The brilliant autobiography from the ‘saviour of Nike’

If you’re a sneaker head, you know him as the Savior of Nike. If you’ve watched Air you saw Matt Damon’s portrayal of the man who discovered Michael Jordan and how he revolutionized the payment structure of endorsements for athletes. Legends and Soles tells Sonny’s story – his blind-sided firing by Nike Chairman Phil Knight, the landmark 2021 Supreme Court decision that upended big-time college sports, the countless days and nights of watching athletes compete, and so much more that only Sonny can retell.

Written in collaboration with six-time New York Times bestselling author Armen Keteyian, Legends and Soles provides truth to storylines and headlines including:

· Vaccaro’s pivotal role in the never-before-told story of the courting and signing of Michael Jordan
· How Nike, at the behest of an embittered Knight, went as far as having the Portland FBI investigate Vaccaro who was working for archival Adidas on a RICO charge of corporate espionage
· His close relationships with NBA superstars Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady and Hall of Fame coaches Jerry Tarkanian of UNLV and John Thompson of Georgetown
· The high stakes drama behind the O’Bannon lawsuit that changed the entire landscape in college sports
· Filled with in-depth stories and photos illuminating some of Sonny’s most treasured career memories, Legends and Soles is the long-awaited memoir of a giant in the story of American sports.

When author Steven P. Locke was a twelve-year-old boy growing up in Canal Winchester, Ohio, he witnessed something extraordinary-a championship football season, coached by his father Mike, that for a brief moment captivated a small Ohio town.

A combination memoir and sports history, "Little Locke and the Mighty Indians of 1975" chronicles the high school football team's winning year from the perspective of the coach's son. It paints a portrait of the town and its people as it was at the time-the way people lived, the music they listened to, the television shows they watched, their politics, and the mores of the time. It also focuses on the ten-game season-how football was practiced and played, the grueling nature of two-a- days, his father's coaching style, the growing attention paid to the team as each victory led to more pressure to succeed the following week, and the town that followed and cheered them on in summer heat, driving rain, bitter cold, and disappointment.

A snapshot of a town, its people, and their way of life in the second half of the twentieth century, "Little Locke and the Mighty Indians of 1975" provides a firsthand look into the sense of wonderment and excitement of the experience from the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy

I had no money, could get no floats, my navigation was uncertain, plane inadequate. A true story filled with danger, adventure and achievement, Alone Over The Tasman Sea is Sir Francis Chichester's telling of his 1931 seaplane solo-flight over the Tasman Sea from New Zealand to Australia - the first of its kind. Told with dry wit and humour, Chichester recounts his perilous journey across uncharted sea and between remote islands, and how he overcame the many obstacles along the way. During an era when flight was still in its dangerous infancy, Chichester's pure reliance on his friends Instinct and Reason make this a fascinating tale of risk-taking, perseverance and courage.

It was a beautiful day. There was fresh powder on the mountain because it had snowed the night before. Olympic hopeful Aubrie Mindock and her brother Austin were out flying down the mountain when all of a sudden Aubrie took a fall. She was thrown in the air like a rag doll. Her ski pole stabbed her in the lung, causing ribs to break and her to stop breathing. Seconds felt like hours and Aubrie laid motionless on the snow, fighting for air. Finally she was able to take her first breath but she was still not out of the woods. Aubrie's right knee was crushed, making it hard to get to safety. Find out how Aubrie saves her life and gets back up to the sport that she almost lost.

The Power of "TEAM" is the true life story of Nancy Fudacz-Burrows, Joel Burrows, David Kuhnau and their two year quest to become international team champions in one of the most grueling endurance races on earth. Carrying survival gear, clothing and food on their backs, competitors in each of these 150 mile foot races faced four separate deserts on four different continents. Each race in the series challenged each competitor with the equivalent of four marathons in four days, with one brutal stage set at 50 or more miles. In total 150 miles, running across sand and rock, climbing dunes and mountains with almost 30 pounds of equipment in tow. The Power of "TEAM" describes the life and near-death journey some of the world's best athletes faced in the extreme heat and cold of the desert. The altitude and temperature swings of the Atacama Desert in Chile, the varying terrain of China's Gobi Desert and the constant 120 degree temperatures of the Sahara, forced each runner to redefine the definition of mental and physical "limits." The final reward for conquering these three desert challenges, was an invitation to "The Last Desert" in Antarctica. Nancy-Fudacz-Burrows, Joel Burrows and David Kuhnau of "Team Illinois" emerged as champions of the "4 Deserts" series, but even stronger teammates and friends. Read how their lessons learned, can be your inspiration.

"From Sports Fan to Sportscaster" is written as if told to you over dinner. The stories are first-hand accounts of working as a Sportscaster at various sporting events. You will feel what it is like to be in the winning clubhouse of a playoff baseball team. You will learn what goes on when covering a sport and how headlines are made. For the sports fan who always dreamed of meeting athletes, announcing the big game or hosting a radio show...allow the author to show you what it would be like.

Praise for Eddie Jones 'A genuine super-coach' - The Sunday Times 'His gifts of leadership and organisation are remarkable' - The Daily Mail Eddie Jones is one of the most successful sports coaches of all time. From coaching three different nations to Rugby World Cup finals and enjoying a winning record with England of nearly 80 per cent, he knows what's needed to lead and manage high performance teams. For the first time, Eddie reveals what it takes to operate in high pressure environments, the successes and setbacks, and how these lessons can be applied to every walk of life, from coaching a children's sports team to leading a multinational organization to simply doing your job better. Forthright and unflinchingly honest, Eddie Jones reveals what he has learnt from Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola, as well as from the founder of Uniqlo and Ron Adams of the NBA. Drawing on stories from nearly thirty years of coaching, Eddie explains how you need humour, humility and relentless curiosity to lead an eclectic mix of superstars - from Maro Itoje to James Haskell, George Smith to Kyle Sinckler - and create teams that are relentlessly hungry to win. Leadership is the ultimate rugby book about what it takes to be the best. Written with Donald McRae, two-time winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, Leadership is the book for anyone who wants to learn how to build and lead a team to success.

Francis Chichester's name is synonymous with the spirit of adventure and courage at its highest level. Before taking to the sea, Chichester made a firm reputation for himself as an aviation pioneer. Ride on the Wind is the story of his adventures with his sea-plane, Elijah. After flying from London to Sydney, he simply decided to look for 'the most interesting countries I could find, uninhabited, hostile, or little known'. From Sydney, he embarked on an epic flight that included crossing into forbidden territory in Formosa in a raging storm, a narrow escape from Chinese pirates, another from a typhoon, and a spectacular crash in Japan - a remarkable achievement for a solo amateur pilot. A thrilling adventure and the story of a man's journey alone in a plane for several months, above uncharted territory, Ride on the Wind is at its heart a fascinating and vibrant record of a world that was once very different.

f you've had more obstacles than breaks in your life or if your best efforts seem like they will never be enough, Cynthia Cooper knows where you've been.

Long before she led the WNBA's Houston Comets to two consecutive championships and twice won the ESPY Award for Women's Pro Basketball player of the year, Cynthia faced a life of poverty and frustration, hungering for dreams that seemed way out of reach. Now she tells her story - a personal odyssey of inspiration, perspiration, and hope...She Got Game

A shy, quiet girl, Cynthia grew up in the Watts section of Los Angeles, unsure of herself and what she wanted. Her only role model was her courageous, determined mother, who was raising eight children by herself, working two jobs, and facing one hardship after another. When Cynthia discovered basketball at age fifteen, she found the skill and the purpose that would bring her a college scholarship to USC, make her a two-time NCAA champion - and teach her how to deal with her fears and insecurities both on and off the court. But it wasn't easy. Cynthia dropped out of school, was forced to cope with her brother's death, and often found herself still playing in the shadows of others.

Then, during eleven years on the grueling European professional basketball circuit, she refined her strengths while adapting to a whole new culture. And now, as the premier player of the Houston Comets, she has learned how to handle the stresses - and joys - of leadership. When her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, Cynthia discovered the day-to-day courage needed to help her mother battle the most formidable of opponents. And all of her experiences inspired her to go beyond sports and reach out to young people - she has been hailed as one of today's most stirring motivational speakers.

This is the biography of an underdog, of a girl who started way behind everybody else but who kept working, striving, clinging, and hanging on to her dream. With the "never, ever quit" spirit of Cynthia herself, She Got Game not only shares her deeply personal journey, but helps you to draw on your own energy and deepest desires to win in the ultimate game of life.

SHE GOT GAME was written by Cynthia Cooper with Russ Pate, a freelance writer and author of numerous books. He lives in Dallas, Texas.

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halala.com: African American books and authors from Time Warner Trade Publishing

'The emotional pain of failing just felt like it was going to be a bit worse than the physical pain of carrying on ... ' Attempting to break long-distance running records used to be an underground endeavour, until the virus-stricken summer of 2020 came along. Only a few, such as the Bob Graham Round in the Lake District, had ever broken into mainstream consciousness. But an absence of running races thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in an unprecedented rise in the popularity of attempts at breaking these records. In Broken, Ally Beaven takes an entertaining look at just why 2020 was so unusual for long-distance running. With his interest in Fastest Known Times (FKTs) piqued, Beaven immerses himself in the scene. His summer becomes one of spending hours in the hills feeding, cajoling and generally trying to keep safe the runners he is supporting, as well as following the dots of live trackers in the middle of the night and endlessly refreshing his Twitter feed as records tumble around the country. Through the stories of John Kelly's epic Grand Round, Beth Pascall's record-shattering Bob Graham Round, Donnie Campbell's mind-bending new mark for bagging all 282 Munros, Jo Meek's new overall record for the Nigel Jenkins Dartmoor Round and many others, Beaven brings us an inside look at the incredible FKT machine. Broken is the story of the summer of 2020, a historic time for running in the UK.

Sir Francis Chichester, adventurer, entrepreneur, aviation expert and record breaking sailor, is probably best known as the first man to sail solo around the world, in 1966-67. In this captivating memoir, first published in 1930, he tells of another solo journey taken around the world nearly four decades earlier, by air in a De Haviland Gypsy Moth. He recounts the story of how he set out from Brooklands Surrey in November 1929 with the aim of breaking Bert Hinkler's fifteen and a half day solo flight record to Australia. Filled with details of the countries he visits, the characters he meets and his hours in the plane, along with detours, scrapes and near misses along the way. Told with wonderful warmth and humour Sir Chichester brings to life his exciting account of aviation history.

Skydiving and drug smuggling pioneer Roger Nelson lives life out of the box. Fueled by a love for adrenaline and adventure, Roger goes after everything he wants with gusto. But now Roger is ready to retire from smuggling. With a parachute center to run and a family to raise, Roger knows it is time to stop the cat-and-mouse games he has been playing with the authorities for years.

He and his longtime partner, Hanoi, plan one final run to Belize, where they intend to fill their Douglas DC-3 with enough cannabis to set them up for life. But then Hanoi dies in a plane crash in an attempt to make some "legitimate bucks" flying fish in Alaska while they wait for the growing season to end.

Left without a partner or plane, Roger remains determined to return to his family for good. To do so, he decides to stay true to himself and follow through with his retirement run. Roger must rely on a colorful cast of characters and the most unlikely airplane for a gig ever-Sugar Alpha, the legendary DC-3 with the secret fuel tanks and not-so-secret paint job-to help him complete the most daring run in the history of smuggling.

Why would anybody want to jump out of a perfectly good, functioning airplane? Ask any sport parachutist in the world that question and you may find a different answer every time. For Dick Fortenberry, his love of parachuting began long before he joined the US Army at age eighteen and attended jump school with the 77th Special Forces Group. In his fascinating memoir about his journey to eventually becoming one of the original members of the Golden Knights, Fortenberry describes the rigorous training that led up to his first jump and to receiving the coveted silver wings on his chest, the parachute patch on his hat, and "Airborne" on his shoulders. As Fortenberry chronicles the details of how he rapidly excelled in the sport of skydiving, he offers an exciting glimpse of what it was like to feel the wind in his hair, the adrenaline as he quickly approached the ground, and the fear when his parachute malfunctioned. "No ETA: The Pioneering Days of Skydiving" shares the intriguing personal story of one man's journey in the early days of sport parachuting that ultimately led to three world championships and an appearance on the cover of "Sports Illustrated."

Barry Bonds has emerged, statistically, as the most feared hitter since Babe Ruth. Bonds, winner of a record six MVP awards, holds the single-season record for home-runs, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and walks, and is the only player ever to have hit 500 home-runs and stolen 500 bases. His statistical performance is beyond reproach, but his public image remains controversial, and recent allegations of steroid use have cast a shadow over his unprecedented accomplishments. This timely book strips away the hype and takes an objective look and Bonds' life and career.

It has been said that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in professional sports. "Baseball's All-Time Greatest Hitters" presents biographies on Greenwood's selection for the 12 best hitters in Major League history, written by some of today's best baseball authors. These books present straightforward stories in accessible language for the high school researcher and the general reader alike. Each volume includes a timeline, bibliography, and index. In addition, each volume includes a Making of a Legend chapter that analyses the evolution of the player's fame and (in some cases) infamy.

An inspiring and innovative guide towards living your best life - made easy - from Venus Williams, one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Throughout Venus Williams' incredible career in tennis, she's been asked almost every question imaginable. What she eats, how she trains, what she does to unwind, and most frequently, how does she manage to do it all?

Venus harnessed a rich blend of hard-won wisdom and core discipline to achieve her goals while keeping a simple promise to herself: to keep things fun. But after being diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disorder that affected her emotional and physical wellness, Venus's vow was put to the test. She came up with the STRIVE strategy--a winning combination of holistic and scientific approaches to wellness and performance that focuses on making self-improvements reachable and sustainable.

In STRIVE, readers will learn how eight tiny but essential tenets can help turn smart choices into habits. And once that happens, you'll forge a lifestyle you return to because you want to, not because you have to-and that's when you start winning.

When Jackie Robinson became the first African American player in major league baseball in 1947, elbowing aside the league's policies of segregation that had been inviolate for 60 years, he became a symbol of opportunity and acceptance for African American players everywhere. Robinson withstood discrimination to establish himself as a Hall of Fame player, and to lead future generations of black players into the previously all-white world of Major League Baseball. Written for students and general readers alike, this biographical encyclopedia chronicles the history of African American baseball through the life stories of the game's greatest players, the legends who played a significant role in the integration of the major league. From Negro League stars Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, to color line shatterer Jackie Robinson, and those who followed them in the limelight, such as Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, readers will learn how the inclusion of African American players in Major League Baseball improved the sport and race relations in the United States during this critical period in history. Comprehensive biographical entries also include: BLBuck O'Neil Judy Johnson BLBuck Leonard BLCool Papa Bell BLRoy Campanella BLLarry Doby BLMonte Irvin BLWillie McCovey BLErnie Banks BLElston Howard BLMinnie Minoso BLFrank Robinson BLBob Gibson BLCurt Flood Providing detailed accounts of each player's amazing professional achievements, this insightful reference describes how the spectacular talents of African American players elevated Major League Baseball forever. Features include a timeline of important events, numerous photographs, and a bibliography of print and electronic sources for further reading.

In Cold Water immerses the reader in the challenges, sights, sounds, triumphs and disappointments of swimming the English Channel--and one man's fixation on the feat. First conquered in 1875 by Matthew Webb, the choppy, 22-mile Channel presents one of the supreme endurance challenges in all of sports. With nothing but a basic swimsuit, pair of goggles, a swim cap, and a goal, swimmers leave Dover Harbor in England and battle their way through frigid waters, mercurial weather, jellyfish, and unrelenting ship traffic. They swim through sunrises and sunsets powered by sheer will and specially formulated energy feeds. And if physical and mental conditions go their way, they walk out of the water in France. Mike Humphreys has swum the swim several times--and though he's yet to achieve his goal, he's amassed a fascinating book full of personal experiences, history, stories of other Channel swimmers, and lore surrounding the sport. For sports active adherents, armchair swimmers and athletes of every stripe, or even just those fascinated by the challenge of English Channel swimming, In Cold Water makes fascinating and inspiring reading.