Sports Audiobooks | Biography & Memoir

The Wonder Boy: Luka Doncic and the Curse of Greatness

ESPN's Tim MacMahon examines the pressure of building around a prodigy in the NBA, through the prism of the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic. THE WONDER BOY chronicles Doncic's journey from the most hyped European teen prospect in basketball history to a generational NBA star -- and all the madness that ensues as the Mavericks attempt to avoid blowing the golden opportunity of having a young, perennial MVP candidate as the franchise centerpiece. The book digs behind the scenes of the drama and dysfunction in Dallas during the early years of Doncic's career, when owner Mark Cuban's front office focused as much on internal power struggles as actually improving the basketball team. And it covers the new regime's effort to earn Doncic's loyalty, which requires putting the ruthless competitor in position to win. Readers will learn never-before-reported details about the blockbuster deal for Kristaps Porzingis that blew up in the Mavs' faces, the divorces with coach Rick Carlisle and GM Donnie Nelson, the series of mistakes that led to Jalen Brunson leaving after a run to the Western Conference finals, the new pairing with mercurial Kyrie Irving, roster moves that could have been made and much more. As the clock ticks on the Mavs' search for a co-star, THE WONDER BOY dives into how the Mavericks have handled a dilemma every NBA team would love to have.

Tim Macmahon (Author), Charles Constant, TBD, Tim MacMahon (Narrator)

Audiobook

Lewis Hamilton: Still I Rise: The Complete Story

Jonathan Mcevoy (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Whitney Straight: The Authorized Biography of the Race Car Driver, War Hero, and Industrialist

A gripping tale of speed, heroism, romance, determination, and tragedy Born in New York with a silver spoon in his mouth, Whitney Straight became a naturalized Briton who earned his living. He turned down Churchill’s proposal of a career in politics to become CEO of BOAC, transforming it from a sales vehicle for outmoded aircraft into a national airline to be proud of. At Rolls-Royce, he railed against a company dominated by engineers who made poor businessmen, and after the national tragedy of the great company going bust, played a fundamental role in the splitting of the auto and aero businesses still seen today. An incurable romantic, he could never imagine being married to anyone other than his wife, yet he had numerous mistresses and countless girlfriends. Paul Kenny has been granted unfettered access to Straight’s diaries, photograph albums, and has scoured archives on both sides of the Atlantic, leaving no stone unturned in pursuit of the first full story of one of the twentieth century’s greatest mavericks.

Paul Kenny (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Biggar Picture: My Life in Rugby

'When I reflect on it all, I can say without any doubt that I gave it everything.' Dan Biggar has never fitted the mould. Throughout his long and decorated career, he has had to confront the critics, to silence the cynics. His playing style has been described as brash, aggressive and forthright, and it has earned him a reputation he has never been able to shake. But to anyone who knows him off the pitch, he is one of the most grounded ambassadors the game could ask for. Honest and self-critical, The Biggar Picture sheds some light on this contradiction, and for the first time, Dan offers a rare insight into his personal and professional life. He talks candidly of his place within rugby, from the Premiership through to the Lions, and of the power dynamics found within Wales' most historically successful squad. He also opens the changing room doors on some of rugby's most compelling episodes and explores his relationships with past team mates, coaches and managers, from Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards to Alun Wyn Jones and Wayne Pivac. The Biggar Picture looks back over Dan's fifteen years at the very pinnacle of test rugby and in turn creates a portrait of a man who has taken in the joy, the graft and despair to become one of the sport's most compelling figures - and Wales' most capped fly-half.

Dan Biggar (Author), Dan Biggar (Narrator)

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Tiger, Tiger

Brought to you by Penguin. How did Tiger Woods become the greatest of all time? And how did he fall so spectacularly? Tiger Woods is unrivalled as an athlete. He made the ultimate commitment to his chosen sport - and transformed it. Before the age of twenty-five, he rose to phenomenon status: twice named 'Sportsman of the Year' by Sports Illustrated, champion of more than thirty professional tournaments and the youngest player to win all four Grand Slam tournaments. Tiger, Tiger taps into the transformative moments of Woods's life, revealing in vivid, dramatic scenes what he saw and felt on the course and in his inner life - from his only 'perfect' shot to his missed first putt at the 1995 Masters through his recent comeback tours. Through a compelling series of original interviews, passionate golfer James Patterson and golf reporter Peter de Jonge get inside the impossible mystery of a global star. PRAISE FOR JAMES PATTERSON 'Patterson knows where our deepest fears are buried... there's no stopping his imagination' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW 'A writer with an unusual skill at thriller plotting' GUARDIAN 'The master storyteller of our times' HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON ©2023 James Patterson (P)2023 Penguin Audio

James Patterson (Author), Landon Woodson, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Beautiful Dream: A Memoir

Out of the Toronto suburb of Brampton comes an irresistible story of trials, perseverance, the limelight of international soccer, and-above all-heart. Despite debuting on Canada's senior national soccer team 20 years ago, scarce is known of Atiba Hutchinson. We've watched him win Canadian Men's Player of the Year six times; celebrated his club team championships; and mourned his injuries. We've lamented the state of Canadian soccer and cursed the lost potential-and years. Yet, we know little about Atiba's personal life, or how he rose from suburban (and not soccer-crazy) Brampton to becoming Canada's most-capped national men's team player, often described as the country's greatest athlete you haven't heard about. For the first time, Atiba is ready to share the extraordinary story of his ascent to the heights of professional soccer, nationally and internationally, and what he believes makes a true champion. The Beautiful Dream is an intimate account of Atiba's awe-inspiring career, from his humble beginnings to playing across Europe; the crushing disappointment of failing national team competitions in the 2010s that nearly lead to his resignation from the national program; all the way to his triumphant arrival in Qatar to face off against 31 other nations at the world's most pre-eminent soccer competition. He has strived to better not only his own game but the landscape of Canadian soccer for over two decades, culminating in Canada's first trip to the FIFA World Cup since 1986. Yet, as the reflective midfielder shows, this isn't just his story: The Beautiful Dream is the story of countless Canadians, who strive and scrape for a seemingly unreachable dream-until their fingertips finally graze the surface. It's a lesson about the unyielding belief required when taking the long road to success. Atiba's journey mirrors the progression of Canadian soccer, and the story of Canada itself: dreams that may begin as outsized but as we work towards them, our world changes with us. Atiba's journey of hope, belief, and resilience connects the country's modest soccer past to a bold, exciting future in the game. It's a story that transcends the pitch, exploring what it means to be a kid who dares to dream of achieving the impossible, and the man who perseveres to get there.

Atiba Hutchinson (Author), Odario Williams, TBD (Narrator)

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Out of the Darkness: The Magic and Mystery of Aaron Rodgers

Four-time New York Times bestselling sportswriter Ian O’Connor takes on four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, delivering the definitive biography of the legendary yet mysterious quarterback who has astonished, befuddled, yet always captivated fans of America’s #1 sport. Aaron Rodgers is regarded by some as the most talented player to ever hold the most important job in American team sports—quarterback. He also stands among the most mysterious and polarizing figures in the modern-day national pastime that is pro football. From his controversial Covid stance to his methods of spiritual awakening to his estrangement from his family to his high-profile romances to his devastating Achilles injury a mere four plays into his New York Jets career, Rodgers has long dominated the NFL’s news cycle. At thirty-nine, in search of a challenge that would rejuvenate him, Rodgers divorced the iconic Green Bay Packers of Vince Lombardi fame for the Jets, who haven’t appeared in a Super Bowl since Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. The trade made Rodgers the biggest story in the biggest league in the biggest market. By far. That story only got bigger when Rodgers shockingly went down on the night of 9/11, in front of a packed house that roared for him when he took the field carrying an American flag, and in front of the biggest Monday Night Football audience in ESPN history—peaking at more than 25 million viewers. As Rodgers launches his comeback and his bid to lead the Jets to a championship, acclaimed sports biographer Ian O’Connor uses hundreds of original interviews to pull back the curtain and answer the most penetrating questions about perhaps the country’s most famous and most enigmatic athlete. Just like he did in his previous works on Bill Belichick, Mike Krzyzewski, Derek Jeter, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, O’Connor reveals all sides of an all-time great and delivers a portrait of a complex man and four-time NFL MVP that will forever shape the way football fans view him.

Ian O'connor (Author), Charles Constant, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Price: What it Takes to Win in College Football’s Era of Chaos

Armen Keteyian, John Talty (Author), TBD, Will Damron (Narrator)

Audiobook

Playing Ball: Life Lessons from My Journey to the Super Bowl and Beyond

NFL football star Vernon Davis delves into his astonishing career, from winning Super Bowl 50 in 2016 with the Denver Broncos to reinventing himself as an actor and producer, and recalls the hard-won lessons—including that infamous press conference—that paved his path to success. In October 2008, after a San Francisco loss to Seattle, Vernon Davis was put on blast by Coach Mike Singletary in a fiery speech criticizing his “me-myself-and-I attitude”. It proved to be the turning point in Davis’s career, and the inspiration for him to change his mindset, his playing, and his life. At the time, Davis was a young, talented player who had been drafted by the 49ers in 2006 at number six, one of the highest draft positions for a tight end in NFL history. He played ten years for the team, which included a 2013 Super Bowl loss to the Baltimore Ravens in a 34-31 heartbreaker, where he recorded six catches for 104 yards. Winning a Super Bowl in 2016 with Peyton Manning, Davis landed a crucial downfield block and sprung teammate C.L. Anderson for a key 34-yard run that helped the Broncos defeat the Carolina Panthers 24-10. Davis retired in 2019 after a final four years playing pro for his hometown team in Washington. He’s now deeply involved in his new passion: acting and producing feature films. Here he rewinds the tape to reflect on his career and competitive spirit—and the insights about teamwork, leadership, and responsibility that came in the aftermath of Coach Singletary’s press conference, spurring him to transform his life for the better. Weaving personal reflections with frank, real-world advice, Playing Ball is not just one athlete’s memoir but an eye-opening exploration of what winning—on the field and beyond—really means.

Vernon Davis (Author), TBD, Vernon Davis (Narrator)

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Drop In: The Gender Rebels Who Changed the Face of Skateboarding

A bad*ss story of the female, queer, bi, and nonbinary skaters who charted a path to the Olympics and changed the face of skateboarding. Who gets to tell the story of skateboarding? Drop In is the first book to recognize and historicize the female, queer, bi, and nonbinary humans who blazed the path that led to today’s more equitable skate culture. It wasn’t easy getting here. Like the rest of the world, skateboarding has long been patriarchal. In the 70s, it personified the punk rock, lock-up-your-daughters, middle-finger-to-the-man ethos. In the 80s, it was Miami Vice soundtracks and parachute pants, neon graphics and fingerless gloves. In the 90s it was New York City—graffiti, hip-hop, and skating in the street. Rarely did you see a woman’s name in a skate video—either on a deck or behind the lens. The four skateboarders at the heart of Drop In defied expectations of gender, talent, physical ability, and mental capacity to fight the status quo: Alana as the first openly nonbinary athlete in Olympic history; Vanessa as a trailblazing runaway, dominating contests while drinking to excess; Marbie as an accidental boundary-breaking trans icon; and Victoria as the skate rookie turned social media sensation. Drop In spotlights their paths from rebellious outsiders to recognized pioneers on the historic stage of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where skateboarding made its historic debut. Their experiences reveal a side of skateboarding that’s never been recorded, amplifying voices that have, for too long, gone unheard.

Deborah Stoll (Author), Daru Oda, Deborah Stoll, Tbd (Narrator)

Audiobook

Wimbledon: A personal history

Sue Barker (Author), Sue Barker, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Racket: On Tour with Tennis’s Golden Generation – and the other 99%

Brought to you by Penguin. When Conor Niland was 16, he got the chance to hit with Serena Williams at Nick Bollettieri's famed tennis academy. Conor, the Irish junior number one, was feeling a bit homesick. Serena, also 16, already owned her own house beside the academy. Conor Niland knows what it's like when Roger Federer walks into the dressing room ('Ciao, bonjour, hello!'), and he has had the exquisitely terrible experience of facing Novak Djokovic in the world's biggest tennis stadium - while suffering from food poisoning. But he never reached the very top. The Racket is the story of pro tennis's 99%: the players who roam the globe in hope of climbing the rankings and squeaking into the Grand Slam tournaments. It brings us into a world where a few dozen super-rich players - travelling with coaches and physios - share a stage with lonely touring pros whose earnings barely cover their expenses. Painting a vivid picture of the social dynamics on tour, the economics of the game, and the shadows cast by gambling and doping, The Racket is a witty and revealing underdog's memoir and a unique look inside a fascinating hidden world. ©2024 Conor Niland (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Conor Niland (Author), Conor Niland, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Sports Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir