Football Audiobooks | Sports & Recreation

An overview of the positions, tactics, and history of association football written by one of the game's stars. John Cameron was a most interesting figure who played for both Everton and Tottenham. Learn the basics, improve your game knowledge, and reach your soccer playing goals. Do you get a kick out of soccer? Whether you're a youth league player, a soccer parent, or a World Cup fan, here at last is the book you've been waiting for. This simple, clear, authoritative approach will broaden one’s knowledge and increase one’s enjoyment of the world's most widely played sport.

John Cameron (Author), Ben Adams (Narrator)

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Game Changers

Alan Curbishley has spent a lifetime in football both as a fan, player and manager.In his forty years, he has seen the game he loves change beyond all recognition. The money, the media, the celebrity culture, the agents - when Curbishley began his playing career in 1975, no one could have foreseen a future in which television rights sold for £10 billion. Through incredible access to the biggest names in the game, he takes a look at the modern game in all its guises, from the chairmen and chief executives at the very top to managers and players and all the way to the fans and ground staff. On the way, we hear from an eclectic and colourful cast of characters and some true legends of the sport, old and new: Arsène Wenger, Stevie Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Harry Redknapp, Harry Kane. This is a truly unique football book, written by one of the most respected and well-connected men in the sport. Never before has such an array of talent been collected within the pages of one book - it will spark discussion, enliven arguments and throw fire onto the debate: as the game changes, does it change for the better?

Alan Curbishley (Author), Colin Mace (Narrator)

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The Yucks: Two Years in Tampa with Losingest Team in NFL History

Long before their first Super Bowl victory in 2003, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did something no NFL team had ever done before and that none will ever likely do again: They lost twenty-six games in a row. It started in 1976, in their first season as an expansion team, and it lasted until the penultimate game of the 1977 season, when they defeated Archie Manning and the New Orleans Saints on the road. It was the beginning of a new streak for a team that had come to be called "The Yucks." They won their final game at home, and the fans tore down the goalposts. This was no ordinary streak. It was an existential curse that unfolded week after week, with Johnny Carson leading the charge on The Tonight Show. Along with their ridiculous mascot and uniforms, the Yucks were a national punch line and personnel purgatory. Owned by the miserly and bulbous-nosed Hugh Culverhouse, the team was the end of the line for Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier, and a banishment for former Cowboy defensive end Pat Toomay after he wrote a tell-all book about his time on "America's Team." Jason Vuic's The Yucks is an unforgettable and hilarious account of athletic futility and despair.

Jason Vuic (Author), Patrick Lawlor (Narrator)

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Fifty Years of Hurt: The Story of England Football and Why We Never Stop Believing

'England invented football, codified it, became champions of the world in 1966 but humiliatingly then forgot how to play the greatest game of all. England took their eye off a ball they arrogantly thought they owned, allowing other nations to run off with it.' It has been Fifty Years of Hurt since Bobby Moore lifted the World Cup trophy at Wembley, and in this groundbreaking book, Henry Winter will address the state England are in on the golden anniversary of their greatest moment. Part lament, part anatomy of an obsession, both personal and collective, it analyses the truth behind the endless excuses, apportions the blame for the crimes against English football, but is also a search for hope and solutions. Fifty Years of Hurt weaves more than forty exclusive interviews with the biggest names in the game - Jack Charlton, Alan Mullery, Peter Shilton, Glenn Hoddle, John Barnes, Chris Waddle, Gary Lineker, Ian and Mark Wright, Alan Shearer, Michael Owen, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Roy Hodgson - with a narrative dissection of the highs and lows of five decades of football. And as well as players and managers, Henry Winter talks to the fans, to agents, to officials, to the governing bodies, about every aspect, good and bad, of English football, to provide answers to the question: 'where did it all go wrong?'. It is a passionate journey by a writer with vast personal insight into the national team, with unprecedented access to all areas of the game, but also by a fan who wants his England back. The Fifty Years of Hurt must end.

Henry Winter (Author), Charlie Anson (Narrator)

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King Power

I HAD A HUNCH WE'D BE CHAMPIONS! The most unlikely story in the history of sport, told by our greatest football writerOn 25th March 2015, when King Richard III, recently rescued from a municipal car park, was reburied in Leicester Cathedral, his beloved football team had just lost 4-3 to Tottenham Hotspur and were bottom of the Premier League, relegation certainties. With King Richard finally at rest, everything changed for Leicester City. Here, in his own words, King Richard III tells this, the most remarkable sporting story of all time - how 5,000-1 Premier League outsiders became champions: the goals, the games, the dressing-room banter. He gives us the Jamie Vardy story, from prosthetic-limb factory employee to the most celebrated striker this side of the River Soar; Mahrez, the great Muslim dynamo from Algeria, once stuck in the French seventh tier; the dark days of the sex video and the late December wobble; Lords Drinkwater, Albrighton and the great Tinkerman from Italy, all of them heroes of Shakespearean proportions.This isn't a fairy-tale, this really happened. From the unsanctioned hand of a much-loved Royal, the greatest football book ever written.

Richard III (Author), Peter Joyce (Narrator)

Audiobook

Quiet Leadership: Winning Hearts, Minds and Matches

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Quiet Leadership by Carlo Ancelotti, Chris Brady and Mike Forde. Read by Richard Lumsden. The legendary football coach finally tells his story and reveals his management secrets Carlo Ancelotti is one of the greatest managers of all time. With three Champions League trophies, and multiple league and cup titles from AC Milan to Chelsea to Real Madrid, his record is second to none. Yet Ancelotti's managerial approach could not be further from the aggressive theatricals favoured by many of his rivals. Rather than imposing his will on superstar players, he builds team cultures through the relationships he develops - he allows talent to flourish. His understated style has earned him the fierce loyalty of the likes of David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo. In Quiet Leadership, Ancelotti reveals the full, riveting story of his managerial career - his methods, mentors, mistakes and greatest triumphs. He takes us right inside the dressing room to trace the characters, challenges and decisions that have shaped him. The result is both a scintillating memoir and a rare insight into the business of leadership.

Carlo Ancelotti (Author), Richard Lumsden (Narrator)

Audiobook

Paper Lion: Confessions of a Last-String Quarterback

Based off the book that made a legend--PAPER LION capture's America's sport in detail that's never been matched, and now features an introduction by Tom Wolfe. George Plimpton was perhaps best known for PAPER LION, the book that set the bar for participatory sports journalism. With his characteristic wit, Plimpton recounts his experiences in talking his way into training camp with the Detroit Lions, practicing with the team, and taking snaps behind center. His breezy style captures the pressures and tensions rookies confront, the hijinks that pervade when sixty high-strung guys live together in close quarters, and a host of football rites and rituals. One of the funniest and most insightful audiobooks ever written on football, PAPER LION is a classic look at the gridiron game. ***Please contact member services for additional documents***

George Plimpton (Author), Dan Woren (Narrator)

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Mad Ducks and Bears: Football Revisited

George Plimpton's follow-up to Paper Lion, one of his personal favorites among his classic books--now repackaged and including a foreword from Steve Almond and photographs from the Plimpton archives. In MAD DUCKS AND BEARS, George Plimpton's engaging companion to Paper Lion, Plimpton focuses on two of the most entertaining and roguish linemen and former teammates--Alex Karras ("Mad Ducks") and John Gordy ("Bears"), both of whom went on to achieve brilliant post-football success. A more reflective, less madcap book than Plimpton's other work, MAD DUCKS AND BEARS is no less truthful and searching. In this fond exploration of football's values and follies, Plimpton rejoins his two teammates to discuss their careers in this brutal but captivating game. The result is an astute exploration into the fascinating lives and motivations of the players at home, in the locker room, and on the field. ** Please contact Customer Service for extra documents.

George Plimpton (Author), L. J. Ganser (Narrator)

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History of Football

Football is also known as association football or soccer. The game is played across the globe in more than 200 countries by 250 million players. The sport is tremendously prevalent among the people; children and adults and is also deemed to be the most exciting games. The more famous and prestigious matches attract up to 100,000 people and more besides the millions who are glued to their television sets. It is one of the most popular games in the world. There are different forms of football which can be known in history, normally prevalent as the peasant games. Modern ciphers of football can be traced back to the nineteenth century when the systemization of games happened at English public schools. Football spread outside the boundaries of Britain as the British Empire expanded their area of rule. By the end of 19th century the distinctive regional code were emergent: for instance Gaelic football intentionally integrated the rules of local traditional football games to uphold their heritage. The Football League was founded in England in 1888, which was also the first of many professional football competitions. By 20th century many football associations were formed and became some of the most popular team sports of the world.

Introbooks, Introbooks Team (Author), Introbooks, Tracy Tupman (Narrator)

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Dig Deep

Whether everything's going your way or you're struggling to get through the day, the key, says J. C. Watts, is knowing how to dig deep. As a star quarterback, congressman, pastor, and now business leader, Watts has lived in the arena most of his life. In this inspiring but practical guide, he shares the secrets to digging deep-going beyond the excuses and the "blame game" and finding your inner reservoirs of inspiration, character, strength, and motivation. With God's grace, you can ignore the roar of the crowd and stay true to Christ, to your neighbor, and to yourself. Growing up in a small Oklahoma town still haunted by the legacy of segregation, Watts learned about hard work, integrity, and grit from his parents, who gave him the most precious gift of all, his faith in God. But when he found himself the sixth-string quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, he wanted to quit. Fortunately, his coaches wouldn't let him, teaching him more about digging deep. Those lessons helped him again in politics, which he soon discovered is a blood sport that can make football look like a cakewalk. Watts knows that the experiences he writes about are his own, but everyone needs to learn to dig deep. Among the invaluable insights he shares: - Why you should thank God for adversity - The power of forgiveness and letting go - Your past shapes you, but you're not its prisoner - What you unlearn can be as important as what you learn - Never forget that you stand on the shoulders of giants There's a better life waiting for you. Its price is digging deep. Let's get started.

J. C. Watts Jr. (Author), J. C. Watts Jr., Mirron Willis (Narrator)

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NFL Confidential: True Confessions from the Gutter of Football

A current pro player takes fans on a pseudonymous trip through one of the most infamous years of football-the very long, sometimes funny, often controversial 2013-2014 season-sharing raucous, behind-the-scenes, on-the-field, and in-the-locker-room truth about life in the National Football League. "Well, to hell with being safe. I'm going to be honest." Johnny Anonymous' life goal was to be nothing greater or less than the Best NFL Back-Up of All Time. For two years, he was content earning hundreds of thousands of dollars to stand on the sidelines doing absolutely nothing. But early in his third year, a starting lineman is injured, and he suddenly finds himself on the field. For most players, this moment is a dream come true. But not so for our author, one of the incredibly rare birds in football who reach the highest echelons, but who actually hate America's favorite game. That's right. Johnny Anonymous hates football. He hates what it does to his body, his brain, his life. Luckily, he can see the humor in his own situation, but also in the machinations of the NFL. Part truth-telling narrative, part whip-smart commentary that only a true insider could bring, part hilarious, NFL Confidential gives football fans a look at a world most would give anything to see, and gives non-fans a wild ride through the strange, and sometimes disturbing customs and realities of football today. Here is a truly unaffiliated look at the nation's biggest, most lucrative pastime over the course of one of its most transformative seasons. From hard-to-stomach diets, showdowns in the weight room, shenanigans in the locker room, the looming dread of being cut from the team, the racial issues that still exist in modern-day football, the rock-star lifestyle that players find themselves able to afford and sometimes enjoy a little too much, the notion of being lauded in a league plagued by controversy and the sharp contrast between the love/hate of the game and the reality of the job, Johnny reveals a never-before-seen side of the NFL.

Johnny Anonymous (Author), Jeffrey Kafer (Narrator)

Audiobook

Endzone: The Rise, Fall, and Return of Michigan Football

Endzone tells the story of how college football's most successful and respected program nearly lost it all in less than a decade, and entirely of its own doing. It is a story of hubris, greed, and betrayal, a tale more suited to Wall Street than the world's top public university. Author John U. Bacon takes you inside the offices, the board rooms, and the locker rooms of the University of Michigan to see what happened, and why, with countless eye-opening, head-shaking scenes of conflict and conquest. But Endzone is also an inspiring story of redemption and revival. When those who loved Michigan football the most recognized that it was being attacked from within, they rallied to reclaim the values that had made it great for over a century. The list of heroes includes players, students, lettermen, fans, and faculty-and the leaders who had the courage to listen to them. Their unprecedented uprising produced a new athletic director, and a new coach who vindicated the fans' faith when he turned down more money and fame to return to the place he loved most: Michigan.

John U. Bacon (Author), Johnny Heller (Narrator)

Audiobook

Football Audiobooks in Sports & Recreation