Sports & Recreation Audiobooks

La industria del deporte es un negocio que mueve una cantidad ingente de dinero y llegar a lo más alto en este mundo futbolístico es un triunfo extraordinario. Y el Real Madrid lo ha conseguido, con el mérito añadido de haber pasado de estar al borde de la bancarrota en la década de los noventa a convertirse, en la actualidad, en el club más rentable del planeta. Gracias a dos años de investigación sin precedentes en los archivos del Real Madrid y a más de cien horas de entrevistas con el personal de la entidad deportiva, el profesor Mandis nos revela las claves de la fascinante gestión del club en los últimos años. Lo que convierte al Real Madrid en un modelo económico-deportivo sostenible es que toda su estrategia, dentro y fuera del campo, se basa en una cultura y un sistema de valores que emana de la comunidad de aficionados. Toda acción tiene como objetivo satisfacer el deseo de sus seguidores y reforzar la identidad de la afición. Y es que la pasión y lealtad de sus hinchas garantiza una extraordinaria rentabilidad comercial. La fórmula Real Madrid explora como el club blanco ha creado un modelo que conlleva tanto el éxito en el campo financiero como en el deportivo. Riguroso en su análisis, Mandis aporta una gran cantidad de datos desconocidos para el gran público y nos acerca a las personalidades responsables de este gran logro organizativo y empresarial. Grabado en español ibérico (España).

Steven G. Mandis (Author), Juanma Martínez (Narrator)

Audiobook

One More Croissant for the Road

'Joyful, life-affirming, greedy. I loved it' - DIANA HENRY 'Whether you are an avid cyclist, a Francophile, a greedy gut, or simply an appreciator of impeccable writing - this book will get you hooked' - YOTAM OTTOLENGHI The nation's 'taster in chief' cycles 2,300 km across France in search of the definitive versions of classic French dishes. A green bike drunkenly weaves its way up a cratered hill in the late-morning sun, the gears grinding painfully, like a pepper mill running on empty. The rider crouched on top in a rictus of pain has slowed to a gravity-defying crawl when, from somewhere nearby, the whine of a nasal engine breaks through her ragged breathing. A battered van appears behind her, the customary cigarette dangling from its driver's-side window... as he passes, she casually reaches down for some water, smiling broadly in the manner of someone having almost too much fun. 'No sweat,' she says jauntily to his retreating exhaust pipe. 'Pas de problème, monsieur.' A land of glorious landscapes, and even more glorious food, France is a place built for cycling and for eating, too - a country large enough to give any journey an epic quality, but with a bakery on every corner. Here, you can go from beach to mountain, Atlantic to Mediterranean, polder to Pyrenees, and taste the difference every time you stop for lunch. If you make it to lunch, that is... Part travelogue, part food memoir, all love letter to France, One More Croissant for the Road follows 'the nation's taster in chief' Felicity Cloake's very own Tour de France, cycling 2,300km across France in search of culinary perfection; from Tarte Tatin to Cassoulet via Poule au Pot, and Tartiflette. Each of the 21 'stages' concludes with Felicity putting this new found knowledge to good use in a fresh and definitive recipe for each dish - the culmination of her rigorous and thorough investigative work on behalf of all of our taste buds.

Felicity Cloake (Author), Felicity Cloake (Narrator)

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When the Crowd Stops Roaring: The inspirational memoir of an extraordinary All Black

ENTERTAINING AND REVEALING In this frank and inspiring memoir, Neven talks about his early life, and his extraordinary success as a rugby player. A lock and number eight, Neven represented Wellington at a provincial level, before achieving the ultimate in New Zealand rugby-wearing the revered All Black jersey. His contemporaries included Tiny White, Don Clarke, Wilson Whineray, Kelvin Tremain, Colin Meads and Ian Clarke. But this is not just a memoir of rugby achievements; Neven talks frankly about the difficulties in his life 'when the crowd stops roaring' and the reality away from the rugby field. There are immense challenges, including being charged by New Zealand Police for theft, a suicide attempt, and his battle with alcoholism. But there is also hope, triumph and new beginnings in this candid memoir, with Neven going on to give back and help numerous others who have lost their way. PRAISE FOR WHEN THE CROWD STOPS ROARING " For a start he was so big! He towered over most of his teammates and opponents and as each game and season unfolded he expanded his talent into that of a true international rugby player." ~KEITH QUINN

Neven Macewan (Author), Ian A. Miller (Narrator)

Audiobook

Goles son historias. El cruel destino

Un gol es mucho más que el hecho de que una pelota cruce la línea del arco rival. Es el clímax de un verdadero juego de pasiones, que puede llevar a un hincha hasta el cielo o a un verdadero infierno. Como dice el escritor Joaquín Barañao, 'los fanáticos del tenis pueden celebrar unas 30 veces por set. Los incondicionales del básquetbol de la NBA, 55 por partido. Las hinchadas del último mundial de rugby, 7,3 por encuentro. Pero los feligreses de Wembley o del Maracaná solo pueden liberar sus gritos contenidos 1,3 ocasiones por match. Exiguas 1,3 exaltaciones por cada noventa minutos de dientes apretados y uñas desgastadas. La escasez vuelve al gol la gema suprema de la experiencia deportiva, el diamante esquivo, la cúspide de las epopeyas de los tiempos de paz'. Por eso, el libro Goles son historias de Juan Moya y Sebastián Ubilla repasa las grandes joyitas del fútbol internacional, recordando 60 goles realmente memorables de la historia, y también 18 goles que no fueron, haciendo relucir los mejores momentos del balompié chileno y mundial, ideal para quienes vibran, gritan, sueñan, sienten y viven el fútbol.

Juan Moya, Sebastian Ubilla (Author), Leandro Dugatkin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Walk-On Warrior: Drive, Discipline, and the Will to Win

A season at Marquette. A summer with Rick Majerus. An inspiring quest to stay connected to the game. Small town. Undersized. Not enough talent. John Willkom heard it all as a young basketball player growing up in rural Wisconsin. Despite the odds, John dedicated his life to the game, an arduous journey that challenged the very core of even the most disciplined. As John's hard work lands him amongst basketball's elite, it is the workouts, the people, and the behind-the-scenes interactions that not only change his skill set but how he lives his life. Both heartfelt and funny, Walk-On Warrior takes you into the mind of an athlete from John's perspective. Take a journey that will reignite your passion for life, challenge your perspectives on toughness and fear, and ultimately, inspire you to maximize your talent.

John Willkom (Author), Cameron Sharp (Narrator)

Audiobook

White Fang and the Golden Bear: A Father and Son Journey on the Golf Course and Beyond

Augusta National is golf’s Holy Grail. Navigating the azaleas to play the exclusive course that hosts The Masters is a pipe dream for every golfer. Imagine being afforded the opportunity not only to play the course, but to be able to bring your father along for the ride. To complete the priceless fantasy, Jack Nicklaus—“The Golden Bear”—hosts the round. Through fate, coincidence and good fortune, Joe Wessel managed to find a way to make that happen. In White Fang and The Golden Bear, Wessel recounts that special round, how it came about, and what happened on the pristine grounds of Augusta National. With the help of veteran sportswriter Bill Chastain, Wessel's memoir offers the touching story of how the game of golf helped in the development of a special father-son bond and how that relationship grew first throughout Wessel’s childhood, then during his tenure as a football player-turned-coach, and finally once he was a dad himself. This book offers the perfect father-son story for any sports aficionado!

