Sports Audiobooks | Biography & Memoir

Finding Murph: How Joe Murphy Went From Winning a Championship to Living Homeless in the Bush

"National Bestseller Finalist for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize JOE MURPHY HAD IT ALL. In 1986, he became the first college-educated hockey player selected first overall in the NHL entry draft. He won a Stanley Cup in Edmonton four years later. But since then, his life has taken a tragic turn, largely due to the untreated brain injuries he suffered as a player. Murphy’s life didn’t begin on a track that would lead to homelessness. He was smart, dedicated to hockey and was a key player for the Oilers, Red Wings and Blackhawks, among other teams. But one vicious body check changed his life forever. Despite being shaken by the hit, Murphy was cleared to return to the game. Soon after, his entire life seemed to change. Murphy became a journeyman, moving from team to team. Along the way, other NHLers said they noticed something different about him, too. Murphy wasn’t acting like himself and soon found himself out of the NHL entirely. Eventually, Murphy became homeless. In the spring of 2018, Murphy made his way to Kenora, Ontario, where he lived in the bush, spending his days outside a local convenience store, muttering to himself and taking handouts of food and drinks from passersby. The player who had once set the NHL aflame now slept by the side of the road in the unforgiving North. In Finding Murph, Rick Westhead traces the true story of Joe Murphy and examines the role of the NHL in the downward spiral of one of the league’s most promising players."

Rick Westhead (Author), Brandon Massey (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Captain: A Memoir

"A memoir from one of the most admired players in baseball, the captain of the New York Mets, David Wright David Wright played his entire Major League Baseball career for one team, the team he dreamed of playing for as a kid: the New York Mets. A quick fan favorite from Virginia who then earned his stripes in New York, Wright came back time and again from injury and demonstrated the power of hard work, total commitment, and an infinite love of the game. Wright's stats are one thing. He was a seven-time All-Star, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, and a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He holds many Mets franchise records and was nicknamed 'Captain America' after his performance in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. But there is more: The walk-offs. The Barehand. The Subway Series and World Series home runs. And the electricity that swept through Shea Stadium then Citi Field whenever number 5, "the Captain," was in the game."

Anthony Dicomo, David Wright (Author), Joe Knezevich (Narrator)

Audiobook

Let the World See You: How to Be Real in a World Full of Fakes

"NFL linebacker, speaker, podcaster, and humanitarian Sam Acho gives a blueprint for taking off our masks and living lives of genuine authenticity. Most of us hide. We play small and don't live up to our full potential. Sam Acho was one of those people. As an NFL linebacker, for example, he earned his MBA but told no one because he was afraid of what people might think if they found out that he cared about things that weren't 'normal' for his profession. After many years of hiding himself, the person he had become had no connection to the real Sam. Only when he lost a friend and a mentor did he realize he was doing it all wrong--just like many us do, when we try to become someone we're not. All the while, we ignore the unique gifts and talents and personality we truly possess. But there is another way of living: Let the world see you. Your quirks, your passions, and your inner desires were not given to you by accident. And the world needs your gifts. In Let the World See You, Sam Acho shares lessons from his own life as well as stories from others to reveal how you can overcome your fears and discover your true selves. Being the real you pays big. No one else has what you have. No one else can share what you share. Let the World See You helps crack the shell of people who are in hiding and reveals the benefits of a lifestyle lived on purpose."

Sam Acho (Author), Percy Bell (Narrator)

Audiobook

Burke's Law: A Life in Hockey

"#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER The gruffest man in hockey opens up about the challenges, the feuds, and the tragedies he's fought through. Brian Burke is one of the biggest hockey personalities--no, personalities full-stop--in the media landscape. His brashness makes him a magnet for attention, and he does nothing to shy away from it. Most famous for advocating 'pugnacity, truculence, testosterone, and belligerence' during his tenure at the helm of the Maple Leafs, Burke has lived and breathed hockey his whole life. He has been a player, an agent, a league executive, a scout, a Stanley Cup-winning GM, an Olympic GM, and a media analyst. He has worked with Pat Quinn, Gary Bettman, and an array of future Hall of Fame players. No one knows the game better, and no one commands more attention when they open up about it. But there is more to Brian Burke than hockey. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School, and an accomplished businessman with hard-earned lessons that comefrom highly scrutinized decisions made at the helm of multi-million-dollar companies. And despite his brusque persona on camera and in the boardroom, he is nevertheless a father with a story to tell. He lost his youngest son in a car accident, and has had to grapple with that grief, even in the glare of the spotlight. Many Canadians and hockey fans knew Brendan Burke's name already, because his father had become one of the country's most outspoken gay-rights advocates when Brendan came out in 2009. From someone whose grandmother told him never to start a fight, but never to run from one either, Burke's Law is an unforgettable account of old beefs and old friendships, scores settled and differences forgiven, and many lessons learned the hard way."

Brian Burke, Stephen Brunt (Author), Brian Burke (Narrator)

Audiobook

What a Flanker

"THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ‘Hilarious, and straight talking but also articulate and insightful – I am just hugely fond of this guy’ –Eddie Jones ‘James Haskell: what a flanker, what a book’ –Rugby World ‘I’d like to be remembered as a player who showed that you can be incredibly professional but also a lot of fun – a bit of a joker in the changing room, but the ultimate competitor on the pitch. That should have been the subtitle of this book, really…’ One of rugby’s most ferocious flankers and biggest characters, James Haskell has had an extraordinary, global experience of the game, having played for the Wasps, Northampton and England, and in New Zealand, France and Japan. After seventeen years and with 77 international caps under his sizeable belt, he has a shitload to say about rugby life – from pitch to pub and everywhere in between. In What A Flanker, Haskell sheds fresh light on the dynamics and the day-to-day of the game. Whether he’s recalling the most brutal team socials; dispelling the myths surrounding New Zealand’s dominance; introducing his Japanese teammates to manscaping or calling out play-acting in the modern game, no subject is off limits. Side-splittingly funny and ruthlessly honest, What A Flanker delves into the touring, drinking, training, eating and sometimes unconscionable antics of the professional rugby player. It’s an unforgettable read, even if there are some stories you’d rather forget… [Correction: in the author biography and on p.22 of this book, it is stated in error that the House of Rugby podcast is now known as The Good, The Bad and The Rugby. The House of Rugby podcast continues and The Good, The Bad and The Rugby is a separate podcast.]"

James Haskell (Author), James Haskell (Narrator)

Audiobook

Unshakeable: My Motorcycle Racing Story

"‘You don’t get to be six-time British Superbike Champion without having talent and desire’ – Wayne Rainey, Three-time 500CC World Champion. Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne knows what it is like to live on the edge. The most successful rider in British Superbike history, he is the only person to have won the championship six times. Shakey is a living motorbike legend, with legions of fans across the country. For the first time Shakey tells his life story, from being abandoned as a newborn baby in a London hospital, to multiple brushes with the law and working night shifts on the London Underground to fund his early racing career. Whether it was on his BMX or joyriding through Kent, the only thing Shakey ever wanted to do was race motorbikes. Once he had got his break, Shakey quickly developed a reputation as one of the most exciting riders of his generation, and the thrill of every victory, every chicane and every overtake, as well as the hospital visits and painstaking recovery, is relived in heart-pumping detail. Unshakeable is an incredible story of winning and risk-taking, of horrendous crashes in which he nearly lost his life, of Ducatis and monster motorhomes, and of hard-fought glory in one of the most exciting and dangerous sports on the planet. Told with breathless exhilaration, Shakey’s story is one of inspiration, break-neck speed and a life lived truly on, and over, the limit."

Shane Byrne (Author), Emma Fenney, Matthew Forsythe, Shane Byrne (Narrator)

Audiobook

Right, Said Fred

"When social distancing is over, can people still keep their distance? I only do the things I like now, rather than the things I should - is that alright? And these days, why has everyone got an opinion on everything and insist on sharing it? Oh. Scratch that one. From one of Britain's most-loved national treasures, comes a much-needed Bible of straight-talking honesty and sharp observational humour: following an unprecedented time of collective global insanity, Freddie is ready to impart his effortless charm, wit and wisdom on a wild array of topics. From the significant: climate change - maybe it's our time to go? To the time-worn: what even is political correctness and has the world really gone mad? To the essential: just what do you get when you receive the coveted Toby Carvery Gold Card? In Right, Said Fred, Freddie takes you on a whirlwind tour of his brain as he ponders more of life's most unfathomable questions."

Andrew Flintoff (Author), Ben Heathcote (Narrator)

Audiobook

Bernard Brogan: The Hill: The Hill

"BERNARD Brogan’s life story is one of the most keenly-anticipated Irish sport autobiographies in years. For much of the past decade Bernard Brogan was the headline act of Gaelic football for his remarkable forward play, scoring feats and role in helping transform Dublin from contenders into the most dominant team the sport has ever known. Yet despite reaching the pinnacle of the sport, Brogan has encountered his fair share of setbacks. He suffered two cruciate ligament injuries and only broke onto the Dublin senior team when he was 23.. In his forthcoming book, he details the effort and frustrations that came with trying to get back to try to play for Dublin again, the historic Drive for Five, and how he and Dublin became such a force in the first place, giving a unique insight into the workings of a high-performance athlete all the while trying to hold down and grow a couple of businesses."

Bernard Brogan, Kieran Shannon (Author), Bernard Brogan, Robert Bannon (Narrator)

Audiobook

Loose Head: Confessions of an (un)professional rugby player

"Brought to you by Penguin. The unfiltered truth about being a rugby player - from the horsey's mouth. This book is not just about how I got back on my horse and went clippity-clop all the way to the World Cup final in Japan. It's the story of how a fat kid who had to live up to the nickname Psycho grew up to play (and party) for over a decade with rugby's greatest pros. From just about surviving the equivalent of 30 car crashes a game and crooning Adele for team spirit, to extensive field notes on the smell of the Scrum and the fine art of on-pitch relief. Then there's rugby's secret naked wrestling scene and how it was exposed. In my world, you never know how the ball will bounce... © Joe Marler 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020"

Joe Marler (Author), Joe Marler (Narrator)

Audiobook

Cassius X: The Transformation of Muhammad Ali

"An in-depth exploration of the pivotal Cassius Clay transformed into Muhammad Ali, exploring the events, relationship, and experiences that shaped him. Although Muhammad Ali's decision to assume a new name has often been portrayed as a sudden transformation, Cassius Clay's conversion to Islam was a process, not an event. For many months he received guidance from Malcolm X, who had traveled from Harlem to Miami to be his mentor as he studied for his entry into the deeply divided and fratricidal Nation of Islam. The name he assumed over those now-forgotten months was Cassius X. This is the story of Cassius X over twelve months in Miami, a city that was changing faster than America itself, as he trains for the fight that will bring him global fame: his world heavyweight title fight against Sonny Liston in February 1964. Change was happening on every conceivable front, not least in music where two significant coincidences brought Cassius X into contact with the two major forces in sixties music: Beatlemania and the newly emergent soul music. The Beatles famously turned up at Clay's training camp at the 5th Street Gym and Sam Cooke negotiated a recording deal for the flamboyant Cassius X. However, his music career, which included a cover version of Ben E. King's 'Stand By Me' and a brief love affair with the dance-craze queen Dee Dee Sharp, never came close to echoing his career as a championship fighter. Politically, the Warren Commission, the FBI's 'Informant 88,' and the philosophical differences between Martin Luther King Jr. and the emergent black power movements were all at work. Cassius X's experiences came to pre-empt and predict the major cultural and ideological shifts that would unfold in the decade ahead."

Stuart Cosgrove (Author), Kevin R. Free (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Franz Beckenbauer: Der Freie Mann

"Der 'kloane Franzl' spielt schon als Fünfjähriger Fußball mit den großen Jungs aus seiner Straße. Er schafft den einzigartigen Weg vom Bolzplatz in München-Giesing in die großen Fußball-Arenen dieser Welt. Dieses Portrait zeigt die vielseitige und erfolgreiche Karriere des Glückskindes Beckenbauer, der als Spieler und Trainer Weltmeister wurde, und skizziert dabei in einem Strich deutsche Fußball- und Nationalgeschichte."

Torsten Körner (Author), Johannes Steck (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Red Kelly Story

"The life and times of the eight-time Stanley Cup winner When Boston coach Lynn Patrick was asked who he'd pick between Rocket Richard or Gordie Howe he answered, "Neither! I'll take Red Kelly!" The only player to have won eight Stanley Cups without playing for Montreal, Red began his life in hockey on the cedar swamps near Port Dover, Ontario, and went on to win accolades and championships as a Detroit Red Wing and Toronto Maple Leaf. Go back in time with Red as he reminisces about his childhood: the time he nearly drowned; when he brought St. Michael's College to three provincial championships; and his jump into a career with the NHL where sportsmanlike conduct won him multiple Lady Byng trophies. While playing with the Leafs, he served as member of parliament in Lester Pearson's government. After retiring in 1967 as a player, Red coached for a decade in the NHL with Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Toronto. This is a fascinating biography of a life well lived - on and off the ice."

Leonard 'red' Kelly (Author), Jonathan Watton (Narrator)

Audiobook

Sports Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir