Football Audiobooks | Sports & Recreation

Roll Red Roll: Rape, Power, and Football in the American Heartland

An incisive narrative about a teen rape case that divided a Rust Belt town, exposing the hostile and systemic undercurrents that enable sexual violence, and spotlighting ways to make change. In football-obsessed Steubenville, Ohio, on a summer night in 2012, an incapacitated sixteen-year-old girl was repeatedly assaulted by members of the "Big Red" high school football team. They took turns documenting the crime and sharing on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The victim, Jane Doe, learned the details via social media at a time when teens didn't yet understand the lasting trail of their digital breadcrumbs. Crime blogger Alexandria Goddard, along with hacker collective Anonymous, exposed the photos, Tweets, and videos, making this the first rape case ever to go viral and catapulting Steubenville onto the national stage. Filmmaker Nancy Schwartzman spent four years embedded in the town, documenting the case and its reverberations. Ten years after the assault, Roll Red Roll is the culmination of that research, weaving in new interviews and personal reflections to take readers beyond Steubenville to examine rape culture in everything from sports to teen dynamics. Roll Red Roll explores the factors that normalize sexual assault in our communities. Through inter-views with sportswriter David Zirin, victim's rights attorney Gloria Allred and more, Schwartzman untangles the societal norms in which we too often sacrifice our daughters to protect our sons. With the Steubenville case as a flashpoint that helped spark the #MeToo movement, a decade later, Roll Red Roll focuses on the perpetrators and asks, can our society truly change?

Nancy Schwartzman (Author), Brittany Pressley, Nancy Schwartzman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Spies on the Sidelines: The High-Stakes World of NFL Espionage

Spies on the Sidelines: The High-Stakes World of NFL Espionage details the collection techniques that NFL teams utilize to gather information on their opponents in order to gain a game-day advantage, as well as the countermeasures used to defend against them. The book spans the entire history of the league and contains anecdotes from every NFL team. Topics include spying on practices, stealing paperwork and signals, debriefing personnel that switch teams, listening devices, headset tampering, elicitation, Spygate, Deflategate, and so much more! Written by a former Special Agent with decades of experience collecting and safeguarding information for the Department of Defense, Spies on the Sidelines reveals that, behind the game-day action, professional football can be as cloak-and-dagger as American intelligence agencies. This fascinating and expansive compilation of NFL spy anecdotes exposes the extraordinary measures teams are willing to take in order to win.

Kevin Bryant (Author), Mike Bryant (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Woman's Game

The astonishing history of the rise, fall, and rise again of women's football, from the late 19th century to the present day. The inspirational, agenda-changing story of women's football around the world. A Woman's Game explores the history of women's football from the Victorian era – with players in high-heeled boots – to the present day. It is the story of a rise, fall, and rise again: from the game's first appearance in England in the late nineteenth century; through the incredible teams which at their height in 1920 drew 53,000 spectators to Goodison Park; to its 50-year ban in the UK and the aftershocks when that ban was lifted. Now, as the women's game is once again on an unstoppable upward trend, with internationally renowned players and a record 11.7m viewers for England's semi-final match against the USA in the 2019 World Cup, Suzanne Wrack considers what the next chapter of this incredible story might be. From its relationship to the worldwide fight against oppression, to its ability to inspire change in the wider world, this is both a history of football as played by women, and a manifesto for a better game.

Suzanne Wrack (Author), Jennifer Ness (Narrator)

Audiobook

Sports Illustrated - 2022 Audio Articles Compilation

ZINIO Audio and Sports Illustrated bring you the best of Sports Illustrated in Audio Format. Listen to featured articles about your favorite athletes! Included articles: Sportsperson of the Year: Tom Brady Muhammad Ali Legacy Award Winner: Billie Jean King Athletes of the Year: Suni Lee She Fought to the End - Two days before she was murdered, Connie Kunzmann played the game of her life. Minutemen - They dreamed their whole lives of playing in the NBA. Once they finally made it, their careers lasted just a few seconds. Late Prime - Broadcaster Al Michaels talks about his craft but is mum on where he'll be practicing it. Garden Party - TAYLOR VS. SERRANO - For the first time in its history, Madison Square Garden will have a card headlined by a women’s bout. To Swim as Herself - LIA THOMAS - The Penn student’s poise in the face of ugly debate over transgender athletes is a statement for equality. Baseball Needs Some Buzz - The game will look radically different over the next five years. Its future depends on it. Hitman - JUAN SOTO - The greatest hitting prodigy since Ted Williams dominates with his mind and bat. Center of it all - JOEL EMBIID - Throughout a season of uncertainty in Philly, he has been the Sixers’ unshakable anchor. Title IX - In 1972 no one dreamed a dry, 37-word clause tucked inside new education legislation would reshape women’s sports forever. A half century later, it’s time to reflect on how far the quest for equality has come—and where it still has to go. Pioneers to remember A Leage of their own Prime's Time - DEION SANDERS - The Hall of Famer uprooted his life to revive a moribund small schooland now he’s ushering in a new era for all HBCUs. Tall Tale - CHET HOLMGREN - Could a 195-pound 7-footer be the future of basketball? Sounds wild, but Holmgren certainly thinks so. Later Slater? - KELLY SLATER AT 50 - He just won the Super Bowl of surfing. What’s next? He’ll consult some GOATs, wrestle his demons and keep stoking that fire.

Maven Coalition Inc. (Author), Chris Baetens, Mikee Atendido (Narrator)

Audiobook

Inseguendo un sogno

Herbert Kilpin è un giovane operaio di Nottingham che cresce tra l'odore di carne della macelleria del padre, dove vive la numerosa famiglia, e la fabbrica di pizzo in cui lavora. L'unico luogo dove trova sollievo ed evasione dalla povertà è il campo da calcio. Testardo e sfrontato, avrebbe tutte le carte in regola per diventare un grande giocatore, se solo fosse in grado di fare squadra e controllare le sue emozioni e i suoi vizi, come quello del bere. Il giorno in cui l'enigmatico e sofisticato imprenditore italiano Edoardo Bosio arriva a Nottingham per rubare qualche segreto sulla lavorazione del pizzo e, perché no, qualche abile operaio da impiegare nella sua fabbrica di Torino, si presenta per Herbert l'occasione della vita. Bosio, che è uno dei primi giocatori di calcio italiani, nota subito le qualità del giovane, sia in fabbrica sia sul campo, e gli offre l'opportunità di andare con lui in Italia. Ad aspettarlo oltremanica c'è un mondo nuovo, nel quale Kilpin dovrà fare i conti con il pregiudizio di classe, le ribellioni di operai scontenti, l'emarginazione dentro e fuori dal campo, ma in cui troverà i compagni con i quali coronare il sogno agognato: creare una squadra per il popolo. E quella squadra farà la storia del calcio mondiale: l'AC Milan.

Cecilia Gragnani, Paul Davidson (Author), Cecilia Gragnani (Narrator)

Audiobook

The 2% Way: How a Philosophy of Small Improvements Took Me to Oxford, the NFL, and Neurosurgery

You don't have to change your life overnight--instead, you can make small changes that leave a lasting impact. In The 2% Way, discover the simple, revolutionary practice behind the against-the-odds success story of Dr. Myron L. Rolle. Dr. Rolle has led a remarkable life: from earning a scholarship to a prestigious private high school to becoming a top-rated recruit at Florida State University; from winning the Rhodes Scholarship for study at Oxford to playing football in the NFL and then becoming a neurosurgery resident at Harvard. In this inspiring book, Dr. Rolle tells the story of his incredible journey, revealing how a strong work ethic, deep faith, and the family values instilled by his Bahamian immigrant parents set the stage for the transformative life philosophy that enabled him to overcome adversity, defy expectations, and create a life of meaning and purpose. Whether you're struggling with your own obstacles, looking to improve yourself, searching for your purpose and identity, or seeking inspiration, Dr. Rolle's story will give you the encouragement and tools you need to: - Make incremental improvements that lead to long-lasting results - Build a life full of purpose and meaning - Tackle life with the assurance that you're moving in the right direction The 2% Way will change the way you think about self-improvement, proving that you have the power to make strides toward the life you've always dreamed of.

Myron L. Rolle (Author), Charles Ray (Narrator)

Audiobook

Playmakers: How the NFL Really Works (And Doesn't)

The story of a modern NFL that can't get out of its own way-and can't stop making money In recent decades, the NFL has simultaneously become an athletic, financial, and cultural powerhouse-and a League that can't seem to go more than a few weeks without a scandal. Whether it's about domestic violence, performance-enhancing drugs, racism, or head trauma, the NFL always seems to be in some kind of trouble. Yet no matter the drama, the TV networks keep showing games, the revenue keeps rising, and the viewers keep tuning in. How can a sports league-or any organization-operate this way? Why do the negative stories keep happening, and why don't they ever seem to affect the bottom line? In this wide-ranging book, Mike Florio takes readers from the boardroom to the locker room, from draft day to the Super Bowl, answering these questions and more, and showing what really goes on in the sport that America can't seem to quit. Known for his constant stream of new information and incisive commentary, Florio delivers again in this book. With new insights and reporting on scandals past and present, this book will be the talk of the League-whether the League likes it or not.

Mike Florio (Author), Dan Woren (Narrator)

Audiobook

Common Enemies: Georgetown Basketball, Miami Football, and the Racial Transformation of College Spor

During the 1980s, Black athletes and other athletes of color broadened the popularity and profitability of major-college televised sports by infusing games with a 'Black style' of play. At a moment ripe for a revolution in men's college basketball and football, clashes between 'good guy' white protagonists and bombastic 'bad boy' Black antagonists attracted new fans and spectators. And no two teams in the 1980s welcomed the enemy's role more than Georgetown Hoya basketball and Miami Hurricane football. Georgetown and Miami taunted opponents. Athletes of color at both schools made sports apparel fashionable for younger fans, particularly young African American men. The Hoyas and the 'Canes were a sensation because they made the bad-boy image look good. Popular culture took notice. In the US, sports and race have always been tightly, if sometimes uncomfortably, entwined. Black athletes who dare to challenge the sporting status quo are often initially vilified but later accepted. The 1980s generation of barrier-busting college athletes took this process a step further. Georgetown and Miami's aggressive style of play angered many fans and commentators. But in time their style was not only accepted but imitated by others, both Black and white. Love them or hate them, there was simply no way you could deny the Hoyas and the Hurricanes.

Thomas F. Schaller (Author), Kyle Tait (Narrator)

Audiobook

You Are Looking Live!: How The NFL Today Revolutionized Sports Broadcasting

You Are Looking Live! is about the genesis, success, and magic of a live television show that in 1975 captured the excitement of the country, and launched four magnetic personalities to stardom: Brent Musburger, Phyllis George, Irv Cross, and Jimmy The Greek Snyder. It was the first NFL studio show to go live and the first to have both a Black and female cohost. Those four personalities battled each other and the competition, and America loved them for it. This is the story of how Brent, Phyllis, Irv, and Jimmy got there, their drama and front-page headlines, and what happened to them after the magic ended. Those headlines included Brent and The Greek's famous fight at Peartrees, Phyllis first marrying the man who produced The Godfather, then dropping him after two months for the next governor of Kentucky, and the shocking firing of Musburger on April Fool's Day, 1990. America had never seen a show like this before. The NFL Today became so popular that it not only dominated the ratings, but also won its timeslot eighteen straight years, from 1975 to 1993, until CBS lost its NFL package to Fox. And today, looking back, these four personalities, like any family, had their own battles, and became even more famous for them.

Rich Podolsky (Author), Barry Abrams (Narrator)

Audiobook

Unbreakable: How I Turned My Depression and Anxiety Into Motivation and You Can Too

Jay Glazer—a top NFL insider on Fox NFL Sunday, an MMA coach, actor, and a veteran advocate and founder of MVP (Merging Vets and Players)—offers honest, in your face advice and insights gleaned from his fight through depression and anxiety, his successful careers in NFL journalism and business, as well as his work with military vets struggling with PTSD; the result is a relentless, unapologetic, and no-nonsense approach to overcoming your self-doubts, fears, and excuses… with the goal of becoming Unbreakable. In Unbreakable, Jay Glazer talks directly to you, his teammates, and shares his truth. All the success from his screeching-and-swerving joy ride through professional football, the media, the MMA fighting world, Hollywood, the military-warrior community, comes with a side of relentless depression and anxiety. Living in the gray, as Jay calls it, is just a constant for him. And, in order to work through and work better, Jay knows he has to keep going, to be of service, to believe in himself when no one else will, and be stronger, tougher, and more dedicated than anyone. Unbreakable is his story of how he has done this in all of his many endeavors—a relentless insider who won’t quit talking or take his foot off the gas, whether detailing how he got his big break inside the NFL (it involves a friendship with Michael Strahan that seems too unlikely even for Hollywood) or helping veterans fight for their lives in gyms around the country or playing himself on the hit show Ballers, Jay’s ability to laugh at himself and take on his mental struggles has given him a clarity, toughness, and openness that few people can rival. Throughout Unbreakable, Jay will use his stories—featuring some of the biggest, baddest, and most fascinating characters in the public eye today—to tackle the toughest subjects by making you laugh. He will also use them as motivation to outline a prescriptive plan for you to get to the top of your game, whatever your game is, and to stop making excuses. He will show you how to use your insecurities, your own battles with mental health, to get where you need to go, scars and all. Especially scars and all. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Jay Glazer (Author), Jay Glazer (Narrator)

Audiobook

Silk: Football, Family, Respect

Shaun Burgoyne - inspirational footballer, leader of his people, devoted family man - is one of the most respected players in AFL history, on and off the field. The man they call 'Silk' was the ultimate team player - versatile, highly skilled and hard at the contest, with an enviable reputation for being able to stand up in big moments. Burgoyne is a proud Indigenous man, with a football pedigree that is a story in itself. Starting with his father's time at the Koonibba Roosters, the oldest surviving Indigenous footy club in Australia, the Burgoyne name is directly linked to Gavin Wanganeen, Eddie Betts, Graham Johncock and many other AFL stars. In his 400-plus games, Burgoyne had only two coaches. He reveals the tough love dished out by Port Adelaide coach Mark 'Choco' Williams, and the left-field techniques of legendary Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson. He shares how he changed from star midfielder to role player, a move that enabled him to overcome injuries and become one of the best impact players the game has seen. Burgoyne's story isn't just about winning four premierships and becoming the Indigenous games record holder. He experienced the ugliness of racist taunts, from growing up in Port Lincoln to bearing witness to the fallout of Adam Goodes' public stance on racism. The way Burgoyne sees it, we can't change history but we must learn from it, and work towards reconciliation, to a position of mutual respect and understanding. This modest champion shares what he has learnt to show others what is possible when you seize opportunities, are willing to put in the work and surround yourself with the right people - family, friends, teammates, mentors - who will inspire, support and guide you every step of the way.

Shaun Burgoyne (Author), Tamblyn Lord (Narrator)

Audiobook

We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban's 'Ultimate Team'

A lively chronicle of how the 2020 Crimson Tide became Nick Saban's "ultimate team." Was Alabama's Crimson Tide in 2020 the greatest team of all time? The squad went 13-0 in a pandemic year, scored a combined 107 points against SEC powerhouses LSU and Florida, crushed Ohio State in a National Championship Game 52-24 in a contest that wasn't even that close, and followed it up with another top-rated signing class. Nick Saban called his boys the "ultimate team," but it wasn't just because they kicked the ever-living hell out of everyone on the football field. It was because the team leveraged a power and influence born of Southern pride to push back against a hateful legacy of racism that a populist president was exploiting to divide the nation. At a time when Americans needed real leaders in the face of so much hate, the sports world answered the call and fought back for the soul of the country. In the summer of 2020, the Tide players left their training facility and, led by their celebrated coach, marched to a campus doorway made infamous sixty years earlier by another political demagogue and showed what people can accomplish when they fight together for a just cause in the name of unity. The most powerful force in a state crazy for college football had chosen to make a stand and replace George Wallace's "Segregation forever!" with a different message, written by one of the players: "All lives can't matter until Black lives matter." There have been some great football teams through the years, and they all deserve respect. But here's what we know for sure: They all would have been appreciative of what this Alabama team represented, and proud of what it accomplished. The Crimson Tide in 2020 captured something special that moved it beyond the conversation of best ever, and into the place reserved for most important of all time.

Joseph Goodman (Author), Adam Verner (Narrator)

Audiobook

Football Audiobooks in Sports & Recreation