Shortlisted for the 2017 Cross Sports Book Awards Best Biography of the Year Bryant is one of basketball's greatest-ever players, a fascinating and complicated character who says he knew when he was a boy that he would be better than Michael Jordan. Aloof and uncompromising, Bryant is the grand enigma of American professional basketball, easily the most driven player in the history of the sport, the absolute master of study and preparation. But his career has also been one of almost constant conflict: with his teammate Shaquille O'Neal; with Phil Jackson, coach of the championship-winning Lakers team that Kobe led; with the law; with his wife Vanessa; and with so many of his contemporaries, opponents and teammates. Comprehensive and unflinching, Showboat unravels the conundrum that is Kobe Bryant.

FORMER NBA STAR LUTHER WRIGHT SHARES HIS HARROWING AND UPLIFTING JOURNEY OF FINDING GOD--AND HIMSELF--WHEN HE HAD NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE.
Luther Wright had the life hoop dreams are made of. A first-round NBA draft pick for the Utah Jazz, he was a rookie on a team with basketball legends Karl Malone and John Stockton. He had money, women, cars, and a luxurious bachelor pad overlooking Salt Lake City. But within a year, ravaged by drugs and unable to cope with life as an NBA star, he was homeless, broke and addicted to crack cocaine.
Wright never wanted to play basketball, yet standing more than seven feet tall even as a boy, he thought he had no choice. In this heartrending memoir, he writes candidly about the self-destructive spiral he found himself on after neglecting his passions to pursue the dreams of others. After years of living on the streets, he finally found a gift greater than anything his millions could have bought him--God. Today, Wright offers a simple message: believe in yourself, follow your dreams, and only then will you find your "Perfect Fit."

A talented yet ferocious player, and one of the acknowledged 'bad-boys' of rugby, Mark Jones' on-field brutality was a direct consequence of the off-field torment he suffered with a debilitating stammer. In Fighting to Speak, his revealing and uplifting autobiography, Jones explains how his frustration with his stutter led to a self-loathing and the internalising of an explosive hate that only playing rugby could release - with his unfortunate opponents often on the receiving end of his rage. Sent off six times and banned for over 33 weeks for violent conduct during his career, the dual-code Wales international and Great Britain RL forward was desperately unhappy and detested the thuggish reputation he'd created. After one exceptionally ugly incident, when he broke another player's eye socket, Jones realised that in order to defeat his demons and control his bad behaviour he needed help to conquer his stammer. Mark Jones fought and won the hardest battle of his life with a steely determination and has now found the inner peace and dignity he'd longed for as a young man. He has decided to tell his story in order to seek redemption for his violent past on the rugby field, and to help others overcome their stammers.

Phil shares his personal ecstasy and anguish in learning the lessons of life through wrestling. The vivid and intimate descriptions of his hilarious and sometimes terrifying experiences keep you wanting to read more about his life.

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DON REVIE - ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX AND CONTROVERSIAL MEN EVER TO GRACE THE GAME OF FOOTBALL 'Engrossing' - Sunday Times 'Impeccably researched... As a life and times, Evans's account is immaculate.' - Jonathan Liew, New Statesman 'A poignant and engrossing read... a well-crafted biography.' - FourFourTwo 'Thoroughly researched and engagingly written, this superb biography sheds new light on one of the most controversial, enigmatic figures in football history' - Leo McKinstry, journalist, historian and award-winning author 'Excellent' - Johnny Giles, Leeds United legend 'Essential reading' Ryan Sabey, the Sun Whenever the greatest managers the game has ever produced are mentioned, names like Busby, Shankly, Paisley and Ferguson trip off the tongue. Despite dominating the game in the late 1960s and '70s there is one name missing: Don Revie, the former Leeds United and England manager. Revie was one of the most complex and controversial men ever to grace the game of football. As a player, he was crowned Footballer of the Year and credited with creating the modern centre-forward. As a manager, he took a Leeds United side languishing in the lower half of the second division and turned them into not only league champions, but one of the most dominant sides in the country. As England manager, Revie lost the magic touch and became increasingly indecisive. After three years in the role and fearing the sack, Revie became the first man to walk out on England. Then came the backlash. Revie was branded a traitor and banned from the game for 10 years, and the press declared open season on the manager. Accused of offering bribes to throw matches, his reputation was destroyed. Shunned by the football establishment, he died just 12 years after walking out on England. Revie's death, at the age of 61, robbed him of the opportunity ever to rebuild his reputation as one of the most important figures ever seen in English football. The life and times of this multifaceted, enigmatic, pioneering football man have still never been fully explored and explained in detail before. Featuring new interviews with Johnny Giles, Kevin Keegan, Norman Hunter, Eddie Gray, Allan Clarke, Joe Jordan, Gordon McQueen, Malcolm Macdonald and members of the Revie family, this long-overdue biography reveals how today's football owes so much to Don Revie. --- Shortlisted for THE SUNDAY TIMES Sports Book Awards 2022 'A no-holds-barred insight that convinces the reader that Don Revie stands amongst the giants of English football.' -Lord Mann 'Meticulously researched and expertly crafted exploration' - Jeff Powell, Daily Mail 'A superb read'. - Alex Montgomery, Chief football writer and former Chairman of the Football Writers Association

An illustrated compendium of kickass women in sport, from around the world and throughout history, including legends like Billie Jean King and modern-day superstars like Simone Biles and Dina Asher-Smith. The perfect book to inspire any sports fan. Meet your new superheroes Discover the fascinating stories behind 38 iconic and internationally renowned women in sport, all of them record-breakers, trailblazers and game-changers. Whether from the world of soccer, tennis, gymnastics, swimming, boxing or skiing, every one of these women has been a ground-breaker in her field. It's time these individuals took centre stage and had their achievements celebrated the world over. Be empowered and inspired by their extraordinary stories, their awesome achievements and their wonder-words of wisdom with this pocketbook of remarkable women from across the globe and throughout history. Among others, you will learn about the incredible lives and achievements of: Simone Biles Serena Williams Dina Asher-Smith Rachael Heyhoe Flint Jessica Ennis-Hill Nicola Adams Danica Patrick Paula Radcliffe Michelle Kwan Megan Rapinoe Ellen MacArthur Ibtihaj Muhammad Ronda Rousey Each inspiring profile also features a bespoke illustration.

In this long-awaited autobiography, the legendary Bill Elliott details his childhood in rural North Georgia, building cars from scratch, struggling on the anonymous small-time tracks of the South to his against-the-odds rise to the pinnacle of NASCAR stardom: Winston Cup Champion.

From Daytona to Talladega, from Bristol to Sonoma, ride shoulder to shoulder with Elliott as he battles Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace, and Alan Kulwicki for NASCAR's ultimate prize. Through Elliott's eyes we meet the colorful cast of old-school characters who built NASCAR: Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson, the Allisons, Carl Kiekhaefer, and, of course, the France family. We join Bill in the car (and under it) as he sets the all-time record for the fastest official speed ever recorded in a stock car (a record he still holds today).

Learn the secret--revealed for the first time--behind the Elliott family's unquestioned mastery of the sport's super speedways. Watch NASCAR grow from a southern diversion into a national phenomenon, and see Bill Elliott grow with it, ultimately becoming one of the sport's most popular heroes. In 1985 Elliott captured the inaugural Winston Million and became the first NASCAR driver ever to appear on the cover of "Sports Illustrated," Three years later he captured the Winston Cup Championship. He went on to be voted NASCAR Driver of the Decade for the 1980s by NASCAR fans. He was also voted Most Popular Driver sixteen times.

Elliott also shares his thoughts on the dark side of the racing life: the stresses it can place on relationships, the ever-present physical risks, and the weight of fame. He addresses the racing-related deaths ofcompetitors and friends. He is candid and critical in discussing the intense rivalry between him and the late Dale Earnhardt, and he sheds new light on their storied relationship as well as on Earnhardt's shocking death. Elliott discusses the future of NASCAR with critiques of its management and restrictor plates, and he takes on the controversial issues of track and driver safety.

A window into the compelling personality of Bill Elliott, as well as a primer on the ascent of America's fastestgrowing sport, this is the definitive insider's view of the rising NASCAR nation.

After fifteen years at the very pinnacle of test rugby, leading the most successful squad in Welsh history, Dan Biggar tells his story.

‘When I reflect on it all, I can say without any doubt that I gave it everything.’

Dan Biggar has never fitted the mould. Throughout his long and decorated career, he has had to confront the critics, to silence the cynics. His playing style has been described as brash, aggressive and forthright, and it has earned him a reputation he has never been able to shake. But to anyone who knows him off the pitch, he is one of the most grounded ambassadors the game could ask for.

Honest and self-critical, Dan offers a rare insight into his personal and professional life. He talks candidly of his place within rugby, from the Premiership through to the Lions, and of the power dynamics within Wales’ most successful squad ever. He also opens the changing room doors and explores his relationships with past team mates, coaches and managers, from Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards to Alun Wyn Jones and Wayne Pivac.

The Biggar Picture is the story of a man who has taken in the joy, the graft and despair to become one of the sport’s most compelling figures – and Wales’ most capped fly-half.

The Tiger Woods of his day, legendary professional golfer HARRY VARDON (1870-1937), from Jersey in the Channel Islands, was the sport's first superstar. He won six British Open championships-a record that stands to this day-and was the first British golfer to win the U.S. Open. Some consider him the best player in the history of the game. In this classic work of sports literature, Vardon offers his stupendous and invaluable insight into the game. Part biographical, part instructional, part inspirational, Vardon's advice covers: the makings of a player the mistakes of the beginner the choice and care of clubs "concerning caddies" the pleasure of a good drive individuality in putting the proper attitude toward your opponents "golf for ladies" tips for the left-handed player and much more. First published in 1904, this beautiful replica edition features all of the essential original diagrams and photographs. It will delight and encourage the modern golfer, no matter how seriously-or lightheartedly-one takes the game.

Up-close, behind-the-scenes biography of the winningest coach in college basketball history.

Bart Starr was the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971, the most meaningful and successful era of one of football's most storied franchises. Starr was named MVP of the first two Super Bowls and to the Pro Bowl four times. He threw for more than 24,000 yards in his career and holds the Packer record for most games played. But the awards and impressive statistics are not what fans remember most about Bart Starr. As his legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, once said, "Bart Starr stands for what the game of football stands for: courage, stamina and coordinated efficiency. You instill desire by creating a superlative example. The noblest form of leadership is by example and that is what Bart Starr is about." Bart Starr: When Leadership Mattered shows with clarity and stunning insight just how true Lombardi's compliment was. Drafted in the seventeenth round out of the University of Alabama after a checkered collegiate career, Starr was just hoping to catch the eye of an NFL team. As the 199th selection in the 1956 draft, his expectations and those of the team and fans were limited. But Bart Starr rose above everyone's expectations to will his way to the starting job, aided by the encouragement of Lombardi, who became Packer head coach in 1959. This book reveals all the details of Starr's improbable rise to stardom. It explores his relationship with Lombardi and his guidance of the Packers from a downtrodden franchise to five-time World Champions to two-time Super Bowl winners. His epic battles with rivals such as the Bears and Lions and the famous Ice Bowl are also recalled in unforgettable fashion. But most of all, Bart Starr: When Leadership Mattered is about a modestly talented football player who with uncommon intelligence, grit, and leadership elevated his play and that of his teammates. The Packers would not have been the Packers without Bart Starr.

Thando Manana was the third black African player to don a Springbok jersey after unification in 1992, when he made his debut in 2000 in a tour game against Argentina A.

His route to the top of the game was unpredictable and unusual. From his humble beginnings in the township of New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, Thando grew to become one of the grittiest loose-forwards of South African rugby, despite only starting the game at the age of 16. His rise through rugby ranks, while earning a reputation as a tough-tackling lock and later openside flanker, was astonishingly rapid, especially for a player of colour at the time. Within two years of picking up a rugby ball, he represented Eastern Province at Craven Week, and by 2000 he was a Springbok. But it isn’t solely Thando’s rugby journey that makes Being A Black Springbok a remarkable sports biography. It’s learning how he has negotiated life’s perils and pitfalls, which threatened to derail both his sporting ambitions and the course of his life.

He had to negotiate an unlikely, but fateful, kinship with a known Port Elizabeth drug-lord, who took Thando under his wing when he was a young, gullible up-and-comer at Spring Rose. Rejected by his father early in his life, Thando had to deal with a sense of abandonment and a missing protective figure and find, along the way, people to lean on.

Thando tells his story with the refreshing candour he has become synonymous with as a rugby commentator, pundit and member of the infamous Room Dividers team on Metro FM. He has arguably become rugby’s strongest advocate for the advancement of black people’s interests in the sport, and his personal journey reveals why.

"He deftly examines Foster's outstanding career on the diamond in the early 1900s...Cottrell effectively documents Foster's contributions to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981."
--"Choice"

"Robert Charles Cottrell's definitive biography of Rube Foster adds much to our knowledge of this commanding figure in the history of the old black baseball leagues."
--Robert Peterson, author of "Only the Ball Was White"

"Rube Foster ranks with Charles Comiskey, Connie Mack, and John McGraw as one of the founding giants of modern baseball. As player, manager, owner, and executive he set the standard for baseball in black America during the early twentieth century. "The Best Pitcher In Baseball" clearly establishes Foster's greatness and his extraordinary contributions to the national pastime."
--Jules Tygiel, author of "Past Time: Baseball As History"

When Rube Foster was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, his rightful place alongside baseball's greatest black heroes was at last firmly established. A world-class pitcher, a formidable manager, and a brilliant administrator, Rube Foster was arguably more influential in breaking down the color barrier in major league baseball than the venerable Jackie Robinson.

Born in 1879, Rube Foster pitched for the legendary black baseball teamsthe Cuban X-Giants and the Philadelphia Giants before becoming player-manager of the Leland Giants and the Chicago American Giants. Long a central figure in black baseball, he founded baseball's first black leaguethe Negro National League in 1920. From its inception, the Negro League served as a vehicle through which many of the finest black players could showcase theirconsiderable talents. Challenging racial discrimination and stereotypes, it ultimately set the stage for future efforts to contest Jim Crow.

Despite the long-standing success of the Negro National League as an influential black institution, Rube Foster was deeply embittered by organized baseball's unmitigated refusal to lift the color barrier. He died a broken man in 1930.

The Best Pitcher in Baseball is the story of a man of unparalleled vision and organizational acumen whose passion for justice changed the face of baseball forever. It is a moving tribute to a man and his dream.

Born with 'learning difficulties' and all but abandoned by his schools, Neil went on to become kit man to Stoke City FC. Lou Macari, the club's then manager, described him as 'my best-ever signing'. But who is Neil Baldwin? As a boy in a working-class part of the Potteries in the fifties and sixties, the education system wrote him off. But Neil, who believes you can just 'get things by asking for them', knows his late Mum wanted him to have a happy life, and it's his duty to her to have one. So he does. At Keele University, they hold regular celebrations and services for the decades he's been a friend to the students, academics and vice-chancellors; but he's never been a student, a teacher, or had any formal connection with the place. At Stoke City Football Club, he's 'more famous than the players'. He's even got a dialogue going with the Queen - though that one's still a little one-sided. This is the inspiring, moving and at times hysterically funny story of Neil Baldwin's marvellous life.

As one of the first voices of the University of Kentucky men's basketball program, Claude Sullivan (1924--1967) became a nationally known sportscasting pioneer. His career followed Kentucky's rise to prominence as he announced the first four NCAA championship titles under Coach Adolph Rupp and covered scrimmages during the canceled 1952--1953 season following the NCAA sanctions scandal. Sullivan also revolutionized the coverage of the UK football program with the introduction of a coach's show with Bear Bryant -- a national first that gained significant attention and later became a staple at other institutions. Sullivan's reputation in Kentucky eventually propelled him to Cincinnati, where he became the voice of the Reds, and even to the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome.

In Voice of the Wildcats: Claude Sullivan and the Rise of Modern Sportscasting, Claude's son Alan, along with Joe Cox, offers an engaging and heartfelt look at the sportscaster's life and the context in which he built his career. The 1940s witnessed a tremendous growth in sportscasting across the country, and Sullivan, a seventeen year old from Winchester, Kentucky, entered the field when it was still a novel occupation that was paving new roads for broadcast reporting. During the height of his career, Sullivan was named Kentucky's Outstanding Broadcaster by the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters for eight consecutive years. His success was tragically cut short when he passed away from throat cancer at forty-two

Featuring dozens of interviews and correspondence with sports legends, including Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones, Babe Parilli, Cliff Hagan, Ralph Hacker, Jim Host, Billy Reed, Adolph Rupp, and Cawood Ledford, this engaging biography showcases the life and work of a beloved broadcast talent and documents the rise of sports radio during the twentieth century.

As a promising high school basketball player in Georgia, Jeff Sheppard was initially overlooked by Kentucky basketball coach Rick Pitino, who was looking for hardworking players to lead the Wildcats to the top of the college basketball world. But fate eventually brought them together and the rest is history, with the Wildcats winning a pair of national championships.

Heart of a Champion tells of a ballplayer who wouldn't quit and whose hard work earned him MVP honors in the 1998 Final Four as he led his Kentucky teammates in one of the most memorable comeback stories in college basketball history.

When barefoot running guru Christopher McDougall takes in a neglected donkey, his aim is to get Sherman back to reasonable health. But Sherman is ill-tempered, obstinate and uncooperative - and it's clear his poor treatment has made him deeply fearful of humans. Christopher knows that donkeys need a purpose - they are working, pack animals - and so when he learns of the sport of Burro Racing or running with donkeys, he sets out to give Sherman something worth living for. With the aid of Christopher's menagerie on his farm in rural Pennsylvania, his wife Mika and their friends and neighbours including the local Amish population, Sherman begins to build trust in Christopher. To give him a purpose, they start to run together. But what Sherman gains in confidence and meaning is something we all need: a connection with nature, the outdoors, with movement. And as Christopher learns, the side benefits of exercise and animal contact are surprising, helping with mental and physical health in unexpected ways.

In this collection of anecdotes from the announcers of pro football, the Voices reminisce about a time before television, when the NFL was just making its floundering start and college ball held all the attraction. With the spread of television broadcasting, the Voices gain faces and the NFL gains an audience. Recall with the broadcasters the excitement of pivotal moments, the glory of the victors, and the great men who coached those champions. With their love of the work and lots of lighthearted memories about everything from the Heidi game to the glory of Green Bay to the birth of "Monday Night Football," these men and women bring football to life.

FEATURING A FOREWORD FROM MARK CAVENDISH AND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM GERAINT THOMAS, CHRIS FROOME AND ROD ELLINGWORTH.

A rare insight into the heart of pro cycling and the inner workings of the peloton, from Team Sky and Ineos Grenadiers legend, Luke Rowe.

There’s one well-established truth in professional cycling: the strongest always wins. Yet in a sport of champions, victory is only possible as a team. At the heart of that team effort, that unity, is the road captain.

After more than a decade as the pre-eminent road captain in professional bike racing, Luke Rowe reveals here for the first time the intricacies of that role. As he lifts the lid, he provides the ultimate insider’s view on racing tactics and strategy within the professional peloton. He gives readers an unprecedented insight into what exactly is going on within that pulsing mass of athletic power and state-of-the-art machinery, seen through the eyes of the rider tasked with leading his team to glory.

Featuring exhilarating stories from his years at Team Sky and Ineos Grenadiers – where he played a fundamental role in the team’s dominance at the Tour de France, leading Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal to their Tour victories – Luke shows what it’s like to manage a road race unfolding at 60km/h. As he points out, it is ‘like playing chess on wheels’.

Road Captain immerses readers in the team dynamics, tactical complexities and split-second decisions vital to success in professional cycling. It discloses the mental and physical battles taking place within a group of riders, and reveals how the biggest bike races are won.