Sports Audiobooks | Biography & Memoir

Rob Kearney: No Hiding: My Autobiography

"Rob Kearney is the most decorated Irish rugby player in history, winning two Six Nations Grand Slams and four European titles during a 15-year career at the very top of the sport, which included two tours with the British and Irish Lions. One of the most respected and revered names in the professional era, Kearney took the art of full-back play to new heights in the No.15 jersey and his longevity, durability and dedication mark him out as a special man – on and off the pitch. Now, in Rob Kearney: No Hiding – My Autobiography he will bring to life the players, the coaches, the matches and the moments that helped define his career. Kearney provides an unflinching, revealing account of life in a Leinster and Ireland shirt, the highs and lows of his profession and wonderfully details the hard work – and the fun – that took place behind the scenes in his decade-long pursuit of glory."

David Walsh, Rob Kearney (Author), Rob Kearney, Robert Bannon (Narrator)

Audiobook

Only Here For A Visit: A Life Lived to the Full – from Sporting Glories to Wild Stories

"Brought to you by Penguin. The hilarious, no holds barred autobiography from sporting legend and broadcaster Alan Brazil. As Alan recounts tales from his extraordinary life, he relives the sporting occasions, radio broadcasts and famously long drinking sessions that have defined his career. He takes readers inside the talkSPORT studio for a behind-the-scenes view of his most memorable interviews, and talks for the first time about the on-pitch rivalries and dressing room debriefs of his footballing career. With his typically outspoken and irreverent delivery, Alan shares everything from his thoughts on how the sports he loves have changed to his top tips for picking winners (and many losers) at Cheltenham. And he revels in wine-soaked jaunts in the South of France and late-night supermarket sweeps with Ray Parlour - if you can keep up. Packed full of never-before-told stories, refreshing appraisals, sporting controversy and a cast of larger-than-life characters, this is a brutally honesty and wickedly funny insight into an extraordinary life. © Alan Brazil 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020"

Alan Brazil (Author), Alan Brazil (Narrator)

Audiobook

I Should Have Quit This Morning: Adventures in Minor League Baseball

"The road to Major League baseball goes through the minor leagues. Every year there are over 5,500 players trying to work their way to the top of the tiered minor league system. Very few people know what life is really like for these aspiring players—until now. This collection of stories from actual minor league players is a hilarious, heartbreaking and honest account of the struggle to make it to the big leagues. In this book, you will learn: ● How it feels to be the first pick in the MLB draft (“everyone started screaming”) and how it feels for a player to not hear his name called at all (“Three days came and went and I didn’t get picked.”) ● What Spring Training is like for minor leaguers (“The difference between big league camp and minor league camp is night and day.”) ● Where players live and how they eat (“I became a pro at cooking in the ‘kitchen bathroom’ in the hotel.”) ● What it’s like to get promoted, demoted and traded (“It was the first time I actually cried when someone got moved or traded.”) ● What it’s like when players get the ultimate call up to the Major Leagues (“It was still during the game and everyone was like, ‘Dude, go call your parents or something.”) And so much more!"

Kathy Diekroeger (Author), Michael Butler Murray (Narrator)

Audiobook

Bachar Houli: Faith, Football and Family

"Bachar Houli is as accomplished an AFL footballer as they come. He's been part of two Richmond Premiership sides, he was an All-Australian in 2019, and with over 200 games to his name he remains a key part of a champion team. Picked at number 42 in the 2006 National Draft by Essendon, Houli played 26 games for the Bombers before moving in 2011 to Tigerland, where rookie coach Damien Hardwick was assembling the team that six years later would achieve the seemingly impossible and claim Richmond's 11th Premiership. Another flag followed two years later, with Houli close to best on ground in both deciders. Yet it's as the AFL's most prominent Muslim player that Houli is best known - and his strong Muslim values are at the heart of the man he is. Writing for the first time, Houli explores the experiences and beliefs that sparked his trailblazing success as a Muslim footballer, and that established him as a leading voice within the AFL community for inclusion, understanding and tolerance. Co-authored with acclaimed broadcaster and writer Waleed Aly, Bachar Houli: Faith, Football and Family tells the unique story of one of football's most fascinating men."

Bachar Houli, Waleed Aly (Author), Khaled Khalafalla (Narrator)

Audiobook

From The Stick to The Cove: My Six Decades with the San Francisco Giants

"Day in, day out, Mike Murphy has been a constant presence with the San Francisco Giants since the team moved west in 1958. The clubhouse at Oracle Park bears his name, and in the jubilant aftermath of the team's 2010 World Series victory, Buster Posey told Murphy, 'We did it for you, we got your ring.' If you know the Giants, you know 'Murph.' In From the Stick to the Cove, the beloved longtime clubhouse manager reflects on over six decades of incredible memories, from getting his start as a bat boy and first meeting his idol Willie Mays, to unexpected celebrity encounters, to his role as a father figure for more recent generations of Giants."

