Sports Audiobooks | Biography & Memoir

Frankie Dettori is a unique character in modern-day Britain: a millionaire champion jockey irresistible to the punters; a charismatic personality with an easy charm and immaculate dress sense that make him an instant favourite on TV chat shows; and a celebrity with a fascinating life story encompassing drama, passion, death and deliverance.In his own words, Frankie Dettori charts his rise from stable lad to champion jockey, revealing the endless hours of hard work, the fun along the way, and his determination to succeed against the odds.His book relives his nine Classic winners in the UK and features his notable victories at the St Leger, The Breeder's Cup Mile, the Arc de Triomphe, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and, memorably, his seven winners on the same card at Ascot in 1996. We also discover the secrets of his successful partnerships with trainers like Luca Cumani and John Gosden, and owners such as Sheikh Mohammed of the Goldolphin organisation.This is also a human interest story. Frankie talks openly about using drugs to keep his weight down, his celebrity role as team captain on 'A Question of Sport', his rich and varied lifestyle outside of racing, and of the moment when he almost lost his life following a plane crash.Controversial, informative and hugely entertaining, Frankie Dettori's life story will appeal to the millions of people who follow the sport as well as those intrigued to know more about one of the greatest talents that horse-racing has ever seen.

Frankie Dettori (Author), Andrew Sachs (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Walk Through The Dark: How My Husband's 90 Minutes in Heaven Deepened My Faith for a Lifetime

One day Eva Piper was an elementary school teacher, the mother of three, the beloved wife of a strong, protective husband. The next day she stood at the bedside of a broken man who could do nothing but moan in agony and turn his head away from her. Later she would learn that he had died and actually experienced heaven before being prayed back to life—a true miracle. Don Piper’s testimony, told in the New York Times bestseller 90 Minutes in Heaven, would one day bring hope to thousands. But all that was in the future. Despite family and friends who kept vigil with her, Eva Piper found herself essentially alone. Walking in the dark. And she had always hated the dark. Though it parallels that of her husband, Eva Piper’s account is quite different from his. It takes readers not to heavenly places but through a very earthly maze of hospital corridors, insurance forms, tiring commutes from home to workplace and hospital, and lonely hours of waiting and worrying. This is the story of a woman learning, step by darkened step, to go places she never thought she could go and growing into a person she never thought she could be. Packed with hard-earned wisdom about what it means to be a caregiver, to open yourself to the care of others, and to rest in God’s provision, this book provides a dependable source of light to help you walk through the dark.

Cecil Murphey, Eva Piper (Author), Eva Piper (Narrator)

Audiobook

Kelly Holmes In Her Own Words

Dame Kelly Holmes won two gold medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in the 800 and 1500 metres. In this collection we hear - in her own words - about her determination and goals, as well as her difficult childhood. She talks about starting athletics when she was 13, driving lorries in the army and becoming an army fitness instructor. She discusses her intensive training - and injury - finally achieving her Olympic dream in Athens, and her homecoming parade back in the UK. She's also open about illness, losing confidence and self-harming, as well as new goals after athletics, such as focusing on fitness in schools, mentoring and writing a self-help book. Interviews include: Sport on Four, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 16 September 1995); Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 6 January 2006); Graham Norton, BBC Radio 2 (first broadcast 15 January 2011). Due to the age and nature of this archive material, the sound quality may vary. ©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Kelly Holmes (Author), Kelly Holmes (Narrator)

Audiobook

Cricket: A Modern Anthology

Jonathan "Aggers" Agnew, England's voice of cricket, showcases some of the very best writings on the noble game, from the 1930s to the present day.In this wide-ranging and beautifully-produced anthology, Test Match Special's Jonathan 'Aggers' Agnew, chooses a wide variety of writings on the sport that has consumed his life, from the 1932/33 Ashes (Bodyline) series right up to the present day. In a series of carefully considered, thematically organised reflections, he examines the importance of their contribution to our understanding and appreciation of cricket. With input from several eminent cricketing historians, including the librarian at Lord's, the book contains a fascinating range of material, from renowned classics to books that have hardly seen the light of day in the United Kingdom (e.g. The Hanse Cronje Story by Garth King); from overseas fiction to modern day autobiographies (Marcus Trescothick, Simon Hughes, Mike Brearley etc.) that have attained classic status. With 75 seminal cricket images, original line drawings and a comprehensive index, this book is a must-have for any self-respecting cricket fan.

Jonathan Agnew (Author), Nick Taylor (Narrator)

Audiobook

Doc

A brutally honest memoir of talent, addiction, and recovery from one of the greatest baseball pitchers of all time. As a shy nineteen-year-old, Dwight Gooden swept into New York, lifting a team of crazy characters to World Series greatness and giving a beleaguered city a reason to believe. Then he threw it all away. Now, with fresh and sober eyes, the Mets' beloved Dr. K shares the intimate details of his life and career, revealing all the extraordinary highs and lows: The hidden traumas in his close-knit Tampa family. The thrill and pressure of being a young baseball phenom in New York. The raucous days and nights with the Mets' bad boys (and the real reason he missed the 1986 World Series victory parade). The self-destructive drug binges and the three World Series rings. His heartbreaking attempts at getting sober, the senseless damage to family and friends, and the unexpected way he finally saved his life - on VH1's Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. In Doc, Gooden details his close friendships with many of baseball's greats: Pete Rose, George Steinbrenner, Joe Torre, and nephew Gary Sheffield. For the first time ever, he reveals the full story of his troubled relationship with fellow Mets superstar Darryl Strawberry. And he tells the moving story of the Yankees no-hitter he pitched for his dying father. Doc is a riveting baseball memoir by one of the game's most fascinating figures and an inspiring story for anyone who has faced tough challenges in life.

Dwight Gooden (Author), J. D. Jackson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Hanging in There

The Red Bull X-Alps is the world's most extreme race. With only a paraglider and a pair of hiking boots athletes attempt to cross the Alps from Salzburg in Austria to Monaco. In this book, British athlete Jon Chambers brings you even closer to the action and reveals his personal story of his 2011 race. In doing so he reveals the harsh reality of what it takes to compete in this uniquely demanding challenge: the physical and mental hardship, equipment, extreme conditions, strategic thinking and lucky escapes.

Jon R. Chambers (Author), Jon R. Chambers, Ollie Gallant (Narrator)

Audiobook

Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success

During his storied career as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson won more championships than any coach in the history of professional sports. Even more important, he succeeded in never wavering from coaching his way, from a place of deep values. Jackson was tagged as the Zen master half in jest by sportswriters, but the nickname speaks to an important truth: this is a coach who inspired, not goaded; who led by awakening and challenging the better angels of his players' nature, not their egos, fear, or greed. This is the story of a preacher's kid from North Dakota who grew up to be one of the most innovative leaders of our time. In his quest to reinvent himself, Jackson explored everything from humanistic psychology and Native American philosophy to Zen meditation. In the process, he developed a new approach to leadership based on freedom, authenticity, and selfless teamwork that turned the hypercompetitive world of professional sports on its head. In Eleven Rings, Jackson candidly describes how he: Learned the secrets of mindfulness and team chemistry while playing for the champion New York Knicks in the 1970s Managed Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the world, and got him to embrace selflessness, even if it meant losing a scoring title Forged successful teams out of players of varying abilities by getting them to trust one another and perform in sync Inspired Dennis Rodman and other uncoachable personalities to devote themselves to something larger than themselves Transformed Kobe Bryant from a rebellious teenager into a mature leader of a championship team. Eleven times, Jackson led his teams to the ultimate goal: the NBA championshipsix times with the Chicago Bulls and five times with the Los Angeles Lakers. We all know the legendary stars on those teams, or think we do. What Eleven Rings shows us, however, is that when it comes to the most important lessons, we don't know very much at all. This book is full of revelations: about fascinating personalities and their drive to win; about the wellsprings of motivation and competition at the highest levels; and about what it takes to bring out the best in ourselves and others. From the Compact Disc edition.

Hugh Delehanty, Phil Jackson (Author), Matt Walton (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Outsider: A Memoir

Jimmy Connors is a working-man's hero, a people's champion who could tear the cover off a tennis ball, just as he tore the cover off the country-club gentility of his sport. A renegade from the wrong side of the tracks, Connors broke the rules with a radically aggressive style of play and bad-boy antics that turned his matches into prizefights. In 1974 alone, he won 95 out of 99 matches, all of them while wearing the same white shorts he washed in the sink of his hotel bathrooms. Though he lived the rock star life away from tennis, his enduring dedication to his craft earned him eight Grand Slam singles titles and kept him among the top ten best players in the world for sixteen straight years-five at number one. In The Outsider, Connors tells the complete, uncensored story of his life and career, setting the record straight about his formidable mother, Gloria; his very public romance with America's sweetheart Chris Evert; his famous opponents, including Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Arthur Ashe, Ivan Lendl, and Rod Laver; his irrepressible co-conspirators Ilie Nastase and Vitas Gerulaitis; and his young nemesis Andre Agassi. Connors reveals how his issues with obsessive-compulsive disorder, dyslexia, gambling, and women at various times threatened to derail his career and his long-lasting marriage to Playboy Playmate Patti McGuire. Presiding over an era that saw tennis attract a new breed of passionate fans-from cops to tycoons-Connors transformed the game forever with his two-handed backhand, his two-fisted lifestyle, and his epic rivalries. The Outsider is a grand slam of a memoir written by a man once again at the top of his game-as feisty, unvarnished, and defiant as ever.

Jimmy Connors (Author), Rich Orlow (Narrator)

Audiobook

On the Road Bike: The Search For a Nation's Cycling Soul

Ned Boulting has noticed something. It's to do with bikes. They're everywhere. And so are their riders. Some of these riders seem to be sporting sideburns and a few of them are winning things. Big things. Now Ned wants to know how on earth it came to this. And what, exactly is 'this'.In On the Road Bike, Ned Boulting asks how Britain became so obsessed with cycling. Ned's search puts him in contact with some of the wonderful and wonderfully idiosyncratic people who have contributed to this nation's two-wheeled history. It's a journey that takes him from the velodrome at Herne Hill to the Tour of Britain at Stoke-on-Trent via Bradley Wiggins, Chris Boardman, David Millar (and David's mum), Ken Livingstone, both Tommy Godwins, Gary Kemp (yes, him from Spandau Ballet) and many, many more. The result is an amusing and personal exploration of the austere, nutty soul of British cycling.

Ned Boulting (Author), Ned Boulting (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Outsider: My Autobiography

Jimmy Connors took the tennis world by storm like no player in the history of the game. A shaggy-haired working-class kid from the wrong side of the tracks, he was prepared to battle for every point, to shout and scream until he was heard, and he didn't care whom he upset in doing so. He was brash, he was a brat. He was a crowd-pleaser, a revolutionary. And he won more tournaments - an astonishing 109 - than any other man in history, including eight Grand Slam singles titles. Only now is Connors ready to set the record straight on what really happened on and off the court. The rivalry with John McEnroe, that frequently threatened to turn violent, with Bjorn Borg, and Ivan Lendl. His romance with Chris Evert, which made them the sweethearts of the sport. The escapades with his partner in crime, Ilie Nastase. The deep roots of the fierce determination that made him the best player on the planet. This is no genteel memoir of a pillar of the tennis establishment. Unflinching, hard-hitting, humorous and passionate, this is the story of a legend - the one and only Jimmy Connors.

Jimmy Connors (Author), Rich Orlow (Narrator)

Audiobook

Mickey and Willie: Mantle and Mays, The Parallel Lives of Baseball's Golden Age

Acclaimed sportswriter Allen Barra exposes the uncanny parallels--and lifelong friendship--between two of the greatest baseball players ever to take the field. Culturally, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were light-years apart. Yet they were nearly the same age and almost the same size, and they came to New York at the same time. They possessed virtually the same talents and played the same position. They were both products of generations of baseball-playing families, for whom the game was the only escape from a lifetime of brutal manual labor. Both were nearly crushed by the weight of the outsized expectations placed on them, first by their families and later by America. Both lived secret lives far different from those their fans knew. What their fans also didn't know was that the two men shared a close personal friendship--and that each was the only man who could truly understand the other's experience.

Allen Barra (Author), Andres Garman, Andrew Garman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Lessons from Everest: 7 Powerful Steps to the Top of the World

After a devastating failed attempt to climb Mt. Everest in 2007 and a brief period of mourning, Dr. Tim Warren became focused on learning the lessons that had been revealed to him while hiking alone for three days down the Khumbu Valley of Nepal to heal his damaged lung tissue in the luxury of oxygen-rich lower altitude. He felt an overpowering desire to return to the mountain the next year and experienced a clear vision of himself at the summit and arriving safely back in base camp. After testing those lessons over the next year-and-a-half, and within an inch of his life, he achieved this goal. Equally importantly, he realized that the lessons learned on the "Big E" were universal to people seeking to overcome difficulties in life or simply to edge a little closer to their full potential. Lessons From Everest describes seven lessons, each a stepping stone to greater understanding and awareness of the reader's inner journey to their own Everest with a healthy dose of seat-of-your-pants adventure.

Dr. Tim Warren, Tim Warren (Author), Dr. Tim Warren, Tim Warren (Narrator)

Audiobook

Sports Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir