Sports Athletes

The athletes competing in the 1960 Rome Olympics included some of the most honored in Olympic history: decathlete Rafer Johnson, sprinter Wilma Rudolph, Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila, and Louisville boxer Cassius Clay, who at 18 seized the world stage for the first time, four years before he became Muhammad Ali.

The Playmaker on any team makes the right decision at the right time, almost every time. Despite the constraints of time, tactics, and rules, the best players combine their vision and skills with razor-sharp decision accuracy for an unstoppable competitive advantage. As a follow-up to The Playmaker’s Advantage, their best-selling guide for athletes, coaches, and parents, Daniel Peterson and Dr. Leonard Zaichkowsky now focus on the split-second decision-making process that produces both clutch plays and mental mistakes.

Russell Wilson is a standout NFL quarterback. Learn about his childhood and his rise to becoming a football superstar.

Mike Trout is a standout MLB outfielder. Learn about his childhood and his rise to becoming a baseball superstar.

Aaron Rodgers is a standout NFL quarterback. Learn about his childhood and his rise to becoming a football superstar.

LeBron James is a standout forward in the NBA. Learn about his childhood and his rise to becoming a basketball superstar.

Stephen Curry is a standout NBA point guard. Learn about his childhood and his rise to becoming a basketball superstar.

The modern Olympic Games generate international excitement! Nadia Comaneci became the first Olympian to win seven perfect scores, Vitaly Scherbo won the world title in all eight gymnastic events, and Abebe Bikila was the first athlete to win two Olympic marathons.

The moving true story of a group of young men growing up on Chicago's West side who form the first all-Black high school rowing team in the nation, and in doing so not only transform a sport, but their lives.

Now in his sixties, big-wave surfer Joe Sharkey has passed his prime and is losing his “stoke.” The younger surfers around the breaks on the north shore of Oahu still idolize the Shark, but his sponsors are looking elsewhere. One night, while driving home from a bar after one too many, Joe accidentally kills a stranger near Waimea, a tragedy that sends his life out of control. As the repercussions of the accident spiral ever wider, Joe's devoted girlfriend, Olive, throws herself into uncovering the dead man’s identity and helping Joe find vitality and refuge in the waves again.

Champions, as the familiar adage preaches, are not born—they're made. Reaching the top of any sport, or any aspect of life, takes years upon years of dedication and proper preparation. But if there's a huge pool of individuals who have undertaken the same commitment and steps towards becoming the best, what truly separates the winners from everyone else? Joanna Zeiger believes proper mental preparation is the answer. The Champion Mindset is a much-needed and long overdue look into how to program a competitor's mind to achieve optimal success.

Coaching a football team is no child’s play–you need to have a burning passion, strong knowledge of the game, and a solid work ethic. Above all, you need to have the ability to bring out the best in every member of the team to win on and off the field.

Shut up and Clap! offers a practical guide for parents, coaches, and referees in the world of youth sports. This book offers valuable insights, practical tips, and personal anecdotes to help you support your student-athlete.

Are you hoping to find a book that can both engage your child as well as teach them valuable life lessons? This audiobook is the compromise you’ve been looking for with life stories of some of the most famous athletes of all time. We discuss all of the challenges they faced in life, how those obstacles made them stronger, and the people they became. We cover every sport from football, baseball, and basketball to gymnastics and surfing. This will engage every young sports fan as they learn about their favorite current stars as well as some of the most influential athletes of the past.

If you're ready to thrive in sports and life, The Balanced Athlete will show you how to train smarter, think stronger, and live better—starting today.

From the New York Times best-selling author of Return of the King comes the story of LeBron James' incredible transformation from basketball star to sports and business mogul.

From Jackie Robinson to Muhammad Ali and Arthur Ashe, African American athletes have been at the center of modern culture, their on-the-field heroics admired and stratospheric earnings envied. But for all their money, fame, and achievement, says former New York Times columnist William C. Rhoden, Black athletes still find themselves on the periphery of true power in the multibillion-dollar industry their talent built. Provocative and controversial, Rhoden's Forty Million Dollar Slaves weaves a compelling narrative of Black athletes in the United States.

Lionel Messi has taken the soccer world by storm. He scored the most goals in a season. He’s racked up championships. There was even a statue built in his honor. Despite the accolades, he’s still hungry for more goals, more championships, more opportunities to shine on the soccer pitch. Messi’s drive to succeed has motivated him ever since he first stepped on his local, worn-down field as a kid. Yet his success didn’t come without bumps in the road.

In 2015, Maggie Nichols’s gymnastics career was on fire. Having spent most of her young life training as an elite-level gymnast, Maggie carried the team all-around at the 2015 World Championships, helping to cinch the team gold medal. Next in her sights was the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She was eagerly looking forward to training for the 2016 Olympic Games along with teammates such as Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, and Laurie Hernandez. But on the verge of achieving her lifelong Olympic dream, her world came crashing down.

Are you a young athlete looking to compete with the best? How about a seasoned professional wanting to stay at the top of their game? One of the toughest aspects of being an athlete is consistency; not just performing well at one event, but being the best every time you enter a competition. No matter how hard you train or tweak your diet, you might feel like you’ve hit a plateau. You might not be making any more progress at all. You aren’t alone!