Sports Athletes

In a society that is digging deep into the misogyny underlying our traditions and media, the world of sports is especially fertile ground. From casual sexism, like condescending coverage of women’s pro sports, to more serious issues, like athletes who abuse their partners and face only minimal consequences, this area of our culture is home to a vast swath of gender issues that apply to all of us - whether or not our work and leisure time revolve around what happens on the field.

In this riveting follow-up to the best seller Everything Your Coach Never Told You Because You're a Girl, Coach Dan Blank takes aim at the warm and fuzzy double-standard facing those who coach female athletes and reveals the philosophies and methods that sparked a culture of unapologetic competitiveness in a women’s college soccer team that won more games than it was ever supposed to win.

Imagine yourself in the heat of competition, adrenaline pumping through your veins, and the roar of the crowd urging you on. Will you rise to the occasion, unyielding and determined, or succumb to doubt and pressure? Now envision a different scenario. You're in that same intense moment, but this time you embrace the challenge with confidence. You seize the opportunity, push past limits, and achieve greatness.

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.

As a professional athlete turned pastor—and a passionate leader, Seattle Seahawks in-game host, social media influencer, and fitness trainer—Andy Dooley knows all about sports and what it takes to be a Christian on and off the field, court, or wherever you may play. A 100-day devotional written to encourage and guide athletes of any age, level, or sport, Lead with Faith, Play with Purpose is just what you need to integrate your faith into what you love to do--play your sport.

Mindfulness, cognitive flexibility, and overall mental game are often overlooked when it comes to youth coaching for any sport. However, these areas are vital to truly unlocking any young person’s potential in the sporting arena. They say you need to “get your head in the game” - and no truer words have ever been spoken.

Are you an athlete? Yes - you are! You may not know it yet, or have ever experienced the intoxicating rush of pure movement, but your inner athlete is lying dormant inside you just waiting to be unleashed! Even if you've played sports or undertaken athletic endeavors, have you really opened yourself to the physical and mental power that simmers just under the surface of your consciousness?

Why couldn't Michael Jordan, master athlete that he was, hit a baseball? Why can't modern robotics come close to replicating the dexterity of a five-year-old? Why do good quarterbacks always seem to know where their receivers are?In this deeply researched book, sports and business reporter Zach Schonbrun explores what actually drives human movement and its spectacular potential. The groundbreaking work of two neuroscientists in Major League Baseball is only the beginning.

The Winning Element: An Athlete’s Guide to Maximizing Mental & Physical Performance is the ultimate athlete development program! Whether you are looking to make the varsity team or the Olympic team, this book will accelerate your growth, shorten your learning curve, and help you achieve your success faster than you ever imagined. In The Winning Element, Deanna Schneyer shares her framework for peak performance that beautifully blends and balances the mind and the body.

From riveting stories of grit, hard work, and determination to tales of triumph and tragedy, the few sportsmen who have succeeded against the odds to make their mark on history have incredible stories to tell.

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.

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.

Between choosing the right equipment, unfamiliar body positioning, and still needing to be able to run after riding in a race, many athletes feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start with the triathlon bike. Triathlon Bike Foundations is written by a triathlete for triathletes. It will guide athletes in picking the right equipment on any budget and making sure their bikes are set up to be as comfortable as possible. 

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.

The ultimate endurance athlete, Marshall Ulrich has run more than 100 foot races averaging over 100 miles each, completed 12 expedition-length adventure races, and ascended the seven summits - including Mount Everest. Yet, his run from California to New York - the equivalent of running two marathons and a 10k every day for nearly two months straight - proved to be his most challenging effort yet. In Running on Empty, he shares the gritty backstory of his run and the excruciating punishments he endured on the road.

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!

Moneyball showed how statistics were revolutionizing baseball. The Sports Gene revealed the role genetics play in sports. Now, Head in the Game examines the next evolution: how mental engineering - the manipulation of the cognitive processes of the brain - can make gifted athletes even better.

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.

Think about the best athletes you’ve ever known. Consider what set them apart from other athletes. What made them so effective? This book will teach you to set yourself apart and be truly mentally tough. Many books tell you what you need to do. This book explains the "how" and is full of practical tools. The truth is that every great athletic feat is first achieved in the mind, and you can and will learn this mindset in this book.