July 1966: The dreams of an Iranian political correspondent are shattered to pieces when he is informed that instead of flying to Saigon, he will have to travel to London to report on the World Cup. To him, this is an insignificant matter at a time when the world is silently burning in the flames of wars and in the coldness of the Cold War. However, to his surprise, he finds football to be a new global language. World Cup 1966, in particular, appears to be reuniting people all over the glo...

Drawing on his work with some of the top teams in professional sports, noted sport psychology consultant Gary Mack shares with you the same techniques and exercises he uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle." These 40 accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes will help you gain the "head edge" over the competition.

Bill Belichick is one of the titans of today’s game of football. Now, sports commentator and bestselling author Michael Holley follows three NFL teams—the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and Atlanta Falcons—from training camp 2010 through the Super Bowl and into the April draft, opening a new window into Belichick’s influence on the game. This one-of-a-kind exploration takes football fans behind the scenes of the most popular sport in America, with unprecedented insider access to...

"A beautiful story, expertly told." -- Per Mertesacker, Arsenal defender and member of the German national team, winners of the 2014 World CupEstáo do Maracan", July 13, 2014, the last ten minutes of extra time in the World Cup Final: German forward Mario Gö jumps to meet a floated pass from Andr' Schü cushions the ball with his chest, and in one fluid motion volleys the ball past the onrushing Argentine goalkeeper into the far corner of the net. The goal wins G...

There are very few coaches held higher esteem than Bo Schembechler. As coach of the University of Michigan football team, he won 13 Big Ten titles and finished as the winningest coach in their storied history. But beyond the wins and losses, Bo is best remembered for the remarkable impact he had on his players and fans alike.In Bo's Lasting Lessons, the coach draws on his years of experience, using first-person anecdotes to deliver timeless lessons on leadership, motivation and res...

How many great catches have there been in the history of the NFL? Hundreds? Thousands? Mention "The Catch,"though, and fans will think of only one: Joe Montana to Dwight Clark, the NFC Championship game, the Dallas Cowboys vs. the San Francisco 49ers, January 10, 1982. It changed the game and The Game. This is the story of the pieces that fell into place to allow it to happen and what it meant to the players, to the fans, and to the future of professional football.Drama like this c...

Professional sports in America: it’s all about fair play and the goal of winning championships. At least that’s the spin. But could it be a massive showbiz operation filled with greedy owners, crooked referees, and coddled players, all with the unstated goal of grabbing as much money as possible?Author Brian Tuohy provides a full-sourced saga of the corruption that has infected the storied histories of the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, and NASCAR.With reality obscured by a complacent...

The controversial, award-winning NFL quarterback shares his life story.Foreword by Tony Dungy, Former NFL head coach for the Indianapolis ColtsOne of the most talented and polarizing athletes of our generation, Michael Vick's stunning story captured news headlines across the nation. From his poverty-stricken youth to his success on the field in high school and college, to his rise to NFL stardom and his fall from grace, Finally Free shows how a gif...

As part of the acclaimed Sports Virtues series, Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo: Compassion discusses the struggles and triumphs of Gale Sayers' and Brian Piccolo's lives. As with each story in the Sports Virtues series, this book assigns a virtue to a celebrated athlete or coach, and uses that person's story to help the reader achieve that virtue for him or herself.What emerges after reading these stories is not only a greater understanding and appreciation of the virtues t...

In the bestselling tradition of Freakonomics and Scorecasting comes a clever and accessible look at the big ideas underlying the science of football.Did you hear the one about the MacArthur genius physicist and the NFL coach? It’s not a joke. It’s actually an innovative way to understand chaos theory, and the remarkable complexity of modern professional football.In Newton’s Football, journalist and New York Times bestsell...

A riveting story of football, wartime, and boys becoming men—from facing off in the 1942 Rose Bowl to serving together in WWII.In the wake of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the 1942 Rose Bowl was moved from Pasadena to Durham, North Carolina, out of fear of Japanese attacks on the West Coast. Duke University faced off against underdog Oregon State College, with both teams preparing for a grueling fight on the football field while their thoughts drifted to the battlefi...

Leeds United AFC was formed in 1919 following the disbanding of Leeds City FC by the Football League. The team took over the Elland Road stadium and have won three First Division League titles, one FA Cup and one League Cup. The club also won two Inter-Cities Fairs cups. The majority of the honours were won under the management of Don Revie in the golden age of the 1960s and ’70s. In Leeds United: A History, author Dave Tomlinson relates the complete and definitive history of the club from...