Sports Audiobooks | Biography & Memoir

The Yankee Way: The Untold Inside Story of the Brian Cashman Era

With rare access to the inner sanctum of the New York Yankees, SNY analyst Andy Martino weaves two years of exclusive interviews with general manager Brian Cashman into a revelatory account of never-before-told stories about Derek Jeter, Aaron Judge, Alex Rodriguez, the complex front office, team ownership, and insights into the World Series wins and day-to-day running of the team that fans never get to see. When Brian Cashman arrived in the Bronx as an intern in 1986, he discovered a team in chaos, run on impulse and emotion and lacking the sheen that had defined the Yankees in earlier eras. Decades later, Cashman had risen through the ranks of the front office, earned the trust of the Steinbrenner family, and become the longest-serving GM in the Yankees' storied history, helping to transform the Yankees to glory with a string of World Series championships and an unmatched streak of winning seasons. With unprecedented inside access and featuring exclusive interviews with Cashman, owner Hal Steinbrenner, top front-office executives, current Yankee stars and coaches, award-winning baseball journalist Andy Martino gives fans a view from the GM's seat that we would never normally see. From Cashman's battles with inscrutable team captain Derek Jeter, to tensions between Jeter and A-Rod, to Cashman's struggles with beloved manager Joe Torre. This book explores the management of egos on the field and in the front office, as well as the evolution of the manager position over generations and into the analytics era. Packed with drama and intrigue, this is the definitive inside account of the most intriguing and storied franchise in Major League Baseball.

Andy Martino (Author), Andy Martino, TBD (Narrator)

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Growing Wings: The inside story of Red Bull Racing

Brought to you by Penguin. Intrigue, high-stakes machinations and adrenaline-fuelled track action – Growing Wings is the never-before-told inside story of how the grid’s most fascinating, swagger-rich and win-at-all-costs team competed their way to total domination and disrupted Formula One’s world order. With exclusive access to Red Bull's inner sanctum, leading F1 writer Ben Hunt probes the operations of a world-beating Formula One team over its eventful twenty-year history, from the rivalries, turbulence and controversy, to the game-changing tech and the leadership strategies. He also talks to the drivers themselves, including Webber and Vettel, for a fascinating insight into the mindset of motorsport athletes through success, risk and challenge. Endorsed with a foreword by Team Principal Christian Horner, but maintaining journalistic independence, this is a thrilling, frank and unvarnished account of how the paddock's loudest upstarts achieved team alchemy with the promotion of a driver called Max Verstappen, and what it means to go, learn, go again, tweak, test, and ultimately outplay the competition in a way never before seen in Formula One. ©2024 Ben Hunt (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Ben Hunt (Author), Nigel Barden, TBD (Narrator)

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Coming Home

From the nine-time women's basketball icon and two-time Olympic gold medalist-a raw, revelatory account of her unfathomable detainment in Russia and her journey home. On February 17, 2022, Brittney Griner arrived in Moscow ready to spend the WNBA offseason playing for the Russian women's basketball team where she had been the centerpiece of previous championship seasons. Instead, a security checkpoint became her gateway to hell when she was arrested for mistakenly carrying under one gram of medically prescribed hash oil. Brittney's world was violently upended in a crisis she has never spoken in detail about publicly-until now. In Coming Home, Brittney finally shares the harrowing details of her sudden arrest days before Russia invaded Ukraine; her bewilderment and isolation while navigating a foreign legal system amid her trial and sentencing; her emotional and physical anguish as the first American woman ever to endure a Russian penal colony while the #WeAreBG movement rallied for her release; the chilling prisoner swap with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout; and her remarkable rise from hostage to global spokesperson on behalf of America's forgotten. In haunting and vivid detail, Brittney takes readers inside the horrors of a geopolitical nightmare spanning ten months. And yet Coming Home is more than Brittney's journey from captivity to freedom. In an account as gripping as it is poignant, she shares how her deep love for Cherelle, her college sweetheart and wife of six years, anchored her during their greatest storm; how her family's support pulled her back from the brink; and how hundreds of letters from friends and neighbors lent her resolve to keep fighting. Coming Home is both a story of survival and a testament to love-the bonds that brought Brittney home to her family, and at last, to herself.

Brittney Griner, Michelle Burford (Author), TBD (Narrator)

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My Mets Bible: Scoring 30 Years of Baseball Fandom

A love letter to New York Mets fandom—the triumphs, the heartbreak, and everything in between Childhood for Evan Roberts was defined by outings to the old Shea Stadium with his father, always with a scorebook in hand. What began as a gameday ritual replete with misspelled player names and scrawled symbols turned into an obsession with scoring every game he watched, one which persisted as Roberts rose through the ranks at WFAN. Taken together, those scorebooks form a living, breathing Mets diary spanning 30 years of thrilling—and, at times, tortured—fandom. My Baseball Bible is an exercise in memory and nostalgia, and a meditation on the things that stick with us as sports fans. With his personal scorecards as a guide, Roberts brings to life some of the most unforgettable moments in Mets lore, offering a fresh perspective on the highs and lows of being a die-hard fan. Meticulously kept history mixes with personal recollections and behind-the-scenes anecdotes covering touchstone events such as Johan Santana’s no-hitter, Robin Ventura’s grand slam “single”, and the loss that Roberts has never quite gotten over. By turns heartfelt and hilarious, Roberts delivers a thrilling and wholly unique journey through modern Mets history.

Evan Roberts (Author), Evan Roberts (Narrator)

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Our Fight

Brought to you by Penguin. From the moment she burst onto the UFC scene, Ronda Rousey was unbeatable. She repeatedly strung together back-to-back flawless victories, racking up a collection of records and forever changing the face of sports as the UFC’s first female champion. A superstar in her sport, she transcended athletics, appearing in blockbuster films and becoming a role model for women everywhere. Then, on November 15, 2015, it all came crashing down. In OUR FIGHT, Rousey explores the greatest challenge of her life and, ultimately, how she rebuilt her career into something better in the aftermath, including dominating WWE. She recounts how she replaced her pursuit of perfection with the pursuit of happiness and found a blessing in disguise amongst the wreckage. Following Rousey’s relatable journey, OUR FIGHT is a courageous narrative of career changes, marriage, motherhood, and facing your fears. © Ronda Rousey 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

Ronda Rousey (Author), Ronda Rousey, TBD (Narrator)

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A Life Impossible: Living with ALS: Finding Peace and Wisdom Within a Fragile Existence

From NFL player Steve Gleason, a powerful, inspiring memoir of love, heartbreak, resilience, family, and remarkable triumph in the face of ALS In 2011, three years after leaving the NFL, Steve Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, a terminal disease that takes away the ability to move, talk, and breathe. Doctors gave him three years to live. He was thirty-three years old. As Steve says, he is now ten years past his expiration date. His memoir is the chronicle of a remarkable life, one filled with optimism and joy, despite the trauma and pain and despair he has experienced. Writing using eye-tracking technology, Gleason covers his pre-ALS life through the highs and lows of his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints, where he made one of the most memorable plays in Saints history, leading to a victory in the first post-Katrina home game, uplifting the city, making him a hero, and reflected in a nine-foot bronze statue outside the Superdome. Then came his heartbreaking diagnosis. Gleason lost all muscle function, he now uses Stephen Hawking-like technology to communicate, and breathes with the help of a ventilator. This book captures Gleason and his wife Michel's unmatched resilience as they reinvent their lives, refuse to succumb to despair, and face his disease realistically and existentially. This unsparing portrait argues that a person's true strength does not reside solely in one's body but also in the ability to face unfathomable adversity and still be able to love and treasure life.

Jeff Duncan, Steve Gleason (Author), Daniel Cummings, TBD (Narrator)

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Gold from Iron: A Humble Beginning, Olympic Dreams, and the Power in Getting Back Up

A daring and improbable story of Olympic gold from blue-collar origins Every summer in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Nick Baumgartner went to work pouring concrete, taking on the harsh physical conditions of the construction trade to support his professional snowboarding dreams come winter. To limit travel time while he trained for the Olympics an hour and a half away from home, he lived out of a crusty, old construction van, parked anywhere he could find a spot. And in 2022, after seventeen years of failure—all the crashes, injuries, and personal setbacks—he won Olympic gold at forty years old, becoming the oldest Olympic snowboard medalist in history. In this candid and affable memoir, Baumgartner details his journey from a one-stoplight town to the podium in Beijing. Tales of crisscrossing the globe on the racing circuit and competing in four Olympic Games sit comfortably alongside Baumgartner’s reflections as a single parent and his affectionate portrayal of Iron River, Michigan, the community that raised him. More than just a sports story, Gold from Iron is a tale of massive dreams, constant sacrifice, and the lessons that can be learned racing down an ice-covered course on a carbon fiber board.

Nick Baumgartner (Author), Dan Bittner (Narrator)

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Heidi Across America: One Woman's Journey on a Bicycle through the Heartland

A memoir of homecoming – Heidi Across America is a gritty story of how opening our hearts to others enables us to open our hearts to ourselves and love what we find there. In the summer of 2010, Heidi Beierle had just finished her first year of graduate studies in community and regional planning and decided to pedal her bicycle solo from her home on the west coast across rural America to the Preserving the Historic Road conference in Washington, D.C. What started as a research trip turned into an intimately physical and psychological encounter with self and nationhood. Heidi was 35 at the time and didn’t love much about herself except her ability to endure grueling physical undertakings. She viewed her journey as an opportunity to fix her failures and insufficiencies. There were also some research questions she wanted to explore: Why do people live in small towns and what do they like about it? Did a bicyclist like herself bring economic benefit to the small towns she visited? What could communities do to support or invite cyclists to stay in their towns? What could cyclists do to support the communities? Along the way, she was surprised by the kindness of strangers and the emotional pinch of traveling through Wyoming where she grew up. Her journey led her through the Plains and into the Ozarks where the heat climbed to agonizing temperatures and every pedal stroke in the heat felt one closer to death. By the time she completed the trip, Heidi discovered a newfound compassion for herself and a growing love for her country. Strangers opened their hearts to her and in turn, she opened her heart to herself. And her questions began to change and mirror things many Americans are asking themselves today: How can I be okay in my own skin? What does it mean to be enough? How do I satisfy my desire to travel without harming the planet? What does it mean to love America? For many young people, it is a rite of passage to light out on an adventure to see the world and expose themselves to new experiences, but we don’t often talk about how Americans seeing America can open us to the diversity, awe, and wonder available right here in our nation. Heidi Across America offers a journey to self-love, empathy, consideration for others, and respect for the spirit of place as pathways to find connection and home.

Heidi Beierle (Author), Morgan Hallett (Narrator)

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All in Stride: A Journey in Running, Courage, and the Search for the American Dream

Professional distance runners Elvin Kibet and Shadrack Kipchirchir grew up in rural Kenyan villages. Though their lives began in poverty, both were driven to reach their full potential, to gain an education, and make a difference. And they would find their way to do just that through the high-pressure world of distance running. In All in Stride, Johanna Garton tells the gripping and inspiring stories of Elvin and Shadrack. Beginning with their upbringing in Kenya, Garton follows the runners through their journeys to the United States, their running for Division One universities, their blossoming romance as college students, and ultimately their service as U.S. soldiers and professional runners. Woven through the narrative is the story of Samantha Schultz, who also competed for the U.S. Army. Like Elvin and Shadrack, she struggled with several obstacles throughout her journey, including poor coaching, over training, and disordered eating, a condition that plagues so many young female athletes. More than just a running story, All in Stride takes listeners behind the scenes to explore the difficulties Elvin and Shadrack faced, including adjusting to an entirely new culture in the U.S., bigotry and intolerance, the stresses and joys of global competitions, the thrill of being a part of the race to break the two-hour marathon, joining the U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program, and discovering the ever-changing landscape of what it means to be an American.

Johanna Garton (Author), Adenrele Ojo (Narrator)

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Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball

A page-turning work of narrative nonfiction chronicling the incredible story of one of America's most iconic, charismatic, and still polarizing figures-baseball immortal Pete Rose-and an exquisite cultural history of baseball and America in the second half of the twentieth century Pete Rose is a legend. A baseball god. He compiled more hits than anyone in the history of baseball, a record he set decades ago, which still stands. At the same time, he was a working-class white guy from Cincinnati who made it; less talented than tough, and rough around the edges. He was everything that America wanted and needed him to be, the American dream personified, until he wasn't. In the 1980s Pete Rose came to be at the center of the biggest scandal in baseball history. Baseball no longer needed Pete Rose, and he was magnificently, publicly cast out for betting on baseball and lying about it. The revelations that followed ruined Pete, changed life in Cincinnati, and forever altered the game. Charlie Hustle tells the full story of one of America's most epic tragedies, the rise and fall of Pete Rose, one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Drawing on first-hand interviews with Pete himself, his associates, as well we on investigators, FBI and court records, archives, a mountain of press coverage, Keith O'Brien chronicles how Pete fell so far from being America's "great white hope." It is Rose as we've never seen before. This is no ordinary sport biography, but cultural history at its finest. What O'Brien shows is that while Pete Rose didn't change, America and baseball did. This is the story of that change.

Keith O'brien (Author), Ellen Adair, Keith O'brien, TBD (Narrator)

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Elevate and Dominate: 21 Ways to Win On and Off the Field

Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders is one of the greatest motivators and inspirational leaders of all time—on the field, in business, with family, and in his community. Now, he delivers the ultimate playbook of inspiring personal stories, winning strategies, and the motivation required to help us "elevate and dominate" in all aspects of our lives. A natural-born leader, Deion Sanders demands and expects the best from himself and from those around him, never settling for anything less. Whether it's dealing with intense pressure, using the competition to his advantage, or navigating personal challenges—both physical and emotional—Sanders has conquered it all by applying the hard-earned principles he's learned throughout his life and career. The twenty-one inspirational ways to win here are based on the motivational stories and experiences of Sanders's incredible life, including being raised by a single mother who sacrificed and worked nonstop to support her family, being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, earning his place as a head coach with a Division I football team, and being a dedicated father of five accomplished children. His inspirational messages reach far beyond the world of sports because they are based on deep faith, respect for himself and others, and an unflagging commitment to that which he believes in. They are designed to help anyone who is looking to improve the quality of their life, whether it be in business and leadership, relationships and partnership, or parenting and family. Through his unique and powerful lens, Coach Prime provides the direction, motivation, and action required for anyone to dominate and win at life.

Deion Sanders (Author), Deion Sanders (Narrator)

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[German] - Gegen den Wind - Mein Traum von den Weltmeeren (Ungekürzte Lesung)

Faszination Hochsee-Segeln: Sanni Beucke nimmt uns in ihrer Biografie mit auf die Weltmeere In ihrer abenteuerlichen Autobiografie erzählt Susann 'Sanni' Beucke, wie sie seit ihrer Kindheit ihren großen Traum verfolgt: als Seglerin an den Olympischen Spielen teilzunehmen. Dabei helfen ihr vor allem ihr Durchhaltevermögen, die Beharrlichkeit und ihr Glaube an sich selbst. Als Profisportlerin war die Teilnahme an den Olympischen Spielen ihr Lebensinhalt, aber der Weg dorthin war alles andere als einfach. 15 Jahre lang setzt die gebürtige Kielerin alles daran, das Ziel 'Olympia' zu erreichen. Zweimal scheitert sie unter tragischen Umständen in der Qualifikation. Doch sie lässt sich nicht von ihrem Ziel abbringen, und im dritten und letzten Anlauf klappt es schließlich - sie gewinnt eine Silbermedaille in Tokio. Allein auf dem weiten Ozean Sanni Beucke teilt ihre Liebe für das Meer und das unglaubliche Gefühl grenzenloser Freiheit beim Segeln. Nach ihrem Olympia-Triumph sucht sie eine neue Herausforderung: Als Hochseeseglerin will sie den Kampf mit den Elementen auf hoher See aufnehmen und setzt sich das Ziel, beim härtesten Segelrennen der Welt, der Vendeé Globe mitzusegeln. Beim Ocean Race 2023 startet sie als Mitglied im Team Holcim PRB in dieses Abenteuer und kann in Kapstadt sogar einen spektakulären Etappensieg feiern. Ihre Zukunft wird von der Faszination für die unendliche Weite des Ozeans bestimmt. Hier fühlt sie sich frei. This Race is Female Sanni Beuckes Autobiografie zeigt, dass es sich lohnt, seinen Träumen nachzugehen - auch wenn man auf dem Weg dorthin viele Rückschläge wegstecken und strukturelle Missstände überwinden muss. Segeln ist immer noch ein Sport, der vor allem von Männern dominiert wird. Sanni Beucke will das ändern und zeigt, dass Frauen auch aufs Meer gehören. Mit ihrem Hörbuch macht sie Frauen Mut, sich durchzusetzen und empowert sie. Ihr Hörbuch erzählt von Angst und Einsamkeit, aber vor allem von Euphorie und der unendlichen Leidenschaft für das Meer. Eine Hommage an das Abenteuer und die Freiheit und eine Ermutigung, groß zu träumen. Wer gerne Sport-Biografien hört, wird die Autobiografie von Sanni Beucke lieben.

Sanni Beucke (Author), Julia Dernbach (Narrator)

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Sports Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir