Athlete Biography

Jim Thorpe was one of the greatest athletes who ever lived. He played professional football, major league baseball, and won Olympic gold medals in track and field. But his life wasn't an easy one. Born on the Sac and Fox Reservation in 1887, he encountered much family tragedy, and was sent as a young boy to various Indian boarding schools: strict, cold institutions that didn't allow their students to hold on to their Native American languages and traditions.

LeBron James has been the face of men's basketball since he first stepped onto the court. In addition to winning four NBA Championships, ten trips to the NBA finals, and two Olympic gold medals, he has become a superstar outside the stadium for speaking up for the Black community. For being an outspoken advocate for underprivileged children and against police brutality, James earned the NAACP President's Award, a prize given to players who demonstrate leadership, sportsmanship, and a commitment to social justice.

Megan Rapinoe has been the face of women's soccer since she first stepped onto the international pitch. In addition to winning an Olympic gold medal, two World Cups, and the FIFA player of the year award, she has become a superstar off the field for her advocacy work. For being an outspoken advocate for equal pay for women and LGBTQIA+ rights, Rapinoe earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. This graphic biography shows readers the moments that have defined her life as a soccer player and an activist.

Simone Biles has been the face of women's gymnastics since she first entered the international stage. In addition to winning a record seven Olympic medals, 30 World Championship medals, and 19 world titles, she has become a superstar outside the gym for her public bravery. For being an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness and fair treatment for athletes, Biles earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

Muhammad Ali has been called the Greatest of All Time since he put on his first pair of boxing gloves. He won the world heavyweight title in a major upset, held the title of undisputed heavyweight champion for four years, and earned an Olympic Gold Medal. A superstar in and out of the boxing ring, he made a name for himself with his fighting skills and his political activism.

Exclusive interviews with the top athletes in sports today. Trust the Grind: How World-Class Athletes Got to the Top reveals how these men and women reached the heights of their profession so that you can too. Each chapter tells a different story, as each superstar shares the habit that helped them accomplish their goals and reach the pinnacle of their profession.

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 Ashton Kutcher first heard about 50 Cent's nine-figure Vitaminwater windfall in 2007, the actor realized he'd been missing out. He soon followed the rapper's formula - seeking equity instead of cash for endorsement deals - but with a twist: as the first person to top one million Twitter followers, Kutcher leveraged his social reach to accumulate stakes in a vast range of user-hungry tech startups. A decade later, Kutcher is perhaps the brightest in a firmament of star investors from Beyoncé and Jay-Z to Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez.

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.

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 her start playing paddle tennis on the streets of Harlem as a young teenager to her eleven Grand Slam tennis wins to her professional golf career, Althea Gibson became the most famous Black sportswoman of the mid-twentieth century. In her unprecedented athletic career, she was the first African American to win titles at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. In this first full-scale biography, Ashley Brown narrates the public career and private struggles of Althea Gibson (1927–2003).

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.

In August 1939, Alice Marble graced the cover of Life magazine, photographed by Alfred Eisenstaedt. She was a glamorous worldwide celebrity, having that year won singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles tennis titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open, then an unprecedented feat. Yet today one of America's greatest female athletes and most charismatic characters is largely forgotten. Queen of the Court places her back on center stage.

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.

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.

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.

Ryan never envisioned just how far his football career would take him. But bubbling under the surface of his entire NFL career was a collision course between his secret sexuality and his hidden drug use. As injuries mounted and his daily intake of opioids reached a near-lethal level, he wrote his suicide note to his parents and plotted his death. Yet, someone had been watching. A member of the Chiefs organization stepped in, recognizing the signs of drug addiction. Ryan reluctantly sought psychological help, and it was there that he revealed his lifelong secret for the very first time.

In All Heart, adapted from When Nobody Was Watching specifically for younger listeners, Carli tells the full inspiring story of her journey to the top of the soccer world - an honest, action-packed account that takes listeners inside the mind of a hardworking athlete.

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.

Girls' athletic participation in school and community sports programs is skyrocketing. Girls now comprise 33 percent of all high school athletes, representing a dramatic increase from four percent who participated in 1971, the year before the enactment of Title IX. You Go, Girl! is a collection of first person insights, thoughts, and stories from successful women in the world of sports.