Joe Wessel (Author), Patrick Lawlor (Narrator)

Audiobook

Chumps to Champs: How the Worst Teams in Yankees History Led to the '90s Dynasty

The untold story of the time when the New York Yankees were a laughingstock-and how out of that abyss emerged the modern Yankees dynasty, one of the greatest in all of sports The New York Yankees have won twenty-seven world championships and forty American League pennants, both world records. They have twenty-six members in the Hall of Fame. Their pinstripe swag is a symbol of 'making it' worn across the globe. Yet some twenty-five years ago, from 1989 to 1992, the Yankees were a pitiful team at the bottom of the standings, sitting on a fourteen-year World Series drought and a 35 percent drop in attendance. To make the statistics worse, their mercurial, bombastic owner was banned from baseball. But out of these ashes emerged the modern Yankees dynasty, a juggernaut built on the sly, a brilliant mix of personalities, talent, and ambition. In Chumps to Champs, Pennington reveals a grand tale of revival. Listeners encounter larger-than-life characters like George Steinbrenner and unexplored figures like award-winning manager Buck Showalter, Don Mattingly, and the crafty architect of it all-general manager Gene Michael, who assembled the team's future stars-Rivera, Jeter, Williams, O'Neill, and Pettitte. Drawing on unique access, Pennington tells a wild and raucous tale.

Bill Pennington (Author), Christian Baskous (Narrator)

Audiobook

Aloha Rodeo: Three Hawaiian Cowboys, the World's Greatest Rodeo, and a Hidden History of the America

In August 1908, three unknown riders arrived in Cheyenne, Wyoming, their hats adorned with wildflowers, to compete in the world’s greatest rodeo. Steer-roping virtuoso Ikua Purdy and his cousins Jack Low and Archie Ka’au’a had travelled 4,200 miles from Hawaii, of all places, to test themselves against the toughest riders in the West. Dismissed by whites, who considered themselves the only true cowboys, the native Hawaiians would astonish the country, returning home champions—and American legends. An unforgettable human drama set against the rough-knuckled frontier, David Wolman and Julian Smith’s Aloha Rodeo unspools the fascinating and little-known true story of the Hawaiian cowboys, or paniolo, whose 1908 adventure upended the conventional history of the American West. What few understood when the three paniolo rode into Cheyenne is that the Hawaiians were no underdogs. They were the product of a deeply engrained cattle culture that was twice as old as that of the Great Plains, for Hawaiians had been chasing cattle over the islands’ rugged volcanic slopes and through thick tropical forests since the late 1700s. Tracing the life story of Purdy and his cousins, Wolman and Smith delve into the dual histories of ranching and cowboys in the islands, and the meteoric rise and sudden fall of Cheyenne, “Holy City of the Cow.” At the turn of the twentieth century, larger-than-life personalities like “Buffalo Bill” Cody and Theodore Roosevelt capitalized on a national obsession with the Wild West and helped transform Cheyenne’s annual Frontier Days celebration into an unparalleled rodeo spectacle, the “Daddy of ‘em All.” The hopes of all Hawaii rode on the three riders’ shoulders during those dusty days in August 1908. The U.S. had forcibly annexed the islands just a decade earlier. The young Hawaiians brought the pride of a people struggling to preserve their cultural identity and anxious about their future under the rule of overlords an ocean away. In Cheyenne, they didn’t just astound the locals; they also overturned simplistic thinking about cattle country, the binary narrative of “cowboys versus Indians,” and the very concept of the Wild West. Blending sport and history, while exploring questions of identity, imperialism, and race, Aloha Rodeo spotlights an overlooked and riveting chapter in the saga of the American West.

David Wolman, Julian Smith (Author), Kaleo Griffith (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Secret Cyclist: Real Life as a Rider in the Professional Peloton

Penguin Presents the audio edition of The Secret Cyclist by The Secret Cyclist, read by Ben Eagle. Who is The Secret Cyclist and why all the secrecy? 'Every public aspect of our lives is so tightly controlled that being truly honest is all but impossible in a newspaper interview, never mind a whole book. You try write a warts-and-all blog about your office. Question how the business is run, make sure you remember to call your boss a moron, and then tell me how it goes.' He's ridden for World Tour teams for ten years. He's achieved top ten finishes in Grand Tours. He likes coffee. These are just a few details about the professional rider who wants you to know what the view looks like from the centre of the peloton. What do the riders really make of Team Sky? How does the pay structure work? Why should you never trust a kit endorsement from a professional? Is doping still an issue? The Secret Cyclist tackles the big questions head-on, revealing a side to cycling that fans have never seen before.

The Secret Cyclist (Author), Ben Eagle (Narrator)

Audiobook

Zonal Marking: The Making of Modern European Football

An insightful, comprehensive and always entertaining appreciation of how European football has developed over the last three decades by the author of the much heralded The Mixer. Continental football has always cast a spell over the imagination. From the attacking flair of Real Madrid of the 50s to the defensive brilliance of the Italians in the 60s and onto the total football of the Dutch in the 70s, the European leagues have been where the game has most evolved and taken its biggest steps forward. And over the last three decades, since the rebranding of the Champions League in 1992, that pattern has continued unabated, with each major European footballing nation playing its part in how the game's tactics have developed. From the intelligent use of space displayed by the phenomenal Ajax team of the early 90s, to the dominance of the highly strategic Italian league in the late 90s and onto the technical wizardry of Barcelona's tiki-taka, the European game continues to reinvent the tactical dimension of the game, creating blueprints which both club and national teams around the world strive to follow. In Zonal Marking, Michael Cox brilliantly investigates and analyses the major leagues around Europe over specific time periods and demonstrates the impact each has made on how the game is now played. Highly entertaining and packed full of wonderful anecdotes, this is the first book of its kind to take an overview of modern European football, and lays bare just how much the international language of football can be shaped by a nation's unique identity.

Michael Cox (Author), Colin Mace (Narrator)

Audiobook

My Midsummer Morning: Rediscovering a Life of Adventure

Seasoned adventurer Alastair Humphreys pushes himself to his very limits - busking his way across Spain with a violin he can barely play. In 1935 a young Englishman named Laurie Lee arrived in Spain. He had never been overseas; had hardly even left the quiet village he grew up in. His idea was to walk through the country, earning money for food by playing his violin in bars and plazas. Nearly a century later, the book Laurie Lee wrote - As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning - inspired Alastair Humphreys. It made him fall in love with Spain - the landscapes and the spirit - and with Laurie's style of travel. He travelled slow, lived simply, slept on hilltops, relished spontaneity, and loved conversations with the different people he met along the hot and dusty road. For 15 years, Alastair dreamed of retracing Laurie Lee's footsteps, but could never get past the hurdle of being distinctly unmusical. This year, he decided to go anyway. The journey was his most terrifying yet, risking failure and humiliation every day, and finding himself truly vulnerable to the rhythms of the road and of his own life. But along the way, he found humility, redemption and triumph. It was a very good adventure.

Alastair Humphreys (Author), Alastair Humphreys (Narrator)

Audiobook

Around the World in 80 Days: My World Record Breaking Adventure

Penguin presents the audio edition of Around the World in 80 Days, written and read by Mark Beaumont. The inspiring story of one man's record-breaking cycle around the world. On Monday 18th September 2017, Mark Beaumont pedalled through the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. 78 days, 14 hours and 40 minutes earlier he set off from the same point, beginning his attempt to circumnavigate the world in record time. Covering more than 18,000 miles and cycling through some of the harshest conditions one man and his bicycle can endure, Mark made history. He smashed two Guinness World Records and beat the previous record by an astonishing 45 days. Around the World in 80 Days is the story of Mark's amazing achievement - one which redefines the limits of human endurance. It is also an insight into the mind of an elite athlete and the physical limits of the human body, as well as a kaleidoscopic tour of the world from a very unique perspective; inspired by Jules Verne's classic adventure novel, Mark begins his journey in Paris and cycles through Europe, Russia, Mongolia and China. He then crosses Australia, rides up through New Zealand and across North America before the final 'sprint finish' thorough Portugal, Spain and France, all at over 200 miles a day. This is the story of a quite remarkable adventure, by a quite remarkable man.

Mark Beaumont (Author), Mark Beaumont (Narrator)

Audiobook