What turns a winning team into a dynasty? For many, legitimate dynasties are teams that not only won two or more titles but combine personality, superstar talent, and consistent winning seasons. But, one thing is sure, they're teams that you either love or love to hate. Dynasties is the first book to call out and explore the 10 greatest teams (according to sports journalist Marcus Thompson II) in basketball history. These are not only the winningest teams, but the ones that changed the game of basketball forever by breaking racial barriers, introducing new moves, or implementing never-before-seen plays and strategies to win the game. Covering The George Mikan's Lakers, The Bill Russell Celtics, The Magic Johnson Lakes, The Larry Bird Celtics, The Bad Boys Pistons, The Michael Jordan Bulls, The Shaq and Kobe Lakers, The Tim Duncan Spurs, The King Dynasty (AKA LeBron James, a dynasty unto himself), and The Steph Curry Warriors, Dynasties tells the story of each team with player and coach profiles, key games, playing styles and tactics, controversies, and more. Also featured are teams and players that were frequent rivals to dynasty teams (such as LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers), and the teams that could have been dynasties.

In December 2020, an Israeli football club made worldwide headlines. The news that a UAE royal had bought 50 per cent of Beitar's shares shook Israel and the football world. Beitar, proclaimed by some of its own fans as 'the most racist club in the country', is a club like no other in Israel. While Israeli football as a whole is a space where Israelis of all ethnicities and foreigners can co-exist, Beitar won't even sign a Muslim player for fear of its own far-right supporters' group, La Familia. On the Border is the fascinating tale of a club that began as a sports movement of a liberal national Zionism party and became an overt symbol of right-wing views, Mizrahi identity and eventually hardcore racism and nationalism. The book explores the radicalisation of Beitar and the fight for the soul of the club between the racists and open-minded fans. It is also a story of Jerusalem, the most volatile place on Earth, and how the holy city and the influence of religion have shaped Beitar.

Swallows and Hawke is a captivating account of 80 years of compelling cricket. From South Africa's stunning first ever Test win by one wicket in 1907 to Syd Barnes and Herby Taylor locked in iconic combat in 1914, to Cliff Gladwin's scrambled last-ball victory in 1949, all the standout moments are here. On the pitch, the cricketers faced extreme heat and dust, unplayable wickets and a wily and resilient opposition. Off the pitch they inspected mining compounds, were terrified by Zulu dancers and found themselves in jail or chased by rhinos. Over 15 tours the emissaries of Empire bestrode the pavilions of power with mine-owners and politicians, from Kruger to Verwoerd. They turned a blind eye to oppression and resistance and colluded with a new national mythology of white supremacy featuring ox-wagons and Blood River. The cricketing dramas take place within the perennial African struggles over land, labour and freedom as the cricketing relationship between MCC and South Africa forges the bonds of Empire.

In the Heat of the Midday Sun is a love letter to the 1986 World Cup. A tournament viewed via the shimmering satellite images of an age before the dawn of high-definition coverage - which was introduced four years later, at Italia '90 - it was the last World Cup where the commentaries sounded like they were broadcast from the surface of the moon. Mexico took on the tournament after Colombia failed to deliver on their host candidature, relinquishing the rights in 1983. With a devastating Mexico City earthquake just eight months before the big kick-off, it was a miracle that the Estadio Azteca was still able to be the venue of Diego Maradona's greatest and most infamous hours. As well as Argentina's most gifted son, Mexico '86 was blessed by the presence of Socrates, Platini, Francescoli, Butragueno, Belanov and Elkjaer to name but a few of the icons on display. This is the story of an evocative World Cup that seemed to be held together by Sellotape.

The Beautiful Game and The Ugly Truth: Football's Tragic Link to Dementia is an emotive examination of the world's most popular sport and its ties to a devastating disease. In 2002, a coroner ruled Jeff Astle's death at the age of 59 was the result of heading footballs. His daughter, Dawn, says football does not believe it can be a killer - but that her father's death certificate proves it can be. Evidence of its impact continues to pile up, 20 years after Jeff's passing. In 2019, Dr Willie Stewart's groundbreaking FIELD study found former footballers are three-and-a-half times more likely than the general population to die of a neurodegenerative disease. In 2020, Sir Bobby Charlton became the fifth member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning side to be diagnosed with dementia. Countless families have seen loved ones slip away from them. Modern professional players are fearing for their futures, too, as experts explain why it is wrong to lay the blame on those old heavy leather footballs.

