Sports Athletes

Ron Fawcett is a natural-born climber. In 1969, while still at school in his native Yorkshire, he tied into a climbing rope for the first time and was instantly hooked. From that moment on, it seemed nothing else in his life mattered nearly as much as his next vertical fix... Fawcett found the pressures of the limelight too much to bear, and at the end of the 1980s he faded from view. Now, for the first time, he tells his extraordinary story, of how his love of nature and the outdoors developed into a passion for climbing that took him to the top - and almost consumed him.

Young minds are constantly seeking direction and inspiration. But in today’s environment full of distractions, it’s not easy to find the right resource for what kids really need. That’s why this book is so timely. This book understands the hurdles kids face – the need for role models, the struggle with challenges, and the desire for meaningful connections. It’s the solution you’ve been looking for: a collection of 15 awe-inspiring stories from basketball legends, each a testament to overcoming adversity and achieving greatness.

Are you struggling to balance encouragement and pressure? Do you want effective ways to help your child handle stress, perform better, and enjoy sports? This guide offers actionable techniques to enhance your child's mental resilience and emotional well-being.

Team USA goalkeeper Tim Howard was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome in sixth grade. He went on to become a national treasure after single-handedly keeping America competitive in the 2014 World Cup. Stephen Curry was told he was too small, too weak, and too slow to even receive a scholarship to play college basketball. He outworked everyone and went on to become MVP of the National Basketball Association. Jim Abbott was born without his right hand, yet he refused to be defined by what he lacked. He went on to pitch a no-hitter in the Major Leagues.

Trust is the name of the game. If you can build trust with someone, you can then hold them accountable, and ultimately, get the results that you want. The fact of the matter is, words matter. And how you use them either increases trust or demolishes it. This book was written to help you communicate at a higher level, build trust with them, and help them become the self-reliant athlete (and human) you know they can be.

In The I of the Tiger, retired athlete and sports researcher Kimberly Carducci analyzes the psychology behind forming an athlete identity and its impact on mental health in today’s sports world. With a basis of who we are as athletes, Carducci guides listeners through the toughest moments athletes face along their journey (defeat, injury, retirement), and how to get through them. In this timely audiobook, Carducci demonstrates how ignoring athlete’s emotional struggle in modern competition is a harmful, outdated approach to sport.

Do you really know what separates champions from others? Learn from Olympic medalist, NCAA champion, and academic all-American Obadele Thompson, the “secrets” of how to: Avoid common student-athlete mistakes and pitfalls, improve your study habits and ace your classes, train better and win bigger and more often, get “paid” now by using your opportunities and resources, establish power habits to succeed in college and beyond, grow your brand, network, and relationships, and prepare for a professional sports career.

Unleash your inner champion and discover the secrets to transforming yourself into an unstoppable force on and off the field with "Mental Toughness for Athletes: 7 Proven Strategies for Young Champions to Build Grit, Boost Emotional Resilience, and Become Unstoppable."

As an athlete, you know you must allow time for your body to rest and recover to improve. If you don’t, you risk overtraining your body, excess fatigue, and injury. Your performance suffers, and you may even stop enjoying your sport.

Back in his old basketball league, before the car accident, 13-year-old Carlos Cooper owned the court, sprinting and jumping and lighting up the scoreboard as his opponents (and teammates) watched in amazement. But now, Carlos feels completely out of his league on his new wheelchair basketball team, the Rollin’ Rats. After all, how can he make a layup when he’s still struggling to learn how to dribble? But when the city’s crooked mayor threatens to tear down the Rollin’ Rats’ gym, Carlos realizes that he can’t stay on the sidelines forever.

Many female athletes struggle with body confidence and change their nutrition in unhealthy ways, only to the detriment of both their performance and their health. SPRING Forward: Balanced Eating, Exercise, and Body Image in Sport for Female Athletes provides performance nutrition and body image flexibility guidance for adolescent and adult female athletes. This book details the problems and the consequences, and provides extensive education on healthier, higher-quality performance.

The NCAA and the Exploitation of College Profit-Athletes: An Amateurism That Never Was provides a comprehensive historical, sociological, legal, financial, and managerial argument for the reclassification of profit-athletes as employees. Such a reclassification would permit profit-athletes to gain not only fair financial compensation but also equal access to educational benefits that have been promised but systematically denied. The authors trace how Power Five college sports have morphed into a hyper professionalized and commercialized sport-business enterprise.

As the revenues generated by big-time college sports continue to skyrocket, virtually all of the debate involves whether (and how much) student-athletes should be paid for play. Kenneth L. Shropshire and Collin D. Williams Jr., argue that "student" has to come first: the focus should be on prioritizing a meaningful education. They draw on new research to reveal that it has become increasingly difficult for college athletes to balance school and sports, much less a social life, leading to serious economic, professional, and emotional consequences for young people.

Being able to prevail over obstacles and opponents gives you a boost in confidence that carries over to your school and personal life, improving your performance in those areas as well. Unfortunately, you can’t win all the time. Sometimes, you have a bad day, or you simply get outplayed, and you end up doubting yourself and your athletic abilities. These feelings of worry, uncertainty, fear, doubt, or anxiety will make it difficult for you to perform consistently well. But with time, some effort, and the right knowledge, you can take control of your confidence.

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.

Hilary Topper was a 48-year-old working mother who, once upon a time, had practically failed high school gym class. She was working 60-plus hours a week, running a small business. In the meantime, her weight kept increasing, and she was unhappy with her life. To turn things around, she joined a gym for the first time. This book will take the listener on Hilary’s journey as she trains for and runs her first 5K, swims the waters of the Caribbean, cycles in Milwaukee, learns how to run-walk through the New York City Marathon, and competes in her first triathlon in Sanibel, Florida.

What happens when the stadium clears for the last time? You've built a career - a life - around your sport. But when the stadium clears and you hang up your jersey after your final game, what will your career be? Who will you be? In Shift, Jonathan Van Horn explores the truth behind the adage that athletes die twice, once when they stop competing and again when they stop breathing. Having experienced heartache, withdrawal, and identity loss when he transitioned to life beyond soccer, he understands the struggle and emotional toll of that first death.

The number one sports series for kids takes listeners on the court and behind the scenes with beloved NBA icon Kobe Bryant in this inspiring biography.

How does an undrafted free agent and two-sport college walk-on end up in a Chicago White Sox uniform? With a college football career derailed by mononucleosis and a college baseball career shattered by rotator cuff surgery, Brian Kent's narrative will motivate any athlete. Follow the journey from high school to college(s); from the dojo to the independent leagues; and from personal training to a White Sox contract.

No matter where you’re at with your sport - you might be an amateur hobbyist, a college student, or a professional at the peak of their game - you’ve probably got some idea of what the word "champion" means to you. It’s a word that evokes images of someone who’s entirely capable and confident in every way they want to be. A champion is respected and revered by all their teammates and opponents, and they set the standard for what perfect play looks like. Champions don’t just win - they never lose.