Professional Sports

Telling the remarkable tale of a man who is still remembered on the streets of New Orleans and in the hearts of professional-wrestling fans, this book aims to restore the overlooked Junkyard Dog to his proper place in the history books. In 1979, Sylvester Ritter, also known as the Junkyard Dog, managed to break one of the final color barriers in the sport by becoming the first Black wrestler named undisputed top star of his promotion, and this biography reveals all the famous feuds and business back stories that made him a wrestling legend.

According to investigative journalist Dan E. Moldea, for decades the National Football League has had a strong and unspoken understanding with a dangerous institution: Organized crime. In his classic expos, Interference, Moldea bares the dark, sordid underbelly of America's favorite professional team sport, revealing a nest of corruption that the league has largely ignored since its inception.

How to Become a Professional Goalkeeper is the story of how I achieved my dreams of becoming a professional football (soccer) player, goalkeeper, even though I never played for any professional football academy as a child. I wrote this book to help inspire the next generation of young goalkeepers who are now battling to achieve their dreams of wanting to become a professional goalkeeper. And I am positive my story, and more importantly, my tips will open doors at professional clubs to give you an opportunity and will give you (or your goalkeeping child) the edge!

From fighting for his life to pursuing a career in the NFL, ACC Player of the Year and star Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner shares how his choice to not fear the unknown made all the difference in his extraordinary journey. In Fear Is a Choice, James candidly shares his experiences during his battle with cancer and beyond, encouraging listeners and illustrating the spiritual truths and personal principles that got him through his darkest days.

“50 Things to Know About Becoming a Professional Basketball Player” by author Baptiste Chazelas offers an approach to the life of a pro athlete in the deepest details. Most books on professional sport tell you the habits of only the elite of the discipline. Although there’s nothing wrong with that, you could find value in understanding the life of the people that you are most likely to relate to. The percentage of the so-called “elite” is slim to none, but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t any options for you out there.

“It’s not what you know, but who you know.” “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you who you are.” “Your network is your net worth.” What do these statements have in common, and what do they mean to you? They highlight a fundamental truth: our identity is shaped by the relationships we build throughout our lives. They also emphasize the power and necessity of strong connections. The importance of relationships is major weather personal or professional and in this book we take a dive in how you can learn the skills of being popular.

To be a part of Red Sox Nation is to be a hopeful romantic who neither betrays loyalty nor surrenders hope in the direst of circumstances. From Bangor to Back Bay, New Englanders endure in baseball matters. And life. The team's history has intersected with the history of Boston and well beyond it, through the Curse of the Bambino, the military service of Ted Williams during World War II, and the Boston Marathon bombing. The Fenway Effect chronicles these stories and others that have built the incredible saga of the Boston Red Sox.

Arnold Palmer taught world-class pro golf instructor Brad Brewer how to play golf. But that was just the beginning. For more than 30 years, Palmer taught Brad how to live. As a businessman, a father, a celebrity, a philanthropist, and a friend, Palmer showed those around him that true success has nothing to do with the final score - and everything to do with how you play the game.

At age 55, Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D., crossed the finish line at Ironman Florida, the crowning achievement of his endurance sports journey. Just weeks later, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He fought through treatment, recovered—and was hit again. This time, it was Stage 3B colorectal cancer. In Every Mile Matters, Reynolds shares how the physical training, mental fortitude, and resilience developed through triathlon racing became his greatest weapons in the fight for his life. He didn’t just apply his athletic mindset—he relied on it. Each round of radiation became a daily workout.

Are you looking for a new challenge or a way to spend your free time? Do you love animals? Are you also a sport lover? Then horseback riding might be the perfect hobby for you. In this book, you will discover how to understand your horse, how to own a horse, how to prepare for a ride, different riding styles, how to ride a horse, safety measures to be aware of, and much more. The step-by-step guide in this book is so easy to follow that you will have success with it, even if you have failed at every other hobbies in your life.

"Trophy Son brings Conroy's The Great Santini and Malamud's The Natural into the present day...A terrific book." -Harlan Coben A compelling, provocative novel about a father, his son, and the cost of early excellence in our achievement-obsessed society. The third audiobook by New York Times...

The longtime commissioner of Major League Baseball provides an unprecedented look inside professional baseball today, focusing on how he helped bring the game into the modern age and revealing his interactions with players, managers, fellow owners, and fans nationwide.

An exclusive look at England Rugby from a former player with a unique perspective. Nobody has spent as much time in the front line of rugby union's first two dramatic decades of professionalism - as a player, coach and administrator (blazer) - as Rob Andrew, or taken as much flak, all this in the wake of one of the most distinguished and successful of England Rugby playing careers.

When the Summer Olympics come to a close, beach volleyball disappears from the public eye, and what the rest of the world fails to see once again becomes reality: It is a remarkable struggle, a wondrous grind, to live the life of a professional beach volleyball player. Featuring interviews and arresting accounts of more than 100 beach volleyball players, award-winning writer and professional beach volleyball player Travis Mewhirter tells the stories, for the first time, of the modern player.

Having a fitness trainer is in high demand now. As a result, many fitness trainers can make a honest living, whether they work as a freelance trainer or work as personal fitness trainers. So, if you are a fitness trainer, have you thought about making your fitness training job into a high-earning job? As a fitness trainer, it is not hard to find people who need your services. As a legally recognized profession, you can get a certification that can boost your career. This book prepares you for the hurdles to achieving that needed certification.

What is competitive gaming, and where did it come from? What makes it so exciting? The bitter esports team and country rivalries, the scandals, the money, the last-minute Hail Mary plays; it’s all here, brought to you with the trademark wit - and access - of the industry’s most respected and experienced broadcaster. He’ll even tell you how to spell it. This is the world of esports according to its most famous presenter.

With contributions from more than three dozen professional fighters (including 11 world champions), Protect Yourself at All Times will prepare any up-and-coming boxer for the challenges he will surely encounter from the business of boxing. The Protect Yourself at All Times campaign was founded by Adrian Clark to further protect fighters outside the ring. The focus of this movement (and book) is to educate and inform the fighters on topics such as taxes, contracts, retirement, and guarding their money.

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 the early years of Adams Golf, entrepreneur Barney Adams labored in obscurity. He collected six patents for his golf products, manufacturing fine equipment but enjoying no sales. Everything changed for him and his company in 1996, though, when he invented the Tight Lies fairway wood. Working as a custom fitter, his customers repeatedly asked for a club they could play from "long iron" distance, from 180 to 220 yards to the green. Adams knew the technical secret was to lower the club's center of gravity.

A Nigerian native who emigrated to the United States at age 11, Alex Owumi's exploits on the basketball court earned him a college scholarship to Georgetown University. Undrafted by the NBA, Owumi pursued his basketball dream overseas, eventually signing with Al-Nasr of Libya, a state-run athletic club privately funded by the family of Libyan president Muammar Qaddafi.