Better Than He Knew: The Graham Barlow Story recalls the cricketing life of Graham Barlow, a talented all-round sportsman and largely unsung member of the Middlesex team that dominated domestic cricket from 1976 to 1985. Emerging from schoolboy cricket, seven years passed before he established himself in 1976. Cast aside after a 300-day international career, his focus on fitness and fielding often overshadowed his pugnacious batting. After a disastrous 1982, promotion to the top of the order to open with Wilf Slack provided the stability that he longed for and triggered the most successful period of his career until injury forced retirement. A global coaching career followed with success in New Zealand as head coach of Central Districts. Better Than He Knew is a deeply personally tribute that includes Graham's memoirs and synchronistic thoughts about the ups and downs of his life and career. There's also insight from former team-mates, whose stories celebrate this likeable cricketer and a golden era of county cricket.

*Finalist for the 2007 Seymour Medal of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).*

*Winner of the 2007 Robert Peterson Book Award of the Negro Leagues Committee of the Society for American Baseball*

When to Stop the Cheering? documents the close and often conflicted relationship between the black press and black baseball beginning with the first Negro professional league of substance, the Negro National League, which started in 1920, and finishing with the dissolution of the Negro American League in 1957. When to Stop the Cheering? examines the multidimensional relationship the black newspapers had with baseball, including their treatment of and relationships with baseball officials, team owners, players and fans. Over time, these relationships changed, resulting in shifts in coverage that could be described as moving from brotherhood to paternalism, then from paternalism to nostalgic tribute and even regret.

Physical training is a key part of preparing to play soccer (football) at any level, but organising a genuinely effective training programme requires both an understanding the physiological principles involved and a practical knowledge of the demands of the game. In response to the lack of in-depth and up-to-date material focussing on this area, the book provides clear guidelines, an evidence base and a theoretical framework for proven effective soccer training. It includes: planning seasonal training to peak at the right time; training for strength, speed, aerobic and anaerobic fitness; designing appropriate sessions for training and rehabilitation; best methods for recovery from exercise and reducing injury risk; preparation for play in different environmental conditions; evaluating the effectiveness of training programmes; and diet, sleep, lifestyle, young players and long-term development. Clear explanations of the physiological concepts and sport science research evidence are given throughout, and the book contains many examples to illustrate the training principles in practice. for coaches, physical trainers and sport scientists working in soccer (football). Thomas Reilly is Professor of Sports Science and Director of the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University. He is President of the World Commission of Science and Sports, and chairs the International Steering Group on Science and Football.

A Financial Times Sports Books of the Year 2018

Cristiano and Leo is the fascinating account of the lives and rivalry between two of the best footballers to ever play the game, Ronaldo and Messi by Jimmy Burns, the bestselling author of Maradona: The Hand of God.

The rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi has defined football to a generation of fans – everyone has an opinion on who is the greatest.

Do you prefer Ronaldo whose work ethic and physique have been honed for one purpose – scoring goals. Or Messi, whose superhuman natural talent means he can do the seemingly impossible with a football.

Between them they have scored over 1300 goals, won the Ballon d’Or ten times, and taken the beautiful game to even greater heights. But statistics alone cannot do justice to their skill, athleticism and dedication to stay at the top for so long of one of the most competitive sports in the world.

Cristiano and Leo tells their definitive story, from children kicking a ball halfway around the world from each other to facing each other in the epic clash El Clásico, between Real Madrid and Barcelona. This is the essential book to understand one the most compelling rivalries in sporting history.

In this book, authors H.A. Dorfman and Karl Kuehl present their practical and proven strategy for developing the mental skills needed to achieve peak performance at every level of the game.The theory and applications are illustrated by anecdotes and insights from major and minor league players, who at some point discovered the importance of mastering the inner game in order to play baseball as it should be played. Intended for players, managers, coaches, agents, and administrators as well as fans who want a more in-depth look at the makeup of the complete baseball player.

Nutrition and Football is a FIFA endorsed book which provides the first formal scientific consensus on players' energy use fluid, and optimal nutritional requirements. Including: nutrition for pre-season, training, match play and in different climates analysis of the energy and metabolic demands of players in different positions water and electrolyte requirements strategies to balance effects of stress, over training and over playing ideal body composition in professional football analysis and interventions to counter late game fatigue supplements and nutrition for optimum training adaptation the effects of alcohol on metabolism, performance and general health. Each contributor to this accessible guide is an internationally recognized expert in their field and the chapters embrace all key aspects of nutrition for football. Presenting cutting-edge research, the book has a practical and applied focus and has been developed with input from practicing sports nutrition club professionals.

In spite of a great passion in the game and significant involvement at amateur level, British Asians are under-represented in professional football. This book asks how and why this situation has developed, using extensive interviews with British Asian football players to offer an insider's assessment of the difficulties and conflicting demands faced every day. In addition, the book also critically examines the work of the anti-racist football movement, questioning the strategies and policies designed to eradicate racism and asking whether other approaches might be more effective or reflective of the views of the players themselves.

Ideal for academics and students of the sociology of ethnicity, sport, youth studies or cultural studies, this innovative book will also be of interest to professionals in the field of equal opportunities.

In 1977-78, Brian Viner was a season ticket-holder in the Gwladys Street End at Goodison Park, home to his beloved Everton. In front of him were the stars of the day: striker Bob Latchford, creative midfielder Duncan McKenzie and goalkeeping hero George Wood. There were no airs and graces then: Viner would regularly see Latchford in the local pub, and even once saw Wood mowing the field at his school, so asked him to come and join his classmates for a kickabout, which he did. It would never happen now. But as well as nostalgia for that period, Viner reveals how this was a time when so much was on the cusp of change: in football the first wave of foreign players would arrive the next season, with Ossie Ardiles and Arnold Muhren among them; on Merseyside, the era of punk would soon give way to Thatcherism; and even Viner himself, at 16, was on the verge of adulthood. But little of what happened next could ever have been predicted. Viner's investigation of that year in the 1970s, based on many interviews with the players of the time, not only reveals a vanished era, but also shows how football often fails to look after its own, as the life stories of what happened to the players afterwards shows, but how the spirit of the sport will always shine through.

A group of volunteers begged, borrowed and remortgaged a house on their way to convincing FIFA to hand them the keys to the 1994 World Cup. When they got the green light, the USA was tasked with presenting the greatest show on earth to a nation of non-believers, with a press corps just waiting for them to fail. Six years later, the country famed for its glitz, glamour and razzmatazz delivered a glorious summer of memorable kits and billowing goal nets, confounding the doubters as they shattered attendance records and drew fans in their millions. The full-throttle journey to the global phenomenon that football is today had begun. It was a tale of two missed penalties, a car chase, internal politics, triumph and tragedy in equal measure. Heroes were born, dreams were shattered and for many life would never be the same. If Italia 90 unlocked the door to the modern game, then USA 94 kicked it open and nailed it to the wall. The revolution was here, and it was televised.

Mat Guy continues his exploration of the much loved (and much hated) sport of football. From Barcelona to Buckie Thistle he takes us on a journey across the globe. The only connection all these places have is that they host some of least known football teams in the world. This is Guy's ode to football. He looks at the grassroots movement on the grass itself; it takes the love of this sport to a different level. Guy does not focus on the celebrity teams with millions behind them, but at the real heart and soul of football.

The extraordinary memoir from Rugby League's greatest and most inspirational player 'Kevin Sinfield is adored and respected . . . he is the best of men' Brian Moore, Daily Telegraph 'I've always thought Kevin Sinfield was a hero. His quiet, calm, committed leadership makes people want to support him and we are all doing that as he supports Rob Burrow and everyone living with MND' Clare Balding 'The friendship between Kevin Sinfield and Rob Burrow gives you faith in humankind' Sir Chris Hoy The Extra Mile is no ordinary sports memoir. But Kevin Sinfield is no ordinary sportsman. A one-club legend of Leeds Rhinos, who has now crossed codes as a defence coach for Leicester Tigers, Kevin Sinfield is a rugby icon. But in recent years has shown heroism of a very different kind through his selfless and extraordinary fundraising for Motor neurone disease (MND), the terminal illness that has affected his best mate and former teammate Rob Burrow. Sinfield's epic challenges have included running 7 ultra marathons in 7 days, and running over 101 miles in 24 hours. In the process, Sinfield has captured the hearts of the nation and over GBP5 million for MND. He was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday honours for his efforts. Told with Sinfield's characteristic warmth, dry wit and inspirational leadership, The Extra mile is the story of an astonishing life, of an enduring friendship, of perseverance against the most difficult of challenges, and of a remarkable, humble human being who has defied the odds. The book equips readers with the tools and the mindset to embrace togetherness and to overcome their own challenges. It leaves the reader with the urgent question: Who would you go the extra mile for to help in life?

Since it's first publication, Rugby's Great Split has established itself as a classic in the field of sport history. Drawing on an unprecedented range of sources, this deeply researched and highly readable book traces the social, cultural and economic divisions that led, in 1895, to schism in the game of rugby and the creation of rugby league, the sport of England's northern working class. Tony Collins' analysis challenges many of the conventional assumptions about this key event in rugby history - about class conflict, amateurism in sport, the North-South divide, violence on the pitch, the development of mass spectator sport and the rise of football. This new edition is expanded to cover parallel events in Australia and New Zealand, and to address the key question of rugby league's failure to establish itself in Wales. Rugby's Great Split is a benchmark text in the history of rugby, and an absorbing case study of wider issues - issues of class, gender, regional and national identity, and the impact of the commercialization and recent professionalization of rugby league. This insightful text is for anyone interested in Britain's social history or in the emergence of modern sport, it is vital reading.

With these words, President Clinton contributed to Long Island University's three-day celebration of that momentous event in American history when Robinson became the first African American to play major league baseball. This new book includes presentations from that celebration, especially chosen for their fresh perspectives and illuminating insights. A heady mix of journalism, scholarship, and memory offers a presentation that far transcends the retelling of just another sports story. Readers get a true sense of the social conditions prior to Robinson's arrival in the major leagues and the ripple effect his breakthrough had on the nation. Anecdotes enliven the story and offer more than the usual "larger than life" portrait of Robinson. A melange of contributors from the sports world, academia, and journalism, some of Robinson's contemporaries, Dodger fans, and historians of the era, all sharing a passion for baseball, reflect on issues of sports, race, and the dramatic transformation of the American social and political scene in the last fifty years. In addition to the editors, the list of authors includes Peter Golenbock, one of America's preeminent sports biographers and author of Bums: The Brooklyn Dodgers, 1947-1957, Tom Hawkins, the first African-American to star in basketball at Notre Dame and currently Vice-President for Communications of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bill Mardo a former writer for the New York Daily Worker, Roger Rosenblatt, teacher at the Southampton Campus of Long Island University, and author of numerous articles, plays, and books, Peter Williams, author of a study of sports myth, The Sports Immortals, and Samuel Regalado, author of Viva Baseball!: LatinMajor Leaguers and Their Special Hunger.

He is the goal-scoring legend of the Treble Triumph, a local hero in Manchester and back home in Norway. But when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was announced in December 2018 as interim Manchester United manager, his only Premier League experience was overseeing Cardiff City's relegation. After a dismal time following Sir Alex Ferguson's departure, could he really be the one to see the club challenge again for major honours? It all started so well - a record-breaking run of victories, Solskjaer seemingly the antidote to the confusion of Moyes, the stagnation of Van Gaal, the trauma of Mourinho, and the permanent job was secured. His first full season in charge was a bumpy ride, but Solskjaer steered the club to three semi-finals and a creditable third-place finish. He has reinvigorated players like Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford, given opportunities to newcomers such as Mason Greenwood, and brought in fresh talent in the shape of Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani and Harry Maguire. In this updated edition, Jackson reveals how Solskjaer inspired United back into title contention once again during 2020-21, also taking them to a European final. In The Red Apprentice, Jamie Jackson takes the reader back to Solskjaer's early days in Norway to discover the making of the man. He relives his extraordinary playing career and that goal in the Champions League final of 1999, exploring his move into coaching and seeks an answer to the vital question: can he do it? Can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer draw on his experience and knowledge of the United way and bring the club its 21st league title?

Tiger Woods's long descent into a personal and professional hell reached bottom in the early hours of Memorial Day in 2017. Woods's DUI arrest that night came on the heels of a desperate spinal surgery, just weeks after he told close friends he might never play tournament golf again. His mug shot and alarming arrest video were painful to look at and, for Woods, a deep humiliation. The former paragon of discipline now found himself hopelessly lost and out of control, exposed for all the world to see. That episode could have marked the beginning of Tiger's end. It proved to be the opposite. Instead of sinking beneath the public disgrace of drug abuse and the private despair of a battered and ailing body, Woods embarked on the long road to redeeming himself. In The Second Life of Tiger Woods, Michael Bamberger, who has covered Woods since the golfer was an amateur, draws upon his deep network of sources inside locker rooms, caddie yards, clubhouses, fitness trailers, and back offices to tell the true and inspiring story of the legend's return. Packed with new information and graced by insight, Bamberger's story reveals how this iconic athlete clawed his way back to the top. Here you'll meet the people who have shaped and saved Tiger's life. It's a disparate group: a Florida police officer, an old friend from Tiger's boyhood, his girlfriend, his manager, his caddie. You'll go inside the ropes and see Tiger's interactions with fellow pros, with broadcasters and rules officials and Tour executives, with legends young (Rory McIlroy) and old (Jack Nicklaus) and in between (Fred Couples). On the Sunday before Masters Sunday, you'll join Tiger as he takes a long, slow, contemplative walk across Augusta National, and you'll be with him again seven days later in the splendid isolation of the tee at thirteen, in the rain, his right foot slipping while he swings his driver at 120 miles per hour. This is an intimate portrait of a man who has spent his life in front of the camera but has done his best to make sure he was never really known. Here is Tiger, barefoot, in handcuffs, showing a police officer a witty and self-deprecating side of himself that the public never sees. Here is Tiger on the verge of tears with his children at the British Open. Here is Tiger trying to express his gratitude to his mother at a ceremony at the Rose Garden. In these pages, Tiger is funny, cold, generous, self-absorbed, inspiring-and real. The Second Life of Tiger Woods is not only the saga of an exceptional man but also a celebration of second chances. Being rich and famous had nothing to do with Woods's return. Instead, readers will see him apply his intelligence, pride, and enormous capacity for work to the problems at hand. Bamberger's bracingly honest book is about what Tiger Woods did, and about what any of us can do, when we face our demons head-on.

"The Work of Professional Football: A Labour of Love?" presents unique long-term studies and provides rare insights into to the precarious careers and ordinary working culture of professional soccer footballers. Away from the celebrity-obsessed media gaze, the work of a professional footballer is infrequently glamorous and for most players a career in football is insecure and short-lived.
As a former professional soccer player turned academic, Martin Roderick's familiarity with the world of football is foundational to this privileged research into a world that is typically both 'closed' to the public gaze and ignored by media reportage and academic research which prefers to focus on a small, unrepresentative group of elite players. Key themes explored within the text include:
- The culture of work in professional soccer football
- The changing identity, orientation and expectations of players during their career
- The fragile and uncertain nature of careers in professional sport
- The performance and drama of a career under public scrutiny
- The role of relationships with managers, owners, support staff and partners
- The insecurities inherent in a football career such as injury, aging, performance and transfer
The text deals with a wide range of issues for sports students and academics, particularly those with a focus on the sociology of sport but also including sport development, sport management and coaching studies. The text will be of interest to researchers in sport studies, careers, industrial relations and the sociology of work.

"Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain" is the follow-up volume to the award-winning Rugby's Great Split. Following on from that work, the book offers a social and cultural history of rugby league in the twentieth century, from World War One to the 'Super League' controversy of 1995.
Based on extensive archival research, it situates the sport in the changing culture of the north of England. It seeks to examine the cultural, social and economic basis of the sport amidst the changes to the industrial and social landscape of the north in the twentieth century. Central to this is the book's discussion of the nature of Northern English identity. In addition, it also looks at rugby league's relationship with the British empire (via its links with Australia and New Zealand), its war with rugby union (using the previously unopened archives of the Rugby Football Union) and the centrality of working-class masculinity to northern culture.
Like its predecessor, the book will appeal to sports historians and sociologists, historians interested in regional, cultural and gender history, graduate and undergraduate history, sociology and sports studies students, and followers of rugby league, and sport in general.

Chelsea FC have enjoyed unprecedented success in England and Europe since Roman Abramovich arrived in 2003. The men's team has set a phenomenally high benchmark, which the Chelsea women's team now aims to follow. Club director Marina Granovskaia has one overarching mission: to replicate the men's team model and transform Chelsea Women into a European powerhouse - a side to rival the acknowledged queens of Europe, Olympique Lyonnais Feminin. So how has coach Emma Hayes set up her side to achieve superpower status? This book dissects the tactical concepts of the team, breaking down each phase of play, and explores the factors that make them a super-club with a viable chance of winning the elusive UEFA Women's Champions League. From team tactics to in-depth player analysis, Europe's Next Powerhouse? reveals the factors that have put them on a path to be a force in England and Europe for years to come.

In the last twenty years, Indian cricket has been transformed. With the arrival of global television networks, mass-media coverage and multinational sponsors, cricket has become big business and India has become the economic driving force in the world game. For the first time a developing country has become a major player in the international sports arena.
This fully updated and revised edition of Mihir Boses classic history is a unique account of the Indian cricket phenomenon. Drawing on a combination of extensive research and personal experience, Bose traces the development of the Indian game from its beginnings as a colonial pastime to its coming of age as a national passion and now a global commercial powerhouse. This illuminating study reveals Indian crickets central place in modern India's identity, culture and society.
Insightful, honest and challenging, Bose tackles the myths and controversies of Indian cricket. He considers the game in terms of race, caste, politics, national consciousness and ambition, money, celebrity and the media, evoking all the unpredictability, frustration and glory that is the magic of Indian cricket.