Sports Legends

Who's Better? The Legend or the Rising Star? kid will love these stories of excellence.

The tale of an eager golf disciple and Mike Austin, the sport’s most legendary long-driver and keeper of the secret to the most powerful golf swing. “Can you teach an ordinary golfer like me to drive the ball 300 yards?” With this question sportswriter Philip Reed’s search for the greatest golf swing begins. When Reed met ninety-year old Mike Austin, he knew that Austin held the record for the longest drive ever—an awesome 515-yard shot during a Senior PGA event.

No sport is more enthralling than boxing - called “the noble art” and the “sweet science”. As famed boxing announcer Larry Merchant once noted, boxing is the “theater of the unexpected”. Its storied history has seen momentous bouts, the breakdown of racial barriers, and fights of the century. In this thrilling 18-part audio series, the inimitable David L. Hudson, Jr. takes you on a thrilling ringside ride.

The superbly researched, spellbindingly told story of athlete, showman, philosopher, and boundary breaker Leroy “Satchel” Paige. Few reliable records or news reports survive about players in the Negro Leagues. Through dogged detective work, award-winning author and journalist Larry Tye has tracked down the truth about this majestic and enigmatic pitcher, interviewing more than 200 Negro Leaguers and Major Leaguers, talking to family and friends who had never told their stories before, and retracing Paige’s steps across the continent.

Over the course of a decade, authors Nandini Purandare and Deepa Balsavar conducted a series of interviews with Sherpas from Darjeeling, as well as their family members, descendants, friends, and contemporary climbers. Headstrap weaves a vivid tapestry of this particular Sherpa community, giving them the recognition in mountaineering literature that they deserve.

For the first time, Martin O’Neill reflects on one of the most varied and successful football careers in the British Isles. He made his breakthrough playing for Distillery in Northern Ireland before joining Brian Clough’s legendary Nottingham Forest team, becoming one of the few players who made the epic journey from the Second Division to the glory years: winning the First Division championship, two League Cups and back-to-back European Cups. O’Neill represented Northern Ireland over sixty times.

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.

Forget the gold medals, the championships, and the undefeated seasons. When all-star athletes were growing up, they had regular-kid problems just like you. Baseball legend Babe Ruth was such a troublemaker that his family sent him to reform school. Race-car champion Danica Patrick fended off bullies who told her “girls can’t drive”. And football superstar Peyton Manning was forced to dance the tango in his school play.

Discover the captivating journey of a true basketball legend in Kobe Bryant Biography: The Inspiring Life, Legacy, and Mamba Mentality of an NBA Legend. This exhilarating Kobe Bryant biography for teens and fans of all ages takes you from Kobe's early days in Philadelphia and Italy to his iconic career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Experience the highs, the lows, and the indomitable spirit of the Mamba Mentality that defined his every move on and off the court.

Growing up in North Carolina, Donald Davis heard stories that came to America through Scots-Irish immigrants about a fellow named Jack who was so real that young Davis thought he was a distant relative or otherside-of-the-mountain neighbor. Now Davis knows that Jack is a universal legendary figure who, by various names, is found in nearly every culture.

When the Southern Bells brought the telephone to rural North Carolina, it looked like a "big black daffodil". What the telephone company had not counted on in conceiving its eight-party line service was a pair of "past-middle-age, unmarried sisters", the chatty Misses Lucy and Lena Leatherwood. Once the Leatherwood sisters were connected by the Southern Bells, nobody else on that line had a chance!

In Steven Pressfield's richly imagined, vividly detailed story, golf legends Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen are joined by a local unsung opponent, the troubled war hero Rannulph Junah. Their match is thrilling competition, but the key to the outcome lies with caddie Bagger Vance, who carries the secret of the Authentic Swing.

Maverick "The Avenger" Cage wants to rise to the top and become a legend in the ring. Though he keeps his identity well guarded, he's known on the fighting circuit as the new kid with a chip on his shoulder and a tattoo on his back that marks him as trouble. He's got a personal score to settle with the Underground's one and only Remington "Riptide" Tate.

In Novak Djokovic: The Inspiring Story of One of Tennis' Greatest Legends, you will learn the inspirational story of one of tennis' premier legends, Novak Djokovic. Novak Djokovic has come a long way since reaching his first Grand Slam final in the 2007 US Open. There was little doubt that even in his defeat to fellow legend, Roger Federer, that Djokovic was going to be embarking on an illustrious tennis career.

It started in the English countryside when he stopped to see if I was having car trouble. It should have ended there. But it turned into three of the most intense days of my life. And guess what? It didn't end there either. His name is Xavier Maddox. Sexy, talented, untamed. A British soccer star. The enticing bad boy. He should be off limits for me. I have this policy about getting involved with professional athletes—or, as I call them, the product.

For 20 years, Miki "Da Cat" Dora was the king of Malibu surfers - a dashing, enigmatic rebel who dominated the waves, ruled his peers' imaginations, and who still inspires the fantasies of wannabes to this day. And yet, Dora railed against surfing's sudden post-Gidget popularity and the overcrowding of his once empty waves, even after this avid sportsman, iconoclast, and scammer of wide repute ran afoul of the law and led the FBI on a remarkable seven-year chase around the globe in 1974.

Born and raised in rural Mississippi and the even balmier climes of central Florida, Red Barber, at the age of thirty-two, became one of New York City's most influential citizens as the play-by-play announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers. But behind all the base hits, balls, and strikes lies a compelling story that dramatizes the shifting expectations and roles of a public figure—the sports broadcaster—as he adapted to complex cultural changes throughout the course of twentieth-century American life.

Murray Walker was the voice of Formula 1, matching the thrill of the track with his equally fast-paced and exhilarating commentary, delivering the euphoria of motor racing to millions. Commentating on his first grand prix for the BBC at Silverstone in 1949, Murray's broadcasting career spanned over 50 years. His natural warmth and infectious enthusiasm won great affection with audiences, whilst his passion and knowledge of motorsport allowed him to hone his instinctive presenting style into a craft.

For close to half a century after World War II, Marty Glickman was the voice of New York sports. His distinctive style of broadcasting, on television and especially on the radio, garnered for him legions of fans who would not miss his play-by-play accounts. His vocabulary and method of broadcasting left an indelible mark on the industry, and many of today's most famous sportscasters were Glickman disciples. In Marty Glickman, Jeffrey S. Gurock showcases the life of this important contributor to American popular culture.

You don't need to wield huge weapons, wear armor, or cast powerful magic in real life to defeat your opponents and claim the prize. With plenty of practice, quick reflexes, and great teamwork, players of League of Legends, Dota 2, and other multiplayer online battle arena games can hit the big-time on the esports scene.