Football Audiobooks | Sports & Recreation

Champagne Football: John Delaney and the Betrayal of Irish Football: The Inside Story

Brought to you by Pengun. THE NO.1 BESTSELLER! Over the course of fifteen years, John Delaney ran the Football Association of Ireland as his own personal fiefdom. He had his critics, but his power was never seriously challenged until last year, when Mark Tighe and Paul Rowan published a sequence of stories in the Sunday Times containing damaging revelations about his personal compensation and the parlous financial situation of the FAI. Delaney's reputation as a great financial manager was left in tatters. He resigned under pressure, and the FAI was left hoping for a massive bail-out from the Irish taxpayer. In Champagne Football, Tighe and Rowan dig deep into the story of Delaney's career and of the FAI's slide into ruin. They show how he surrounded himself with people whose personal loyalty he could count on, and a board that failed to notice that the association's finances were shot. They detail Delaney's skilful cultivation of opinion-formers outside the FAI. And they document the culture of excess that Delaney presided over and benefited from, to the detriment of the organization he led. Champagne Football is a gripping, sometimes darkly hilarious and often enraging piece of reporting by the award-winning journalists who finally pulled back the curtain on the FAI's mismanagement. 'I read it in one sitting, it's a superb book' Eamon Dunphy, The Stand 'An astonishing exposé' Martin Ziegler, The Times 'Excellent' Irish Sun 'A jaw-dropping story ... brilliant' Irish Times 'Essential reading' Irish Daily Star 'Astonishing ... Side-splittingly hilarious' Guardian 'A damming account' Sunday Independent 'An instant classic, one of the all-time great Irish sports books' Alan English 'Excellent ... includes staggering detail' Daily Mail 'A cracking read ... [An] incredible amount of jaw-dropping detail' Matt Cooper 'One of the most hotly-anticipated sport books of the year' Brendan O'Connor 'A masterpiece' Tommy Martin 'At last, the truth of his ruinous reign has been rigorously and painstakingly exposed' Irish Daily Mail 'An absolutely extraordinary book' Eoin McDevitt, Second Captains 'Remarkable. The desperate story of Irish football but also a book about how Ireland works. Outstanding' Dion Fanning © Mark Tighe, Paul Rowan 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Mark Tighe, Paul Rowan (Author), Johnny Candon (Narrator)

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The Dynasty

From the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Tiger Woods comes the definitive inside story of the New England Patriots—the greatest sports dynasty of the 21st century. It's easy to forget that the New England Patriots were once the laughingstock of the NFL, a nearly bankrupt team that had never won a championship and was on the brink of moving to St. Louis. Everything changed in 1994, when Robert Kraft acquired the franchise and soon brought on board head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. Since then, the Patriots have become a juggernaut, making ten trips to the Super Bowl, winning six of them, and emerging as one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world. Today, the team's twenty-year reign atop the NFL stands as the longest in league history. How was the Patriots dynasty built? And how did it last for two decades? In The Dynasty, acclaimed journalist Jeff Benedict provides richly reported answers in a sweeping account based on exclusive interviews with more than two hundred insiders—including team executives, coaches, players, players' wives, team doctors, lawyers, and more—as well as never-before-seen recordings, documents, and electronic communications. Through his exhaustive research, Benedict uncovers surprising new details about the inner workings of a team notorious for its secrecy. He puts readers in the room as Robert Kraft outmaneuvers a legion of lawyers and investors to buy the team. We listen in on the phone call when the greatest trade ever made—Bill Belichick for a first-round draft choice—is negotiated. And we look over the shoulder of forty-year-old Tom Brady as a surgeon operates on his throwing hand on the eve of the AFC Championship Game in 2018. But the portrait that emerges in The Dynasty is more rewarding than new details alone. By tracing the team's epic run through the perspectives of Kraft, Belichick, and Brady—each of whom was interviewed for the book—the author provides a wealth of new insight into the complex human beings most responsible for the Patriots' success. We watch the NFL's savviest owner treat Brady like a son, empower Belichick to cut and trade beloved players, and spend sleepless nights figuring out diplomatic ways to keep Brady and Belichick together for two decades. We come to understand how a genius head coach keeps his players at an emotional distance and blocks out anything that gets in the way of winning. And we experience the relentless drive, ferocious competitive nature, and emotional sensitivity that allows Brady to continue playing football into his forties. The result is an intimate portrait that captures the human drama of the dynasty's three key characters while also revealing the secrets behind their success. This is perhaps the most compelling and illuminating book that will ever be written about the greatest professional sports team of our time.

Jeff Benedict (Author), Todd Menesses (Narrator)

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Resilient by Nature: Reflections from a Life of Winning On and Off the Football Field

This amazing memoir follows the story of Reggie Williams-ex-NFL linebacker, former Disney executive, renaissance man, and the epitome of determination in the face of extreme challenges. 'Don't look at their eyes.' That was the advice the great Jim Brown gave to Reggie Williams as they prepared for a meeting with members of rival Los Angeles gang members at an ultra-secret location. Williams needed to strike an accord with the 'Bloods' and the 'Crips' if the youth education center he was establishing in South Central LA would ever stand a chance of succeeding in the aftermath of the Rodney King riots . . . with the NFL on the verge of making it to the Super Bowl. Thanks to an assist from Brown, arguably the greatest player in NFL history, Williams survived the meeting that led to an agreement from the gangs that the community center would be off-limits. In Resilient by Nature, Williams reveals an array of classic episodes from his journey that share a common thread-the ability to adapt to change and extreme challenges . . . including the battle to save his right leg. Look in his eyes and you'll see Williams as a walking inspiration.

Reggie Williams (Author), Mirron Willis (Narrator)

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Love, Zac: Small-Town Football and the Life and Death of an American Boy

"Love, Zac is not just a vital contribution to the national conversation about traumatic brain injury in athletes, it's so beautifully written it belongs on the shelf alongside classic works of literary journalism." -Jeanne Marie Laskas, New York Times bestselling author of Concussion In December 2015, Zac Easter, a twenty-four-year-old from small-town Iowa, decided to take his own life rather than continue his losing battle against traumatic brain injuries he had sustained as a high school football player and which led him to develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). For this deeply reported and powerfully moving true story, award-winning writer Reid Forgrave was given access to Zac's own diaries and was able to speak with Zac's family, friends, and coaches. He explores Zac's tight-knit, football-obsessed Midwestern community; he interviews leading brain scientists, psychologists, and sports historians; he takes a deep dive into the triumphs and sins of the sports entertainment industry; and he shows us the fallout from the traditional notions of manhood that football instills. For parents wondering about whether to allow their kids to play football, for players, former players, and fans, for anyone concerned about concussions and sports, this eye-opening, heart-wrenching, and ultimately inspiring story may be one of the most important books they will read.

Reid Forgrave (Author), Jason Culp (Narrator)

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Roughy

Cancer doesn't discriminate. When things were at their worst for Jarryd Roughead, his four premierships, two All-Australian gongs and a Coleman Medal counted for nothing. Being that rare footballer who was as loved by opposition fans as his own was no help either. As he spent his days vomiting or curled up with the cat, and his nights in a pool of sweat, fully clothed yet freezing, rolling out of bed every couple of hours to dunk his feet in cold water to douse the feeling that they were on fire, all that mattered was that he didn't stop believing. Belief is one of those intangibles that puts great athletes above the pack. But this was no game. Roughead knew he had to keep believing he'd get better, otherwise he'd lose. And if he lost this battle, there would be no next week. Roughy is the story of a footballer who lived the dream, the country boy who not only became an AFL star, but was a key player in a Hawthorn team that will be remembered as one of the greats of any era. Success didn't change him, which made him all the more relatable, as if in spirit he was still having a kick with the Leongatha Parrots and a beer with his mates at the local pub. When in 2015 a spot on his bottom lip was diagnosed as melanoma, we could relate to him all the more. When it returned as spots on his lungs the next year, the gravity we routinely attach to football's wins and losses seemed ridiculous. In Roughy, you'll discover the resilience that got him through horrendous immunotherapy and helped him to not only play AFL again, but as Hawthorn captain. The same trait his forebears had in spades when they emigrated from Scotland, found no joy on the Victorian goldfields, so made their way to Gippsland and put down roots deep enough to have a Roughead St and Roughead Rd named after them (although the street signs have had a strange habit of disappearing over the years). You'll read the stories of his childhood, of the basketballer who switched sports and learned not just to believe, but to expect to be the very best. Of his love for Sarah and their daughter Pippa, his unwavering will to carry on, his dignity through a final chapter of his career that was dignity personified, with a fairytale ending that was celebrated by all.

Jarryd Roughead (Author), Daniel Moore (Narrator)

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You Ought To Do a Story About Me: Addiction, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Endless Quest for Redem

“This masterpiece of dogged and loving reporting will astonish you and touch your heart. The struggles and quest for redemption of football star Jackie Wallace make for a fall-from-grace tale that’s both unsettling and uplifting.”—Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs and Leonardo da Vinci The heartbreaking, timeless, and redemptive story of the transformative friendship binding a fallen-from-grace NFL player and a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist who meet on the streets of New Orleans, offering a rare glimpse into the precarious world of homelessness and the lingering impact of systemic racism and poverty on the lives of NOLA’s citizens. In 1990, while covering a story about homelessness for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Ted Jackson encountered a drug addict sleeping under a bridge. After snapping a photo, Jackson woke the man. Pointing to the daily newspaper by his feet, the homeless stranger looked the photojournalist in the eye and said, “You ought to do a story about me.” When Ted asked why, he was stunned by the answer. “Because, I’ve played in three Super Bowls.” That chance meeting was the start of Ted’s thirty-year relationship with Jackie Wallace, a former NFL star who rose to the pinnacle of fame and fortune, only to crash and lose it all. Getting to know Jackie, Ted learned the details of his life, and how he spiraled into the “vortex of darkness” that left him addicted and living on the streets of New Orleans. Ted chronicles Jackie's life from his teenage years in New Orleans through college and the NFL to the end of his pro career and the untimely death of his mother—devastating events that led him into addiction and homelessness. Throughout, Ted pays tribute to the enduring friendship he shares with this man he has come to know and also look at as an inspiration. But Ted is not naïve; he speaks frankly about the vulnerability of such a relationship: Can a man like Jackie recover, or is he destined to roam the streets until his end? Tragic and triumphant, inspiring and unexpected, You Ought to Do a Story About Me offers a rare glimpse into the precarious world of homelessness and the lingering impact of systemic racism and poverty on the lives of NOLA’s citizens. Lyrical and evocative, Ted's account is pure, singular, and ambitious—a timeless tale about loss, redemption, and hope in their multifarious forms. “This book will melt your heart. The story of Jackie Wallace is an unforgettable tale of hope, grace, and the miracle of the human spirit. Ted Jackson writes with searing honesty and deep love for a troubled man who started as his subject and became his lifelong friend.”—Jonathan Eig, bestselling author of Ali: A Life and Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

Ted Jackson (Author), Christopher Grove (Narrator)

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Football For Dummies: 6th Edition

New stadiums have been built, new stars have been born, and records have been broken since the last edition of Football For Dummies. This new edition is the fan's ultimate, up-to-date guide to all things pigskin. Perfect for new and veteran fans of the sport alike, it covers everything you need to be the most knowledgeable spectator in the stadium. With deep explanations of every position, analysis of offense and defense, and detailed strategies for play, football legend Howie Long and established analyst John Czarnecki present the nuts and bolts of football for fans of all ages and experiences. ● Tackle football basics and enjoy America's favorite sport ● Grasp the rules and regulations, positions, plays, and penalties ● Appreciate the different aspects of the game at the professional and college levels ● Learn about the latest NFL stadium technologies Football For Dummies has something to offer fans of all ages, from peewees to the pros and everything between.

Howie Long, John Czarnecki (Author), Barry Abrams (Narrator)

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Fear Is a Choice: Tackling Life's Challenges with Dignity, Faith, and Determination

From fighting for his life to pursuing a career in the NFL, ACC Player of the Year and star Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner shares how his choice to not fear the unknown made all the difference in his extraordinary journey. During his first two years at the University of Pittsburgh, running back James Conner became one of the Panthers’ biggest stars, breaking records and winning the adoration of fans. Then, in the first game of his junior year, disaster struck in the form of a torn MCL. During rehab, James’s health continued to inexplicably deteriorate until a chest X-ray and biopsy confirmed the unthinkable: a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Suddenly, it wasn’t just the dream of an NFL career that was in jeopardy; it was James’s life. Yet when he shared the news of his diagnosis publicly, James rallied family, friends, and fans, with his message of hope and courage: “Fear is a choice. I choose not to fear cancer.” In just ten words, James defined his own journey on his own terms and refused to back down from one of the most dreaded diseases known to man. Drawing strength from his faith in God and the support of his community and loved ones, James underwent treatment but continued to practice with his team despite the intense physical toll of chemotherapy. He was declared cancer-free within a year. Returning to the field in 2016, he finished his college career with a record-breaking 3,733 rushing yards and 56 touchdowns. Entering the NFL draft early, his success continued. Selected in the third round by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he quickly became one of the most beloved rookies in the league. In Fear is a Choice, James candidly shares his experiences during his battle with cancer and beyond, encouraging readers and illustrating the spiritual truths and personal principles that got him through his darkest days. Conner’s warm, intimate, and inspiring story offers wisdom and advice for anyone who has faced adversity or the loss their dreams—and everyone who wants to learn how to tackle life’s problems with dignity, faith, and determination.

James Conner, Tiffany Yecke Brooks (Author), David Sadzin (Narrator)

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Practique fútbol desde casa

Está atrapado en casa o no puede acceder a un campo de fútbol? ¿Está preocupado por la práctica y la buena forma física? Este libro es su respuesta. Ya sea una pandemia causada por un patógeno extremadamente infeccioso o un invierno duro que hace que se acumulen 3 metros de nieve en el campo de fútbol, hay veces que el fútbol se queda atrás. Como hemos descubierto, el fútbol no es más importante que la vida o la muerte, a pesar de las afirmaciones de lo contrario. Muchos libros de entrenamiento requieren un equipo complejo, recursos abundantes e instalaciones fantásticas. Al escribir 'Practique fútbol desde casa', buscamos ofrecer una guía para esos momentos en los que entrenamos solos, en nuestro patio trasero, con poco más que un balón y nuestro entorno inmediato. Llevar a cabo este trabajo adicional es importante tanto si somos profesionales que buscan perfeccionar nuestra técnica al más alto nivel (¿por qué si no los mejores profesionales construirían gimnasios caseros en sus lujosas casas?) o, más relevante para este libro, aficionados entusiastas o jugadores jóvenes que buscan desarrollar nuestro propio juego.

Chest Dugger (Author), Mario Luna (Narrator)

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Aaron Hernandez’s Killing Fields: Exposing Untold Murders, Violence, Cover-Ups, and the NFL’s Shocki

From teenage gang member to $40 million star of the New England Patriots, from All-American college player to drug addict, murderer, dead by suicide in his jail cell at age twenty-seven…you think you know the Aaron Hernandez story? You don’t. For the first time, Aaron Hernandez’s Killing Fields will reveal the real, hitherto unknown motive for the killing of Odin Lloyd—the only crime for which Hernandez was ever convicted and a revelation so shocking it will shake the foundations of the NFL itself. It will also unpick a pattern of violence and brutality stretching back to his time as a teenager at the University of Florida, revealing further shooting victims, evidence of his involvement in the double murder of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in 2012. Featuring new interviews with Hernandez’s cellmates, serving police investigators, prosecutors, psychologists, attorneys—as well as key witnesses including Hernandez’s drug dealer, a male stripper he hired days before the killing of Lloyd—plus extensive testimony from relatives of Hernandez’s victims, Aaron Hernandez’s Killing Fields is the exhaustive, definitive account of the rise and fall of a man undone by his own appetite for violence, gangsterism, power, drugs, and self-destruction. This is the real Aaron Hernandez story—and perhaps just the beginning of a whole new murder investigation.

Dylan Howard (Author), David Linski (Narrator)

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Soccer Mental Toughness: Soccer Coaching to Improve Mental Strength for a Winning Mentality

Are you ready to take your soccer game to the next level? Improving your mental strength could be the answer. Things don’t always go our way. That is true in life, in our career, in our relationships and, of course, in sport. That sweet hit from the tee that lands perfectly on the fairway, and races on and on…and on, straight into the bunker. Or the day that our serve just will not function. Is there anything more frustrating than sending hit after hit into the net? Well, of course, there are many things harder to bear, but it doesn’t seem so at the time. Or the day we play the boss at squash, and aim to push him just so far before he defeats us with a series of devastating volleys and bias shots to the corner. Except, they just don’t come off, and we end up winning, knowing that the lift will continue to stop for us at the fifth floor, at least until next time. But these are all examples of individual sports; occasions where if things go against us it is only we that suffer, as annoying as that is. But in team games, such as soccer, we can end up letting down the entire team. Nobody wants to do that. Perhaps more significantly, we do not want the fear of that happening. Often it is the fear of doing something wrong, of making a mistake, of giving the referee a chance to award a penalty against us, that causes that particular disaster to occur. The mark of the very best players is that they have the mental toughness to overcome these moments of adversity. To accept that there are times when matters do not pan out as they hope, and having accepted them, move on without allowing their confidence to drop. Call it resilience, spirit, mental strength or whatever, without a doubt such a mindset is as crucial as having the skills to play at the level to which we aspire.

Chest Dugger (Author), Paul Wilson (Narrator)

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1312: Among the Ultras: A journey with the world’s most extreme fans

Brought to you by Penguin. You can see them, but you don't know them. Ultras are football fans like no others. A hugely visible and controversial part of the global game, their credo and aesthetic replicated in almost every league everywhere on earth, a global movement of extreme fandom and politics is also one of the largest youth movements in the world. Yet they remain unknown: an anti-establishment force that is transforming both football and politics. In this book, James Montague goes underground to uncover the true face of this dissident force for the first time. 1312: Among the Ultras tells the story of how the movement began and how it grew to become the global phenomenon that now dominates the stadiums from the Balkans and Buenos Aires. With unprecedented insider access, the book investigates how ultras have grown into a fiercely political movement, embracing extremes on both the left and right; fighting against the commercialisation of football and society – and against the attempts to control them by the authorities, who both covet and fear their power. © James Montague 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

James Montague (Author), James Montague (Narrator)

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