Athlete Biography

As a kid, Jackie Robinson loved sports. And why not? He was a natural at football, basketball, and, of course, baseball. But beyond athletic skill, it was his strength of character that secured his place in sports history. In 1947 Jackie joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the long-time color barrier in major league baseball. It was tough being first - not only did "fans" send hate mail but some of his own teammates refused to accept him.

From riveting stories of grit, hard work, and determination to tales of triumph and tragedy, the few sportsmen who have succeeded against the odds to make their mark on history have incredible stories to tell.

Born in 1888 in what would soon be Oklahoma Territory, Jim Thorpe was a member of the Sac and Fox Nation. After attending the Sac and Fox agency school and Haskell Indian Junior College in Lawrence, Kansas, he transferred to Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. At Carlisle he led the football team to victories over some of the nation's best college teams—Army, Navy, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Pennsylvania, and Nebraska. In 1912 he participated in the Olympic Games in Stockholm, winning both the decathlon and pentathlon.

Imagine if you had as much energy for your family at 8 p.m. as you have at the office at 8 a.m.? Whether or not you can hit a home run or run a marathon, this program will train you to perform at the highest possible levels in both your professional and family life.

Do you have a favorite sports hero? If so, have you ever wondered about what kind of zany things he or she likes to do when not competing? Have you ever wondered what the great athletes like to eat, or what they like to drink? For instance, it’s a little-known fact that baseball great Babe Ruth relished the chance to wolf-down pickled eels and chocolate ice cream! Do you ever imagine what their childhoods were like? This fascinating book answers all these questions and many more you might never have even thought to ask!

Team USA goalkeeper Tim Howard was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome in sixth grade. He went on to become a national treasure after single-handedly keeping America competitive in the 2014 World Cup. Stephen Curry was told he was too small, too weak, and too slow to even receive a scholarship to play college basketball. He outworked everyone and went on to become MVP of the National Basketball Association. Jim Abbott was born without his right hand, yet he refused to be defined by what he lacked. He went on to pitch a no-hitter in the Major Leagues.

In 1975, a group of amazing women rowed their way to international success and glory, battling sexual prejudice, bureaucracy, and male domination. Among the members of the first international women's crew team - and one of the first women's teams anywhere - were Gail Pearson, the soft-spoken MIT professor who fought to win the political battles necessary for her team to succeed; lead rower Carie Graves, a statuesque bohemian from rural Wisconsin who dropped out of college and later became the most intense rower of the crew; and Lynn Stillman, a tiny 16-year-old, Californian coxswain.

When Chloe Dalton was eight years old, she would practise her goal kicks in the half-time break of her brothers' rugby matches, all the while telling impressed onlookers: 'Girls don't play rugby.' Sixteen years later, Chloe Dalton won Olympic gold playing rugby sevens for Australia and is now a fixture in the AFLW. In 2020, she started her own news platform, The [Female] Athlete Project, because while she was surrounded by women achieving incredible things in sport, nobody was hearing about them.

In the spirit of his father's beloved classic, A River Runs through It, comes John N. Maclean’s true chronicle of his family and their bond with Montana's Blackfoot River—a profound and beautiful story about the power of place to bind generations, past and present “Maclean’s...

In this chapter book biography by acclaimed author Andrew Maraniss, listeners learn more about the life and work of Pat Tillman—an NFL player who left his career with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the army after 9/11, and ultimately was killed by friendly fire. After 9/11, Pat Tillman felt it was his duty as an American to stand up for the country, even though he was a pro football player in the prime of his career.

Ron Fawcett is a natural-born climber. In 1969, while still at school in his native Yorkshire, he tied into a climbing rope for the first time and was instantly hooked. From that moment on, it seemed nothing else in his life mattered nearly as much as his next vertical fix... Fawcett found the pressures of the limelight too much to bear, and at the end of the 1980s he faded from view. Now, for the first time, he tells his extraordinary story, of how his love of nature and the outdoors developed into a passion for climbing that took him to the top - and almost consumed him.

Lisa Whitsett grew up in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where she began the first of 27 years dedicated to sports and athletics. Her experiences as a mental health counselor and her adventures as a business consultant motivated her to write about development, change and transformation. Beneath the Armor of an Athlete was inspired by her own experiences of personal growth as well as her clients'. While many sports books contribute to a listener's athletic development, this book also focuses on the private, personal development of the athlete.

From his phenomenal memory, George O. Hallman, Ph.D., describes in fascinating detail what it was like to grow up as a member of the Silent Generation and how a tragic accident on a U.S. Air Force base in Korea led to the loss of his eyesight and the gain of his cherished wife Eileen. With Eileen’s sacrificial support, George became a beloved psychology professor and an extreme marathon runner. George and Eileen raised two sons together and enjoyed a long, happy marriage.

The man they call 'Silk' was the ultimate team player - versatile, highly skilled and hard at the contest, with an enviable reputation for being able to stand up in big moments. Burgoyne is a proud Indigenous man, with a football pedigree that is a story in itself. Starting with his father's time at the Koonibba Roosters, the oldest surviving Indigenous footy club in Australia, the Burgoyne name is directly linked to Gavin Wanganeen, Eddie Betts, Graham Johncock and many other AFL stars. In his 400-plus games, Burgoyne had only two coaches.

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.

Roderick Sewell was an active kid. Born without tibias in both of his legs Roderick wrestled with his cousins and climbed every surface of his grandmother’s home. When he was two years old his mother, Marian, made the incredibly tough choice to have his legs amputated to save his life. That didn’t stop Roderick, a rambunctious toddler who could hardly sit still while his body healed. But when his mother's modest income couldn’t cover Roderick’s prosthetics, she made another impossible decision: to leave her demanding job working for the US Navy and go on unemployment.

Are you hoping to find a book that can both engage your child as well as teach them valuable life lessons? This audiobook is the compromise you’ve been looking for with life stories of some of the most famous athletes of all time. We discuss all of the challenges they faced in life, how those obstacles made them stronger, and the people they became. We cover every sport from football, baseball, and basketball to gymnastics and surfing. This will engage every young sports fan as they learn about their favorite current stars as well as some of the most influential athletes of the past.

My Hidden Race is the story of Olympic medalist Anyika Onuora, who stood on the podium at every major championship in athletics. This book won't go into detail about the technicalities of her sport or the beauty of the Olympic spirit however. In the era of the Black Lives Matter and Me Too, this is an unflinching testimony of what it takes to pursue your dreams as a Black British woman against all odds. This three-time Olympian will lift the lid on the reality of life as a black female athlete in Britain in a way that nobody else has done before her.

This book takes you from after Deborah completes her Ironman triathlon and the coming years through global pandemics, injury and illness.

Following Zion Williamson's record-breaking season at Duke University and his electric NBA debut, basketball fans are already calling him the NBA's Crown Prince, drawing comparisons to all-time greats like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant. Now a New Orleans Pelican, he's set out to prove that he truly deserves to be the new King of Basketball. But for all the expectations and accolades, Zion remains a humble, dedicated teammate, and a terrific role model for young basketball fans across the country.