Sports Legends

Jesse Owens remains one of the most inspiring figures in modern history—a man whose brilliance on the track became a symbol of hope, defiance, and human dignity in an era overshadowed by racism and rising extremism. Born into poverty in the Jim Crow South and shaped by the Great Migration to the industrial North, Owens rose from humble beginnings to become a global icon whose achievements transcended sport. His life is a story not only of speed and talent, but of perseverance, integrity, and the quiet strength required to challenge prejudice on the world’s biggest stage.

Discover soccer’s most powerful stories—from global legends to everyday heroes—in one unforgettable book for kids 8–12. Does your child dream of scoring like Messi or leading like Rapinoe? Epic Soccer Stories takes readers on a world tour of true tales of passion, grit, leadership, and inclusion—from Pelé’s joyful beginnings and blind athletes breaking barriers to Bolivia’s sky-high pitches and Toronto’s BMO Field preparing for World Cup 2026.

Buck O'Neil once described him as "Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Tris Speaker rolled into one". Among experts, he is regarded as the best player in Negro Leagues history. During his prime, he became a legend in Cuba and one of Black America's most popular figures. Yet even among serious sports fans, Oscar Charleston is virtually unknown today.

The rousing story of two trailblazing superstars—Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Moses Malone—whose improbable alliance and unsung legacies shaped the wildest and most innovative era of basketball history. In the early 1970s, playground courts across the United States were jammed with hoops...

Want entertaining and enlightening basketball stories from legends? Then Inspiring True Stories from Basketball Legends is the perfect answer. Many basketball players want to be the best athletes they can be, but they lack the access to the people who reached the top of the sport. Well...the inspiring true success stories and success principles from the basketball legends changes that because you can tap into their mindset and thought processes.

Blair Adams's dreams are finally coming true–well, almost. Getting accepted into Happily Ever After University is like winning a golden ticket to guaranteed success. On top of the daunting work load, she's dodging her vain and obsessive ex-boyfriend, and working nearly full time to pay for tuition and the growing mountain of her father's bills.

Born and raised in rural Mississippi and the even balmier climes of central Florida, Red Barber, at the age of thirty-two, became one of New York City's most influential citizens as the play-by-play announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers. But behind all the base hits, balls, and strikes lies a compelling story that dramatizes the shifting expectations and roles of a public figure—the sports broadcaster—as he adapted to complex cultural changes throughout the course of twentieth-century American life.

For 20 years, Miki "Da Cat" Dora was the king of Malibu surfers - a dashing, enigmatic rebel who dominated the waves, ruled his peers' imaginations, and who still inspires the fantasies of wannabes to this day. And yet, Dora railed against surfing's sudden post-Gidget popularity and the overcrowding of his once empty waves, even after this avid sportsman, iconoclast, and scammer of wide repute ran afoul of the law and led the FBI on a remarkable seven-year chase around the globe in 1974.

Mickey Mantle: a name synonymous with baseball greatness, yet shrouded in mystery. In 7 The Legend, Randall Swearingen, a lifelong fan turned Mantle historian, peels back the myth to reveal the man. Drawing from exclusive teammate stories, this vivid biography uncovers why Mantle was sent to Triple-A in 1951, the true extent of his crippling injuries, and the personal demons he battled off the field. From the roar of Yankee Stadium to the shadows of his conflicted marriage, Mantle’s journey is one of dazzling highs and heart-wrenching lows. Why did opponents name their sons after him?

When the Southern Bells brought the telephone to rural North Carolina, it looked like a "big black daffodil". What the telephone company had not counted on in conceiving its eight-party line service was a pair of "past-middle-age, unmarried sisters", the chatty Misses Lucy and Lena Leatherwood. Once the Leatherwood sisters were connected by the Southern Bells, nobody else on that line had a chance!

Brady: An American Story and the Price of Greatness by Lars Anderson is a forthcoming title from Celadon Books...

The meteoric rise of motorsports phenom Oscar Piastri has been the stuff of legends - so far. Three years and a record-breaking three straight titles across Formula Renault, Formula 3 and Formula 2 set up one of the most anticipated F1 rookie seasons ever when the 21-year-old Melburnian joined...

Long black hair and even longer legs, Tess Donahue had lost the braces and gained the confidence she never had as a teenager. She's hilarious, pretty—and when I see her in those cowboy boots? Whoa. Stolen glances. Flirty banter. One drunk filled night. Suddenly, my uncomplicated weekend of "living a little" in my hometown becomes a lifetime being tied to the one girl that was off limits.

An inspiring memoir by CrossFit legend Annie Thorisdottir, the first woman to win the CrossFit Games twice. In 2011, Annie Thorisdottir earned the title “Fittest Woman on Earth” after winning the CrossFit Games in only her third year as a competitor. In 2012, she did it again, becoming the...

No sport is more enthralling than boxing - called “the noble art” and the “sweet science”. As famed boxing announcer Larry Merchant once noted, boxing is the “theater of the unexpected”. Its storied history has seen momentous bouts, the breakdown of racial barriers, and fights of the century. In this thrilling 18-part audio series, the inimitable David L. Hudson, Jr. takes you on a thrilling ringside ride.

Louis "Pete" Rogers Browning was one of the greatest baseball players of the nineteenth century. His skills with the bat made the difficult art of hitting a baseball appear easy. Over his thirteen-year career, he won three batting titles, finished in the top three nine times, and was one of the premodern era's greatest hitters. Browning is recognized as not only the namesake but also the genesis for the famed Louisville Slugger, as the Hillerich & Bradsby Company shaped the first ever custom-made bat based on his instructions.

Ace basketball player, T.D. Lake, is about to break the school record for the all-time highest scoring player. He is good-really good. But with untamed talent comes arrogance. With plenty of games left in the season, T.D. knows breaking the record will be easy for him to do. However, T.D.'s life takes several unexpected twists and turns before he approaches the final game of his middle school career.

Take a rollicking tour through the sports world of 1996, when debuts, comebacks, movies, and pop culture crossover changed the sports landscape forever. From college to the Olympics to the pros; from the NBA to golf, tennis, and boxing, 1996 was home to athletes and teams who were among the best marketed, most beloved, colorful, and greatest in history. Sportswriter and author Jon Finkel uncovers the stories behind the stories while interviewing a who's who of '96ers to reveal in thrilling detail how their collective influence on sports and pop culture still resonates to this day.

I, Dallas Colter, am kind of a massive A hole-and need help fixing that personality problem. With too much on my plate, the very last thing on my mind is a relationship-the football draft is looming, I never understood why my teammates bother with girlfriends. None of us had the time. When my sports agent suggests that being seen in public with a "respectable" girl would be good for my bad reputation, I couldn't think of a single person to help me out. The only girls I know aren't wifey material, and the ones who are? Might catch feelings. Except Ryann Winters.

Kane Kavanagh has always had one goal: being the best mixed martial arts fighter alive. With the MMA National Championships in Las Vegas fast approaching, the man they call "Killer" has no intention of letting anyone or anything get in his way. Somehow, though, a feisty opponent has slipped beneath his guard - and stolen his heart. Fiery and passionate, Nora Hannigan is harder to pin down than any rival Kane has faced in the ring. And she isn't afraid to tell Kane that she wants nothing to do with him.