Football Audiobooks | Sports & Recreation

Concussion (Movie Tie-in Edition) Audiobook

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER -Now a major motion picture starring Will Smith, Concussion is the riveting, unlikely story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the pathologist who made one of the most significant medical discoveries of the twenty-first century, a discovery that challenges the existence of America"s favorite sport and puts Omalu in the crosshairs of football"s most powerful corporation: the NFL. Jeanne Marie Laskas first met the young forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu in 2009, while reporting a story for GQthat would go on to inspire the movie Concussion. Omalu told her about a day in September 2002, when, in a dingy morgue in downtown Pittsburgh, he picked up a scalpel and made a discovery that would rattle America in ways he"d never intended. Omalu was new to America, chasing the dream, a deeply spiritual man escaping the wounds of civil war in Nigeria. The body on the slab in front of him belonged to a fifty-year-old named Mike Webster, aka "Iron Mike," a Hall of Fame center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the greatest ever to play the game. After retiring in 1990, Webster had suffered a dizzyingly steep decline. Toward the end of his life, he was living out of his van, tasering himself to relieve his chronic pain, and fixing his rotting teeth with Super Glue. How did this happen?, Omalu asked himself. How did a young man like Mike Webster end up like this? The search for answers would change Omalu"s life forever and put him in the crosshairs of one of the most powerful corporations in America: the National Football League. What Omalu discovered in Webster"s brain-proof that Iron Mike"s mental deterioration was no accident but a disease caused by blows to the head that could affect everyone playing the game-was the one truth the NFL wanted to ignore. Taut, gripping, and gorgeously told, Concussion is the stirring story of one unlikely man"s decision to stand up to a multibillion-dollar colossus, and to tell the world the truth. Advance praise for Concussion "A gripping medical mystery and a dazzling portrait of the young scientist no one wanted to listen to . . . a fabulous, essential read."-Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks "The story of Dr. Bennet Omalu"s battle against the NFL is classic David and Goliath stuff, and Jeanne Marie Laskas-one of my favorite writers on earth-makes it as exciting as any great courtroom or gridiron drama. A riveting, powerful human tale-and a master class on how to tell a story."-Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit "Bennet Omalu forced football to reckon with head trauma. The NFL doesn"t want you to hear his story, but Jeanne Marie Laskas makes it unforgettable. This book is gripping, eye-opening, and full of heart."-Emily Bazelon, author of Sticks and Stones From the Trade Paperback edition.

Jeanne Marie Laskas (Author), Hillary Huber (Narrator)

Audiobook

50 Years, 50 Moments: The Most Unforgettable Plays in Super Bowl History

In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of America’s most beloved sporting event—the Super Bowl—an authoritative collection of the most pivotal plays through the decades, compiled by the legendary Jerry Rice, and illustrated with dozens of color photographs. 50 Years, 50 Moments celebrates five decades’ worth of memories, insights, and personal experiences of Super Sunday. Super Bowl MVP Jerry Rice has compiled his list of the most iconic, strategic, and record-breaking moments in football history from the Super Bowl’s inception to today—from the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I; to the amazing Miami Dolphins championship in Super Bowl VII that capped their seventeen-game undefeated season; to the heart-stopping Super Bowl XXV in which the New York Giants beat the Buffalo Bills 20-19; and Super Bowl XLIX’s amazing last-second victory by the New England Patriots over defending champion Seattle Seahawks 28-24. A Hall of Fame wide receiver who has played alongside and against some of the greatest players in the NFL, Jerry Rice, joined by accomplished sports researcher and journalist Randy O. Williams, draws on his intimate knowledge and insight of the game to highlight remarkable moments from this greatest game in modern sports. Rice’s access to the NFL means that 50 Years, 50 Moments is chock full of memories and insights directly from the athletes and coaches who were involved in these moments. Pulling together all the catches, the interceptions, the fumbles and triumphant touchdowns that have made the Super Bowl an unforgettable experience. 50 Years, 50 Moments features marquee names like Joe Montana, Vince Lombardi, Roger Staubach, Walter “Sweetness” Payton, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Namath, Lawrence Taylor, “Mean Joe” Greene, as well as Tom Brady and is a handsome must-have keepsake for football fans everywhere that is sure to be treasured for generations to come. ***Please contact member services for additional documents***

Jerry Rice, Randy O. Williams (Author), Mirron Willis (Narrator)

Audiobook

Above the Line: Lessons in Leadership and Life from a Championship Season

Lessons on leadership and team-building from Ohio State's head football coach, drawing heavily on the 2014 season and his team's remarkable run to the championship in the face of adversity Since he took over at Bowling Green fourteen years ago, Urban Frank Meyer III has established himself as one of the elite coaches in the annals of college football. With three national championships and a record of 142-26, he has achieved remarkable results with many teams. But it is Meyer's recent work at The Ohio State University that has elevated him into the realm of such iconic coaching names as Paul (Bear) Bryant, Knute Rockne and OSU's own Woody Hayes. Never was that work more successful than in the 2014 season, which ended with Meyer's Buckeyes capturing the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship with a 42-20 victory over Oregon. That the triumph came with a third-string quarterback at the helm-and after OSU had suffered a brutal early-season loss and endured the tragic loss of a teammate-only made the achievement that much more extraordinary. How did Ohio State, a school many thought did not even deserve to be in the playoffs, end up at the summit of college football? In Above the Line, Urban Meyer answers this question and many more. Pulling back the curtain on the high-profile, high-pressure world he operates in, he offers readers a groundbreaking game plan for creating a culture of success that engages and inspires the people around them - the very game plan he followed every day in the Buckeyes' historic 2014 season. A student of psychology long before he became a coach, Meyer believes that trust is the bedrock of great achievements and healthy relationships, and explains how to build it, step by step-whether in a team, a family, or a Fortune 500 company. With trust in place, a deep bond unites us in common purpose, and cultivates what he calls "above the line" behavior-a learned, empowered response to the challenges we face every day. Writing with his customary candor and humility, Meyer delivers insights both practical and profound-and applicable far beyond the football field. Packed with real-life examples from a storied season, Above the Line offers wisdom and inspiration for taking control and turning setbacks into victories.

Urban Meyer, Wayne Coffey (Author), Jason Culp (Narrator)

Audiobook

I Feel Like Going On: Life, Game, and Glory

Ray Lewis, legendary Baltimore Ravens linebacker and one of the greatest defensive players of his generation, holds nothing back on the state of football as well as his troubled childhood, his rise to athletic greatness, the storm that threatened to ruin his NFL career, and the devastating injury that nearly cost him a final moment of glory.A lot of folks, they know my game, but they don't know my deal. This book right here, it tells the story of my seventeen-year NFL career. It tells of my two Super Bowls, the mark I was blessed to be able to make on the game, on the city of Baltimore. But it also tells the story of how I grew up-abandoned by my no-account father, raised with my siblings by our God-fearing, hardworking single mother. It tells how I sometimes struggled off the field. It tells of the anguish and controversy that found me away from the game. Mostly, it tells how heartbreak can sometimes lift you to greatness and glory-if you find a way to put your focus in faith, and faith in your focus. When I left the game, confetti raining down on me and my teammates after winning the Super Bowl, I made a promise to myself to show how the game is really played at the highest level. That's what you'll find in these pages-a raw, honest look at the business of football and a look behind the scenes at some of the most torturous aspects of the game. The grind of the NFL-that's what shines through. My deal? That grind is a given. Every player who wears an NFL uniform has to slog through the same battles just to get to the league. But it's how you prepare for those battles that defines you-and here I hope to show how an unwavering trust in God and an unbreakable sense of purpose can lift you from tragedy to triumph. From strength to strength, man-that's the deal.

Daniel Paisner, Ray Lewis (Author), JD Jackson (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Education of a Coach

More than 6 years after his death David Halberstam remains one of this country's most respected journalists and revered authorities on American life and history in the years since WWII. A Pulitzer Prize-winner for his ground-breaking reporting on the Vietnam War, Halberstam wrote more than 20 books, almost all of them bestsellers. His work has stood the test of time and has become the standard by which all journalists measure themselves. Bill Belichick's thirty-one years in the NFL have been marked by amazing success--most recently with the New England Patriots. In this groundbreaking book, THE EDUCATION OF A COACH, David Halberstam explores the nuances of both the game and the man behind it. He uncovers what makes Bill Belichick tick both on and off the field.

David Halberstam (Author), Tom Stechshulte (Narrator)

Audiobook

Woodlawn

This riveting true story of courage, strength, and football at the height of racial tension in Birmingham, Alabama, inspired the motion picture Woodlawn, and tells the story of Coach Tandy Gerelds, his running back Tony Nathan, and a high school football game that healed a city. Woodlawn is soon to be a major motion picture starring Jon Voight, Nic Bishop, and C. Thomas Howell.In the midst of violent, impassioned racial tensions in Birmingham, Alabama, new football coach, Tandy Gerelds, was struggling to create a winning football team at Woodlawn High School-one of the last schools in Birmingham to integrate. The team he was handed did not have the caliber of players he needed to win-until he saw Tony Nathan run. But Tony was African American and Coach Gerelds knew that putting him in as running back would be like drawing a target on his own back and the back of his soon-to-be star player. But Coach Gerelds saw something in Tony, and he knew that his decision to let him play was about more than football. It was about doing what was right for the school...and the city. Coach Gerelds's football field became the only place in Birmingham where racial tensions melted away, but Tony was still plagued by chaos and violence in school. With the help of a new school chaplain, Tony learned to look beyond himself and realized that there was more at stake than winning a game. In 1974, Coach Gerelds's interracial team made Alabama history drawing 42,000 fans into the stadium to watch them play. It was this game that triggered the unity and support of the Woodlawn High School Colonels and that finally allowed a city to heal and taught its citizens how to love.

Mark Schlabach, Todd Gerelds (Author), Kirby Heyborne (Narrator)

Audiobook

Das Reboot: How German Football Reinvented Itself and Conquered the World

'Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win' -Gary Lineker 13 July 2014, World Cup Final, the last ten minutes of extra time: Germany forward Mario Götze, receiving a floated pass from his international teammate André Schürrle, jumps slightly to meet the ball and cushion it with his chest. Landing on his left foot, he takes a step with his right, swivels, and in one fluid motion, without the ball touching the ground, volleys it past the onrushing Argentine goalkeeper into the far corner of the net. The goal wins Germany the World Cup for the first time in almost twenty-five years. In the aftermath, Götze looks dazed, unable to comprehend what he has done. In Das Reboot, journalist and television pundit Raphael Honigstein charts the return of German football from the international wilderness of the late 1990s to Götze's moment of genius and asks how did this come about? How did German football transform itself from its efficient, but unappealing and defensively minded traditions to the free-flowing, attacking football that was on display in 2014? The answer takes him from California to Stuttgart, from Munich to the Maracaná, via Dortmund and Durban. Packed with exclusive interviews with the key protagonists, Honigstein's book lifts the lid on the secrets of German football's success.

Raphael Honigstein (Author), Charlie Anson (Narrator)

Audiobook

My Story

Steven Gerrard is the former captain of Liverpool football team and of the England national football team, and is the only player ever to have scored in a FA cup final, a league cup final, a UEFA cup final and a champion's league final. His entire career, since 1998, has been spent at Anfield with Liverpool. In this book he charts his full playing career, shedding light on the defining games, his life off the pitch as well as the players and managers he's encountered. Explosive, controversial and searingly honest, this will be the last word from an era-defining player.

Steven Gerrard (Author), Michael Ryan (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Der Kick des Geldes oder wie unser Fußball verkauft wird

Der Profifußball verliert seine Unschuld Wir reden von Fußballvereinen, obwohl wir es längst mit AGs und GmbHs zu tun haben. Wer aber steht hinter diesen Gesellschaften? Wer profitiert von diesem gigantischen Geschäft um Übertragungsrechte und Merchandising? Welcher Apparat ist um die 90 Minuten herum entstanden, der uns tagaus tagein Relevanz vortäuscht, es aber immer weniger schafft, vom großen Geschäft für einige wenige abzulenken, die knallhart ihre Interessen verfolgen? Deutschland ist Weltmeister, die Bundesliga boomt, König Fußball ist beliebt wie nie. Meint man. Dabei sagen nur rund 30 Prozent der Deutschen, dass sie sich aktiv für Fußball interessieren, wie Umfragen bestätigen. Trotzdem werden viele Kosten, die durch dieses Spektakel entstehen, der Allgemeinheit aufgedrückt. Der Großteil der Umsätze wird schon lange nicht mehr mit den Einnahmen aus den Stadionbesuchen bestritten. Entstanden ist ein Wirtschaftszweig, der sich perfide unschuldig gibt, an dem aber nur einige Wenige profitieren auf Kosten der Fans. Das vorläufige Ergebnis: In vielen Ligen herrscht bereits große Langeweile, weil ein zwei Vereine jeden Wettbewerb dominieren. Jens Berger durchleuchtet unseren Lieblingssport, der seine Unschuld verloren hat und nennt Zahlen, Daten und Fakten, die bisher nicht bekannt waren.

Jens Berger (Author), Christian Jungwirt (Narrator)

Audiobook

Sport Matters: Leadership, Power, and the Quest for Respect in Sports

Donald Sterling. Ray Rice. The Washington Redskins. The Miami Dolphins. NCAA Athletes. These names, among countless others, have blanketed the headlines as the media has brought global attention to several recent sports controversies. Now, Kenneth L. Shropshire, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics and Director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative, uses these stories as a prism for exploring the leadership challenges facing team owners, management, players, and fans. In Sport Matters: Leadership, Power, and the Quest for Respect in Sports, Shropshire examines the need for diversity, inclusion, respect, and equality in sports, focusing on the need for leadership to embrace and deliver these principles in a real and tangible way within the sports industry. He also introduces the Sports Power Matrix, a framework for understanding power within the sports industry. Sport Matters addresses what the Donald Sterling drama can teach us about race and the need for inclusion at the ownership level; the lessons learned from the NFL and Ray Rice case; the Washington Redskins name and the economics of change; what the Miami Dolphins matter tells us about respect in the workplace and beyond; and compensation and equality in "amateur" sports. Sport Matters, filled with disturbing revelations and uncomfortable truths, also provides hope, revealing how obstacles to achieving an ideal culture of equality and respect within the sports industry can be removed. Shropshire argues that while change matters, continued emphasis on diversity, inclusion and respect is needed to create true progress. Gildan Media is proud to bring you another Wharton Digital Press Audiobook. These notable audiobooks contain the essential tools that can be applied to every facet of your career.

Kenneth L. Shropshire (Author), Walter Dixon (Narrator)

Audiobook

Against Football: One Fan's Reluctant Manifesto

In Against Football, Steve Almond details why, after forty years as a fan, he can no longer watch the game he still loves. Using a synthesis of memoir, reportage, and cultural critique, Almond asks a series of provocative questions: Does our addiction to football foster a tolerance for violence, greed, racism, and homophobia? What does it mean that our society has transmuted the intuitive physical joys of childhood—run, leap, throw, tackle—into a billion-dollar industry? How did a sport that causes brain damage become such an important emblem for our institutions of higher learning? There has never been a book that exposes the dark underside of America's favorite game with such searing candor.

Steve Almond (Author), Peter Berkrot (Narrator)

Audiobook

Friday Night Tykes: Tiki Barber and Bart Scott and Panel on the State of Youth Football

After a special screening of Esquire Network’s controversial documentary series, “Friday Night Tykes,” former NFL players Tiki Barber and Bart Scott weigh in on the state of youth sports in our culture. Barber and Scott are joined by parenting expert, Dr. Robi Ludwig, Psy. D.; Brian Morgan, President of Texas Youth Football Association; and Matt Maranz, founder of 441 Productions and Executive Producer for Friday Night Tykes, for a candid conversation surrounding youth sports, safety, parenting and coaching, moderated by ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap.

Bart Scott, Tiki Barber (Author), Jeremy Schaap (Narrator)

Audiobook

Football Audiobooks in Sports & Recreation