Chris Haft, Mike Murphy (Author), Kyle Tait (Narrator)

Audiobook

Bundini: Don’t Believe the Hype

"Fifty years after he coined the iconic phrase Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, Drew 'Bundini' Brown remains one of boxing's most mysterious and misunderstood figures. His impact on the sport and the culture at large is undeniable. Cornerman and confidant to two of the greatest fighters ever—Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali—Brown lived an extraordinary American life. After a poverty-stricken childhood in Jim Crow Florida, Brown came of age traveling the world as a naval steward. On being discharged, he settled in New York City and spent wild nights in the jazz joints of Harlem, making a name for himself as the charismatic street philosopher and poet some called 'Fast Black.' He married a white woman from a family of Orthodox Jewish immigrants, in dramatic defiance of 1950s cultural norms, and later appeared in films such as the blaxploitation classic, Shaft. In Bundini, Todd Snyder digs deep into Brown's expansive story, revealing not only how he became Muhammad Ali's 'hype man,' but also, as boxing's greatest motivator, how he became a model for others who seek to inspire, in any endeavor."

Todd D. Snyder (Author), Sean Crisden (Narrator)

Audiobook

Fuel

"Brought to you by Penguin. 'He's one of the best players I've ever played with. As a forward, I'd say he's the best.' Johnny Sexton Seán O'Brien does not come from a traditional rugby background. He grew up on a farm in Tullow, far from the rugby hotbeds of Limerick and Cork or the fee-paying schools of Dublin. But as he made his way up through the ranks, it soon became clear that he was a very special player and a very special personality. Now, Seán O'Brien tells the remarkable and unlikely story of his rise to the highest levels of world rugby, and of a decade of success with Leinster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions. © Sean O'Brien 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020"

Sean O'Brien (Author), Sean O'Brien (Narrator)

Audiobook

Valentino Rossi: The Definitive Biography

"'AN EXCEPTIONAL READ' - Motor Cycle News 'STUART BARKER IS TO WRITING WHAT VALENTINO ROSSI IS TO RIDING [...] A MUST-READ FOR ALL BIKE NUTS' - DAILY MIRROR 'At high speed everything becomes more difficult and more beautiful. When you're racing at 180mph, the semi-bends become bends, the little holes become big holes, everything becomes extreme and bigger. And then it becomes beautiful.' Valentino Rossi is an icon: the most successful and most loved motorcycle racer of all time, he has transcended MotoGP to become a symbol of courage, risk and daring. To race for twenty-three years at the very highest level of the world's most dangerous sport is unprecedented. But then, there has never been a motorcycle racer like Valentino Rossi. He is a modern-day gladiator, a man who still risks his life every time he throws a leg over a motorcycle. Yet for all his two-wheel talents, it is Rossi's endearing character that has seen him transcend the sport. His popularity is phenomenal. For Rossi, every race is a home race. He turns MotoGP grandstands across the world a sea of yellow - his traditional lucky colour. In more than two decades of Grand Prix racing, Rossi has seen it all. The deaths of rivals and friends, the glory of his unprecedented success, serious injuries, fabulous wealth, the greatest battles ever seen on two wheels, the infamous on and off-track clashes with his fiercest rivals . . . Using exclusive new interviews with those who have been part of Rossi's story from start to finish, critically-acclaimed and bestselling motorsport author Stuart Barker has produced the most in-depth book ever written about the Italian superstar - a tale of speed, love and loss, told in full for the very first time, in all its adrenalin-charged, high-octane glory."

Stuart Barker (Author), Jonathan Guy Lewis (Narrator)

Audiobook

Toe Blake: Winning Is Everything

"The first ever biography of Toe Blake - Hockey Hall of Famer and eleven-time Stanley Cup winner "Holy Dirty Dora!" Hector "Toe" Blake would bark while pacing behind the Montreal Canadiens bench, hands thrust into his pockets, jawing at chewing gum before intentionally banging his forehead into the glass that separates players and fans. No lead was safe or sufficient for the lifelong hockey man at the helm of the greatest dynasty in NHL history. As a player, Toe won a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Maroons before captaining a stumbling Canadiens organization to glory and a pair of Cups. As the Habs coach, Toe cemented the team's status as lords of the league with eight more. Born into a family of 11, Blake emerged from the poverty of the Depression and a youth spent working the mines of Sudbury's Nickel Belt to find junior hockey success and an unlikely shot at the NHL. While a fiery temper and penchant for stick-swinging nearly railroaded Toe's promise, the Canadiens recognized his talent and leadership, and he went on to spend more than 50 years with the organization. History remembers Toe being hoisted onto the shoulders of his beloved players, waving his signature fedora and sipping from the Cup, but behind the success was a man driven by fear and an obsessive desire for victory. Despite personal tragedy, Toe always put winning first, and as a result, there are few coaches in any sport who have enjoyed Blake's success and even fewer who endured the toll that came with it."

Paul Logothetis (Author), Jonathan Watton (Narrator)

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Dear Me: Inspiring Letters by Sports Stars to their Younger Selves

"India's biggest sports stars share their secrets for finding greatness From Anju Bobby George's unexpected gold medal at the World Athletics Final in Monaco to Abhinav Bindra's Olympic gold in Beijing, India's sportspersons have constantly proved that they stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's best. However, as easy as they might make it look, their success is the result of years of struggle, focused training and relentless hard work to overcome several challenges. Dear Me is a collection of letters from some of the most-celebrated names in sports-Milkha Singh, Vishwanathan Anand, Bhaichung Bhutia and many more-who write to their younger selves and remember the moments that changed their lives. An uplifting reminder that dreams do come true, this book allows you to be inspired by their extraordinary stories."

Ht Media (Author), Anuj Datta, Mala Mangla (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Red Apprentice: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: The Making of Manchester United's Great Hope

"When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer returned to Old Trafford as caretaker manager midway through the 2018-19 season, he breathed new life into a team that was drifting. In this new and definitive biography, Jamie Jackson investigates why he was the perfect man for the job to bring back the glory days. After the confusion under David Moyes, the stagnation of Louis van Gaal and the growing trauma under Jose Mourinho, Manchester United were a club increasingly struggling to challenge for major honours, something the fans had been accustomed to during the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson. So when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a match-winning hero of the Reds' great Treble-winning side returned to Old Trafford on 19 December 2018 as caretaker manager, he was welcomed with open arms. Here was a man who understood what it was that the fans demanded, and he had a plan to give it to them. They went on a record-breaking run of victories that secured him the position on a permanent basis, before old frailties re-emerged, showing the scale of the job he had always dreamed of taking on. During the summer transfer window, he began a dramatic reshaping of the team's personnel to set them up for the 2019-20 season. The Red Apprentice, Jamie Jackson's fascinating biography of Solskjaer, takes the reader back to the Norwegian's early days to discover the making of the man, relives the highlights of a stunning playing career - and that Champions League-clinching goal in 1999 - and explains why he is the natural choice for United in the future."

Jamie Jackson (Author), Chris Harper (Narrator)

Audiobook

Rapture: Fifteen Teams, Four Countries, One NBA Championship, and How to Find a Way to Win -- Damn

"Nick Nurse distills the wisdom, insight, and experiences that helped him lead the Toronto Raptors to the NBA championship in his first year as head coach. Foreword by Phil Jackson.NBA fans had low expectations for rookie coach Nick Nurse and his Toronto Raptors. But what those naysayers didn't realize was that Nurse had spent the past thirty years proving himself at every level of the game, from youth programs and college ball to the NBA D League and Britain's struggling pro circuit. While few coaches have taken such a circuitous path to pro basketball's promised land, the journey-which began at Kuemper Catholic high school in Carroll, Iowa-forged a coach who proved to be as unshakable as he is personable. On the road, he is known to bring his guitar and keyboard for late-night jazz and blues sessions. In the locker room, he's steadfast and even-keeled regardless of the score. On the court, he pulls out old-school tactics with astounding success. A rookie in name but a veteran in attitude, Nurse is seemingly above the chaos of the game and, with only two seasons on his résumé, has already established himself as one of the NBA's most admired head coaches. Now, in this revealing new book-equal parts personal memoir, leadership manifesto, and philosophical meditation-Nurse tells his own story. Given unprecedented access inside the Raptors' locker room, readers get an intimate study of not only the team culture he has built, but also of a rookie coach's unique dynamic with the star players-such as Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, and Pascal Siakam-who helped trailblaze the 2019 championship run. As much for readers of Ray Dalio as for fans of John Wooden and Pat Summitt, Rapture promises to be a necessary read for anyone looking to forge their own path to success."

Nick Nurse (Author), Cameron Scoggins (Narrator)

Audiobook

Sports Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir