character-his broad interests, his impressive talents, and his missteps. New Books in Sports A remarkable book that will serve as a model for future works in this genre. Virginia Magazine of History and Biography Arthur Ashe is a scrupulous and lively book that should achieve the difficult task of satisfying both academics and non-specialists. Anyone interested in how the mixture of sport and politics has become cultural common sense will benefit tremendously from reading it. The Allrounder Hall's meticulous research of extensive archival materials allows him to uncover the complexities of Ashe's relationship with his own athleticism and race... This kind of collection is almost unique in sports history and Hall's capable use of it lends Arthur Ashe a depth of private detail unprecedented among athletic biographies, scholarly or otherwise... Meticulous, honest, and straightforward, the book itself might act as a tool by which other cultural critics, building on Hall's research, can bring refreshed and renewed attention to this intersection between sport and political activism, racial or otherwise. H Net Hall's book expertly builds on... previous representations [of Arthur Ashe], and features an impressive analysis of primary data--including Ashe's personal diary--in an overall effort to offer the most critical and comprehensive historical account of his life to date. He succeeds in remarkable fashion... European Journal for Sport and Society An invaluable resource... It's a solidly researched book. Inside Tennis Makes clear how difficult it was to stage the kind of civil rights politics and protests found across the board in American sports in the late 1960s in the traditionally patrician showground of tennis. Hall's accessible history restores much of the necessary context and conclusion to ensure that Ashe is understood on his own terms. Journal of American History This book is more than a biography; it is a window into the wider world that existed when Ashe was alive. Hall's research is meticulous, his contextualization of a life is impressive, and he writes his story clearly and deftly. Choice ...This biography will appeal to a genral audience. Hall closely examined the relevant primary and seconday sourses. The Journal of African American HistoryTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Richmond2. UCLA3. An Emerging Activist4. Bright Lights and Civil Rights5. Tennis Wars6. Defeat and Victory in South Africa7. Transitions8. The Comeback9. Triumph and TragedyConclusionNotesEssay on SourcesIndex

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