Parenting Sports

For most of his life, Josh Wilker has been on the sidelines. Spending his days in a cubicle in the far reaches of Chicago, and his nights in front of Red Sox games, he has been content to let others take center stage. From childhood onward, he sought comfort from anxiety and depression in the archival pages of sports almanacs and stat sheets: a place where forgotten players lingered and time seemed to stop - a welcome relief from worldly problems.

When award-winning ESPN producer Lisa Fenn returned to her hometown for a story about two wrestlers at one of Cleveland's toughest public high schools, she had no idea that the trip would change her life. Both young men were disadvantaged students with significant physical disabilities. Dartanyon Crockett was legally blind as a result of Leber's disease; Leroy Sutton lost both his legs at 11, when he was run over by a train. Brought together by wrestling, they had developed a brother-like bond as they worked to overcome their disabilities.

In "The Disconnect Between Martial Arts and Street Combatives," seasoned martial artist and self-defense expert Michael Morton delves into the often-overlooked gap between traditional martial arts training and real-world street combat effectiveness. This eye-opening book challenges conventional wisdom, revealing why some martial arts techniques may falter in the chaos of a real-life confrontation.

As children, we learn that trying to put a square object in a round hole of the same size will never work. A piece of wrong shape and description just will not fit together, even if we try to force it. When we pause, and analyze what works, what does not work, and why, we begin to assemble the piece in perfect harmony. Anticipating that the same can be applied to human relationships, John sets out to track down and understand the secrets formula that only a few couples experience in life and reveals it within.

Stealing Home is the story of an 11-day, nine-game trip with a Little Leaguer - and how plans for perfection delivered things deeper than scores, miles, and smiles. You don't have to drive 3,147 miles to find your way to fatherhood. When Ron did, something magical and rare appeared at the end, inside his heart as well as on a diamond.

In the fall of 2012, after working on a presidential campaign that suffered a devastating loss, Stuart Stevens, having turned 60, realized that he and his 95-year-old father had spent little time together for decades. His solution: a season of attending Ole Miss football games together, as they'd done when college football provided a way for his father to guide him through childhood - and to make sense of the troubled South of the time.

Swim is a celebration of swimming and the effect it has on our lives. It's an inquiry into why we swim - the lure, the hold, the timeless magic of being in the water. It's a look at how swimming has changed over the millennia, how this ancient activity is becoming more social than solitary today. It's about our relationship with the water, with our fishy forebearers, and with the costumes that we wear. You'll even find a few songs to sing when you push out those next laps.

Literate, honest, and deeply observant, Faithful Travelers is a beautiful meditation on the bond between parent and child and the nature of love and loss. Dodson proves that sometimes life isn't what happens while you're waiting to go fishing; sometimes it happens while you're there.

Augusta National is golf’s Holy Grail. Navigating the azaleas to play the exclusive course that hosts The Masters is a pipe dream for every golfer. Imagine being afforded the opportunity not only to play the course, but to be able to bring your father along for the ride. To complete the priceless fantasy, Jack Nicklaus - “The Golden Bear” - hosts the round. Through fate, coincidence and good fortune, Joe Wessel managed to find a way to make that happen. In White Fang and The Golden Bear, Wessel recounts that special round, how it came about, and what happened....

Four Months...and a Lifetime is the touching true story of a father who coached his son’s basketball team from kindergarten through eighth grade, a remarkable nine-year journey with the same boys. Their final march to the eighth-grade season championship is interspersed with the author’s own journey of falling in love with basketball in early-'70s New York, filled with anecdotes of Dr. J, sneaking into Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium, and playing pickup in Larry Bird’s home state of Indiana.

As has been proven many times over, ability is not a major distinguishing factor in success, especially as the level of competition increases. But if you combine your ability with the right attitude and the passion to excel, you too can become the best that you can be; which is indeed what winning is all about and is the universal formula for winning that The Winning Way 2.0 explores.

For several years, campuses and sports teams across the country have been plagued with accusations of sexual violence, and they've been criticized for how they responded to the students involved. In Violated, two ESPN investigative reporters provide listeners with a shocking narrative of sexual crimes committed against women and a university's culture that kept them quiet.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of America's most beloved sporting event - the Super Bowl - an authoritative collection of the most pivotal plays through the decades, compiled by the legendary Jerry Rice.

John Callahan is a man who has spent his life following his calling as a high school football coach just like his legendary father. But his dream life is suddenly being crushed. Just days before the state championship game, John receives news that his beloved school is declaring bankruptcy and will be shutting down at the end of the year. Everything John has worked his whole life for is being taken away from him. John is now questioning all his past decisions and he's angry at himself for not taking more "practical" opportunities when they came along.

Sage advice distilled from a Hall of Fame coach’s years of interactions and astute observations, this straight-to-the-point guidebook for parents of young athletes describes how to support your child’s journey to their dreams and capture their heart.

Embark on a transformative journey through the riveting audiobook "Ball Ain't Life," narrated by the esteemed author Coach Nix himself. Crafted from years of wisdom gathered on bleachers, planes, and even bustling automobiles, this audiobook is a beacon of guidance for parents and support groups navigating the dynamic realm of grassroots basketball. Coach Nix's unparalleled philosophy illuminates the path to strategically "using the game", fostering holistic success while evading common pitfalls that obstruct progress.

From the New York Times best-selling author of Brady vs. Manning and dean of football writers - an audiobook that explores the many interesting facets to NFL quarterbacks and their relationships with their fathers. My First Coach goes behind the scenes to explore the unique relationship between these and other quarterbacks and their fathers, as well as investigate various approaches to parenting through their stories. Can young athletes overcome helicopter parents? How did the kids with NFL aspirations deal with their fathers who'd already made it?

In Unsinkable, you will follow Abby into the depths through a gripping and evocative firsthand account that starts prior to her departure, travels through her daring (and sometimes near-death) encounters on the open sea, to her dramatic rescue in the remotest part of the Indian Ocean. Today, when the most productive thing a teenager may do is play videogames, Abby's courage and tenacity shows us all what can happen when we choose to challenge our own limits, embrace faith, and aim for what our critics say is impossible.

Growing up on the Cambridgeshire Fens, Will Millard never felt more at home than when he was out with his granddad on the riverbank whiling away the day catching fish. As he grew older his competitive urge to catch more and bigger fish led him away from that natural connection between him, his grandfather and the rivers of his home and into large commercial fisheries catching fish after fish.

Road trips with kids aren't easy, but new parents of twins Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi became experts at creating lasting family memories without breaking the bank. From hiking with infants to navigating RV camping in state parks and camping in national parks - these outdoor lovers have tried it all, and See You at the Campground is packed with personal anecdotes, packing lists, site recommendations, and recipes that will help you create a one-of-a-kind vacation on a family-friendly budget.