Showing results for "Stories" in Sports

ECW was one extreme contradiction piled on top of another. It was an incredibly influential company in the world of professional wrestling during the 1990s, yet it was never profitable. It portrayed itself as the ultimate in anti-authority rebellion, but its leadership was, at various points, working covertly with the two wrestling giants, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. Most of all, it blurred the line between real life and the fantasy world of professional wrestling like no other company before it.

On the way home from swim practice, 18-year-old athlete Brian Boyle’s future changed in an instant when a dump truck plowed into his Camaro. He was airlifted to a shock-trauma hospital. He had lost sixty percent of his blood, his heart had moved across his chest, and his organs and pelvis were pulverized. He was placed in a medically-induced coma.

Professional wrestler Ashley Massaro died by suicide in 2019. Ashley vs WWE follows events leading up to her death and examines allegations of abuse while she was wrestling for WWE. As journalist Isobel Thompson delves into Ashley's story, she investigates whether her allegations are just the tip of the iceberg. This story takes Isobel from the UK, to Ashley’s home of Long Island, and into the world of WWE wrestling in the early 2000s - where the power, influence and misogyny of the real world played out through the characters in the ring.

Meb Keflezighi is all about hope and second chances—starting with his very survival. The child of a small African country ravaged by a brutal war, Meb arrived in America with nothing but the clothes on his back, speaking no English and never having raced a mile. So how did he end up an A student, one of the most celebrated and respected athletes of his generation, and winner of the 2009 New York City Marathon?

Brought to you by Penguin. 10,000 miles. 16 countries. 352 days. Hardest Geezer, Russ Cook, is the first person to run the entire length of Africa. From his starting point in Cape Agulhas, South Africa, through sandstorms in the Sahara Desert, rainforests, mountain ranges and long empty roads...

Brought to you by Penguin. With a foreword by McLaren CEO Zak Brown and written with inside access, this is the real-time, unfolding story of one of F1’s greatest ever teams, as they rise back up from oblivion. Few names in motorsports carry the same authority as McLaren and, with their...

Failure Is an Option is the story of an average runner who sets out to discover just how far he can go. With the support (and misgivings) of his family, and aware that his quickest years are behind him, Matt Whyman leaves the Saturday morning 5K to push towards 100-mile ultramarathons and beyond. By slowing things down to run a very long way, he joins a growing number of men and women from all walks of life striving to do something extraordinary.

He defied an empire. He shattered every rule. And America would never forgive him. In 1908, Jack Johnson did the unthinkable—he became the first Black man to win the heavyweight championship of the world. But his victory in the boxing ring was only the beginning of a far more dangerous fight.

Winner of the Sports Book Awards 2022 The huge Sunday Times number one bestselling inspirational memoir from rugby league legend Rob Burrow on his extraordinary career, his incredible friendship with fellow Rhino Kevin Sinfield, and his battle with motor neurone disease. ‘A pocket rocket of a...

A hilarious and, at times, moving and soul-searching account of rugby union’s rollercoaster days in the 1990s, told through the eyes of a player who saw it all as the sport lurched shambolically from the crazy final days of amateurism into the professional era. Martin Bayfield has a story to...

The moving true story of an ordinary Welsh woman who dreamed of breeding a race horse, and Dream Alliance, who defied the odds to become a champion and brought a community together. Janet Vokes was running the bar in her local working men’s club in the small Welsh mining community of Cefn...

The incredible story of two wrestling legends who defined the sport in Britain in its glorious heyday. Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks is a rags-to-riches tale of unlikely fame, family loyalty, tragic death and a uniquely British pop culture phenomenon. From the acclaimed author of Dynamite & Davey: The Explosive Lives of the British Bulldogs. As the 1970s began, Shirley Crabtree (Big Daddy) was a semi-retired wrestler, aged 40; the younger Martin Ruane (Giant Haystacks), a down-on-his-luck father of three.

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of My Story by Steven Gerrard, read Michael Ryan. Steven Gerrard is the former captain of Liverpool football team and of the England national football team, and is the only player ever to have scored in a FA cup final, a league cup...

Daring, flashy, innovative, volatile—no matter what they call him, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of soccer’s brightest stars. A top-scoring striker and captain of the Swedish national team, he has dominated the world’s most storied teams, including Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC...

No tennis player since Andre Agassi has captivated the world like Rafael Nadal. He's a rarity in today's sporting arena - a true sportsman who chooses to let his raw talent, dedication and humility define him. With a remarkable 16 grand slam victories under his belt, and with friend and rival Roger Federer's record haul of 20 in his sights, Nadal is an extraordinary competitor whose ferocity on court is made even more remarkable by his grace off it. This book takes us to the heart of Nadal's childhood, his growth as a player, and his incredible career.

Rachel Ann Cullen’s first book, Running for My Life, described her own marathon journey through depression, bipolar disorder and body dysmorphia, and her revelatory discovery that running could transform her physical and mental well-being. Since hearing from people who had read about her experiences, Rachel wanted to tell some stories of other runners from all around the world—ordinary people living with mental health struggles, dealing with grief, cancer, and other unavoidable life events who have relied on running to get them through their worst days and to keep going.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS 2025 'Fascinating - a great read' - Miriam O'Callaghan 'Brilliant, absolutely terrific' - Matt Cooper With a foreword by Richie Sadlier From the heartbreak of losing his mother to breast cancer at just 12 years old, to battling mental health struggles...

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden is known for his record-breaking run of NCAA championships and for working with some of the best players in the sport. His principles for success have been used by not only coaches and athletes, but also business leaders, entrepreneurs, and others. But his reach stretches even farther than most people know - into the hearts and lives of the people who learned the game of basketball on one of Coach Wooden's forgotten teams. For nearly 20 years, John Wooden ran scores of summer youth basketball camps in California and other states.

In his own words, the heavyweight champion of the world pulls no punches as he chronicles the battles he faced in and out of the ring in this fascinating memoir edited by Nobel Prize-winning novelist, Toni Morrison. Growing up in the South, surrounded by racial bigotry and discrimination, Ali fought not just for a living, but also for respect and rewards far more precious than money or glory. He was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the BBC.

Hodder & Stoughton admire Sir Mo's bravery in revealing his experience of being trafficked as a child. His memoir TWIN AMBITIONS, published in 2013, is based on the story he felt able to tell at the time, which we understood to be the true version of events. It is now clear that Sir Mo did not...