Football Life

Soccer. No other sport in the world captivates a bigger audience - and no other competition electrifies its fans like the World Cup. Now, just in time for the next World Cup competition, comes a book just for kids, jam-packed with information about each and every World Cup ever played.

Todd Gerelds, author of the best-selling book and hit movie Woodlawn, believes the most meaningful life lessons he has learned have been on the playing field. The voice of his coach rings in his head when life gets tough or when his day becomes off-kilter. It just happens that his coach's voice is also his father's. His dad was Tandy "The Coach" Gerelds, the subject of Woodlawn and the man who led his team to victory in the racially charged atmosphere of 1970s Alabama. Here, Todd reflects on 52 of his dad's most formative "coachisms."

Troy Aikman has always been a winner. In high school, he won the state championship - in typing! Of course, he was a football star in high school, too. And in college. And he was a number one NFL Draft pick. As a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, Troy won three Super Bowls - and was once the Super Bowl MVP. Then he became a football analyst for Fox Sports, where millions of fans watch and listen to his commentary. He's even been nominated for four Emmys for sportscasting! What will Troy Aikman win next?

More than 30 years ago, acclaimed author and Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist Rick Telander was drafted out of Northwestern University by a Kansas City Chiefs team filled with future Pro Football Hall of Famers and coached by the legendary Hank Stram. In 2004, Telander found the tattered, spiral-bound journal he kept while in that training camp and, after rereading the entries he kept until being cut from the team, was amazed and moved by the life lessons he took away from that once-in-a-lifetime experience and how they can be applied to people’s lives today.

This is the story of Jacques Ladouceur he was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He rose from object poverty to the highest level of pro soccer in the world. He traces his fascinating journey from playing soccer on the streets of Haiti as a boy, through his career as a professional soccer player in Athens, Greece, and the USA. He learned the true value of life, family, and making choices.

It’s the first day of school for Zoe, a young girl with hearing loss who dreams of playing on her school’s soccer team. But, self-conscious of her hearing aids, Zoe is too nervous to try out. With the help of and perspectives from new friends, what begins as a bumpy, anxiety-filled start for Zoe, soon transitions into an eye-opening experience about what it means to be different—and what it means to be extraordinary. I Am Extraordinary teaches kids how to look inside themselves to find self-acceptance and the confidence to achieve any goal.

Even the most avid football fans don't know what goes on behind the locker room doors. Now, 8-year NFL veteran Tim Green takes you behind the scenes for an insider's view of the game, complete with all of the humor, the pathos, the horror, and the wonder of the NFL experience. He shares some of the day-to-day details of life in the NFL that will captivate any fan and doesn't hesitate to examine the game's troubling problems such as racism, steroids, AIDS, and gambling.

It is my father’s fault that I love soccer so much. He doesn’t know much about girls, but as a former professional soccer player, we built a bond as he perfected my skills. My aunties have kept an extra eye on me since my mother died. I’ve avoided their insistence on dance classes that would take precious time away from my beloved girls’ soccer team.

We live in a world that all too often operates under the overriding template of self-promotion, embracing a "hooray for me" attitude, and which measures success in increasingly small timeframes dotted with markers of temporal value. Millions of viewers know James Brown as a sports commentator and former athlete. With Role of a LifetimeJames reveals a different side of his character. Part memoir and part self-help, this book draws on James' lessons from his life experiences.

Soccer season is underway, and though Zach and Zoe play on different travel teams, they're on the same team when it comes to solving mysteries. So when a package arrives in the mail addressed to Zach, the twins are surprised to find a soccer jersey identical to the one Zach wears for his team. But Zach's jersey is in his closet - so who does this jersey belong to and why did they send it? It's a soccer secret - and Zach and Zoe are on the case!

When Maria's family moves to a new town, her parents sign her up for the summer soccer team to help her meet new friends. But Maria has never tried soccer before. She would rather be back on her old swim team. Maria is afraid that she'll be the worst player and that no one will like her. Coach Tony and Coach Lauren remind Maria that everything is new at first. Maria will have to give soccer a try to see if she likes it.

A Rodolfo no le gusta jugar al fútbol. Y lo cierto es que no se le da bien. Aunque todos a su alrededor se empeñen en que aprenda. Pero Rodolfo sabe hacer otras cosas, posee la magia de las palabras y es capaz de tocar el corazón de las personas. Solo tiene que encontrar su propio camino.

Chester Pierce broke racial barriers by joining his college football team during segregation in the United States. Despite breaking the law, his team played on.

Pinkalicious and her soccer team, the Pinksters, are ready for their first soccer match! When their opponents, the Ravens, show up, they make fun of the Pinksters' pink soccer ball. The ball gets kicked off the field, forcing Pinkalicious to chase after it. Pinkalicious' unicorn, Goldilicious, just happens to be waiting for her in the crowd and sweeps up Pinkalicious for a pinkatastic journey around the world.