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Team Player (AI High)
by Jeffrey PrattWhen android teens join humans in high school, nothing will ever be the same. After years of hard work, Danny is finally the starting quarterback for the Fitzgerald Flash. But his senior year takes a turn when an android—Alice—joins the football team. With her advanced physical skills and quick mind, Alice soon shows up nearly every player on the team. If the human players can't figure out how to work with Alice, they may lose their chance at the state championship. Can Danny find a way to bring his team together?
The Ghost Runner (League of the Paranormal)
by Norwyn MacTireThere's more than just team superstition at play here. Ollie's best friend, Nate, has always been one step ahead of him—literally—on their cross country team. At the start of senior year, something seems off with Nate, but it's not until Nate gets hurt, bumping Ollie into the top rank on the team, that Ollie realizes what was wrong. There's a ghost that haunts the lead runner on the team—and now that ghost is coming after Ollie. Will Ollie be able to outrun the Ghost Runner and break the cycle once and for all?
The Paranormal Playbook (League of the Paranormal)
by Vanessa LanangNo matter how hard they work, Mary Joy's basketball team can't win a game. But after one of their losses, she and some of her teammates find an old playbook. They use a few of the new plays in their next game, and to everyone's surprise, crush their opponent. But soon each win is followed by an incident of bad luck for the players—a missing pet, a sprained ankle, a car accident—leading them to believe the playbook is responsible. Soon the team decides winning isn't worth the risk. But how can they stop the playbook before it hurts anyone else?
The Rookie Trap (League of the Paranormal)
by Chris KreieMolly is thrilled when she makes the varsity soccer team. One day before practice, the coach asks her to grab something from the equipment shed, which is on the other side of the school. On her way there, Molly notices another shed and checks if there’s any equipment in it. But as soon as she steps in, the door closes and she finds herself trapped. Her teammates help her out, but they warn her never to go in the shed again. Legend says that those who enter it never come out. Can Molly find out the mystery behind the shed and finally put a stop to it?
The Team Curse (League of the Paranormal)
by Israel KeatsFor as long as Isaac could remember, the Middleton High baseball team hasn't won a single game. So when he tries out as a sophomore and makes the team, he's excited but not surprised. After the first pathetic losses of the season, Isaac starts to get frustrated—why aren't any of his teammates even trying to win? When he confronts them and threatens to quit, they let him in on the secret: the team has been trapped in a curse for generations. Isaac decides to do whatever it takes to put an end to the curse.
Basketball Superstar Kevin Durant (Bumba Books ® -- Sports Superstars Ser.)
by Jon M FishmanBasketball forward Kevin Durant plays for the Golden State Warriors. This title's reader-friendly text, critical-thinking questions, and bright design will attract young fans of Durant and the Warriors.
Football Superstar Aaron Rodgers (Bumba Books ® -- Sports Superstars Ser.)
by Jon M FishmanAaron Rodgers is the star quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. With carefully leveled text and vibrant photos, this title will appeal to young football fans.
Pro-Wrestling Superstar John Cena (Bumba Books ® -- Sports Superstars Ser.)
by Jon M FishmanIn addition to being a superstar wrestler in the WWE, John Cena is also a famous actor. This carefully leveled text with engaging photos and critical-thinking questions will be a hit with young wrestling fans.
Holy Spokes!: A Biking Bible for Everyone
by Rob CoppolilloBiking is cheap, healthy, and can provide easy access into an incredible array of life experiences. In this wide-ranging and quick-hitting guide, author Rob Coppolillo explains how bikes work, why bikes matter (especially today, when gas is expensive and interest in green living is high), and how readers—whatever their level of experience—can indulge their tastes for mountain trails, competitive racing, city exploration, and basic transportation from point A to point B. Profiles from a raucous cast of health, racing, and travel experts shed light on common pitfalls and offer great ideas on pursuing your passions while on two wheels. So take the quiz, pick your bike, and let's get rolling!
Rocket Men: The Black Quarterbacks Who Revolutionized Pro Football
by John EisenbergAn acclaimed sportswriter offers an inside look at the Black quarterbacks whose skill and grit transformed the NFL In Rocket Men, John Eisenberg offers the definitive history of Black quarterbacks in the NFL—men who shaped not only the history of football but the cause of civil rights in America. From early pioneers like Fritz Pollard to groundbreaking modern standouts like Marlin Briscoe and James &“Shack&” Harris, Black quarterbacks had to be twice as good as their white counterparts to get playing time—and even then, many never got that chance. That didn&’t begin to change in earnest until the 1990s and the 2000s, when racist notions about what Black quarterbacks supposedly couldn&’t do began to fade, paving the way for today&’s stars like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. Drawing on deep historical research and exclusive interviews with Black quarterbacks and players, coaches, and talent evaluators who have worked alongside them, Rocket Men is a celebration of the athletes and activists who transformed the game.
Money, Power, Respect: How Women in Sports Are Shaping the Future of Feminism
by Macaela MacKenzieAn inside look at how women athletes are leading the fight for equality—on and off the field Women&’s sports receive a fraction of the airtime allotted for men&’s sports, as well as a fraction of the marketing dollars, media coverage, and training resources. For every dollar that the NBA&’s highest-paid player brings home, the WNBA&’s highest-paid player earns just half a cent. But while misogyny in sports is particularly visible, it&’s not unique. Women athletes face the same sexist barriers found in all career fields: the motherhood penalty, transphobia and misogynoir, underpromotion, and more. But women in sports are fighting back, debunking myths that women aren&’t as skilled, competitive, or capable of generating revenue as men. Drawing on exclusive interviews with prominent athletes—including Allyson Felix, Megan Rapinoe, and Billie Jean King—journalist Macaela Mackenzie shows how women are using sports as a platform for change. As women athletes push for the same things all women want in their careers—money, power, and respect—their wins are showing the rest of us what&’s possible in the fight for equality.
The Fair Chase: The Epic Story of Hunting in America
by Philip DrayAn award-winning historian tells the story of hunting in America, showing how this sport has shaped our national identity.From Daniel Boone to Teddy Roosevelt, hunting is one of America's most sacred-but also most fraught-traditions. It was promoted in the 19th century as a way to reconnect "soft" urban Americans with nature and to the legacy of the country's pathfinding heroes. Fair chase, a hunting code of ethics emphasizing fairness, rugged independence, and restraint towards wildlife, emerged as a worldview and gave birth to the conservation movement. But the sport's popularity also caused class, ethnic, and racial divisions, and stirred debate about the treatment of Native Americans and the role of hunting in preparing young men for war. This sweeping and balanced book offers a definitive account of hunting in America. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the evolution of our nation's foundational myths.
The League: How Five Rivals Created the NFL and Launched a Sports Empire
by John EisenbergThe epic tale of the five owners who shepherded the NFL through its tumultuous early decades and built the most popular sport in America The National Football League is a towering, distinctly American colossus spewing out $13 billion in annual revenue. Yet its current dominance has obscured how professional football got its start. In The League, John Eisenberg reveals that Art Rooney, George Halas, Tim Mara, George Preston Marshall, and Bert Bell took an immense risk by investing in the professional game. At that time the sport barely registered on the national scene, where college football, baseball, boxing, and horseracing dominated. The five owners succeeded only because at critical junctures in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s each sacrificed the short-term success of his team for the longer-term good of the League. At once a history of a sport and a remarkable story of business ingenuity, The League is an essential read for any fan of our true national pastime.
War Fever: Boston, Baseball, and America in the Shadow of the Great War
by Randy Roberts Johnny SmithA "richly detailed" portrait of the three men whose lives were forever changed by WWI-era Boston (Michael S. Neiberg): baseball star Babe Ruth, symphony conductor Karl Muck, and Harvard Law student Charles Whittlesey.In the fall of 1918, a fever gripped Boston. The streets emptied as paranoia about the deadly Spanish flu spread. Newspapermen and vigilante investigators aggressively sought to discredit anyone who looked or sounded German. And as the war raged on, the enemy seemed to be lurking everywhere: prowling in submarines off the coast of Cape Cod, arriving on passenger ships in the harbor, or disguised as the radical lecturing workers about the injustice of a sixty-hour workweek.War Fever explores this delirious moment in American history through the stories of three men: Karl Muck, the German conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, accused of being an enemy spy; Charles Whittlesey, a Harvard law graduate who became an unlikely hero in Europe; and the most famous baseball player of all time, Babe Ruth, poised to revolutionize the game he loved. Together, they offer a gripping narrative of America at war and American culture in upheaval.
Jumpman: The Making and Meaning of Michael Jordan
by Johnny SmithHow Michael Jordan&’s path to greatness was shaped by race, politics, and the consequences of fame To become the most revered basketball player in America, it wasn&’t enough for Michael Jordan to merely excel on the court. He also had to become something he never intended: a hero. Reconstructing the defining moment of Jordan&’s career—winning his first NBA championship during the 1990-1991 season—sports historian Johnny Smith examines Jordan&’s ubiquitous rise in American culture and the burden he carried as a national symbol of racial progress. Jumpman reveals how Jordan maintained a &“mystique&” that allowed him to seem more likable to Americans who wanted to believe race no longer mattered. In the process of achieving greatness, he remade himself into a paradox: universally known, yet distant and unknowable. Blending dramatic game action with grand evocations of the social forces sweeping the early nineties, Jumpman demonstrates how the man and the myth together created the legend we remember today.
The MVP Machine: How Baseball's New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players
by Ben Lindbergh Travis SawchikMove over, Moneyball -- a cutting-edge look at major league baseball's next revolution: the high-tech quest to build better players. As bestselling authors Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik reveal in The MVP Machine, the Moneyball era is over. Fifteen years after Michael Lewis brought the Oakland Athletics' groundbreaking team-building strategies to light, every front office takes a data-driven approach to evaluating players, and the league's smarter teams no longer have a huge advantage in valuing past performance.Lindbergh and Sawchik's behind-the-scenes reporting reveals:How the 2017 Astros and 2018 Red Sox used cutting-edge technology to win the World SeriesHow undersized afterthoughts José Altuve and Mookie Betts became big sluggers and MVPsHow polarizing pitcher Trevor Bauer made himself a Cy Young contenderHow new analytical tools have overturned traditional pitching and hitting techniquesHow a wave of young talent is making MLB both better than ever and arguably worse to watchInstead of out-drafting, out-signing, and out-trading their rivals, baseball's best minds have turned to out-developing opponents, gaining greater edges than ever by perfecting prospects and eking extra runs out of older athletes who were once written off. Lindbergh and Sawchik take us inside the transformation of former fringe hitters into home-run kings, show how washed-up pitchers have emerged as aces, and document how coaching and scouting are being turned upside down. The MVP Machine charts the future of a sport and offers a lesson that goes beyond baseball: Success stems not from focusing on finished products, but from making the most of untapped potential.
Playmakers: How the NFL Really Works (And Doesn't)
by Mike FlorioThe story of a modern NFL that can&’t get out of its own way—and can&’t stop making moneyIn recent decades, the NFL has simultaneously become an athletic, financial, and cultural powerhouse—and a League that can&’t seem to go more than a few weeks without a scandal. Whether it&’s about domestic violence, performance-enhancing drugs, racism, or head trauma, the NFL always seems to be in some kind of trouble. Yet no matter the drama, the TV networks keep showing games, the revenue keeps rising, and the viewers keep tuning in.How can a sports league—or any organization—operate this way? Why do the negative stories keep happening, and why don&’t they ever seem to affect the bottom line? In this wide-ranging book, Mike Florio takes readers from the boardroom to the locker room, from draft day to the Super Bowl, answering these questions and more, and showing what really goes on in the sport that America can&’t seem to quit.Known for his constant stream of new information and incisive commentary, Florio delivers again in this book. With new insights and reporting on scandals past and present, this book will be the talk of the League—whether the League likes it or not.
The Hot Seat: A Year of Outrage, Pride, and Occasional Games of College Football
by Ben Mathis-LilleyA fan&’s search for the truth about American history, human nature, and whether Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh will keep his job Being a University of Michigan football fan should be joyful. Michigan is an elite academic institution whose football team boasts forty-three Big Ten championships. But these days, college football is complicated. The NCAA is corrupt and exploitative, and Michigan keeps losing to Ohio State. It&’s hard not to wonder, as Slate writer and superfan Ben Mathis-Lilley does in this book: Why are we doing this? The Hot Seat is a chronicle of one of the wildest years in Michigan football history, but also a search for the truth about fandom, from the pages of history books to the wilderness of online forums. Is it embarrassing to care about what happens in a game? Why is Jim Harbaugh like that? Is it somehow Thomas Jefferson&’s fault? This book explores all these questions and many more. Against the backdrop of a quickly changing sport and country, The Hot Seat is an exploration of the all-consuming culture of fandom, and why it matters.
How to Beat a Broken Game: The Rise of the Dodgers in a League on the Brink
by Pedro MouraThe inside story of how the Dodgers won their first championship in more than thirty years—but helped cripple the sport of baseball in the processAfter years of frustrating playoff runs, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally reclaimed the World Series trophy after more than thirty years, led by star pitcher Clayton Kershaw, electric outfielder Mookie Betts, and a bevy of impressive young players assembled by team president Andrew Friedman. No team is better positioned to win now and in the future.Yet winning at modern baseball is nothing like it was even twenty years ago. In the years since the famous Moneyball revolution, baseball has grown to look less like a sport than a Wall Street firm that traded its boiler room for a field. Teams relentlessly chase every tiny advantage to win games and make money, even as it hurts fans, TV ratings, and players, courting bigger problems in the long run.This dramatic and insightful book takes you into the clubhouse with the championship players, as well as into the offices where teams constantly seek new ways to win—even when it hurts the game. How to Beat a Broken Game shows not only what it takes to win, but what it will take to save the sport.
The Book of James: The Power, Politics, and Passion of LeBron
by Valerie BabbThe unique social, cultural, and political life of the incomparable LeBron James LeBron James is the hero in two very American tales: one, a success story the nation loves; the other, the latest installment in an ongoing chronicle of American antiblackness. He&’s the poor boy from a &“broken&” home who makes good. He&’s also the poor Black boy from a &“broken&” home who makes good, then at the apex of his career finds &“n*****&” spray-painted across the gate to his home. James has lived in the public eye ever since high school when his extraordinary athletic skills subjected his every action, every statement, every fashion choice to intense public scrutiny that tells us less about James himself and more about a nation still wrestling with many social inequities. He uses his celebrity not to transcend Blackness, but to give it a place of cultural prominence, and the backlash he receives exposes the frictions between Blackness and a country not fully comfortable with its presence. As a result, James&’s story is a revelatory narrative of how much Blackness is loved, hated, misunderstood, and just plain cool in an America that has changed and yet not changed at all.
My Home Team: A Sportswriter's Life and the Redemptive Power of Small-Town Girls Basketball
by Dave KindredIn this poignant memoir, a legendary sports journalist writes about the team that changed his life: the Morton High School Lady Potters basketball team. Dave Kindred has covered dozens of Super Bowls and written about stars like Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods, and Michael Jordan. But a high-school girls basketball team—the Lady Potters of Morton, Illinois—stands apart from the rest. In this moving and intimate story, Kindred writes about his rise to professional success and the changes that brought him back to his hometown late in life. As he dealt with personal hardship, his urge to write sustained him. For years, he has recapped the games of the Lady Potters, including their many runs to state championships. He attended game after game, sitting in the stands and making notes, paid nothing but Milk Duds. And the team and their community were there for him as he lost a grandson to addiction and his wife to long-term illness. Tender and honest, Kindred&’s story reminds readers what sports are really about. He trades in the exhausting spectacle of Super Bowl Sunday for the joy of togetherness, the fire of competition, and the inexhaustible hope for victory tomorrow.
Once a Giant: A Story of Victory, Tragedy, and Life After Football
by Gary MyersThe inside story of the Super Bowl champion 1986 Giants, the extraordinary friendships that resulted--and stunning revelations about the hardships they faced, based on new interviews with Bill Parcells, Phil Simms, Mark Bavaro, and Bill Belichick. The 1986 New York Giants are legendary. A championship team coached by Bill Parcells and his wunderkind assistant Bill Belichick, featuring future Hall of Famers and All-Pros like Phil Simms, Lawrence Taylor, Mark Bavaro, and Harry Carson. They were dominant on the field and formed a unique and lasting bond off of it. More than thirty years later, it's the friendships that have proved more important--a matter of life and death. In Once a Giant, bestselling football writer Gary Myers tells the story of that team and what became of it. Gridiron glory eventually faded; chronic pain, addiction, and in some cases crimes have followed. Many football players face these harsh realities, but the Giants have confronted and survived them together. With unprecedented access, Myers dives into such issues as Mark Bavaro's battle with injuries, the breakup and reconciliation of Parcells and Belichick, and Lawrence Taylor's struggles with sobriety. He creates a never-before-seen portrait of the team's run to the title, and their even more challenging fight to live after it ended.
The Names Heard Long Ago: How the Golden Age of Hungarian Soccer Shaped the Modern Game
by Jonathan WilsonThe story of the vibrant and revolutionary soccer culture in Hungary that, on the eve of World War II, redefined the modern game and launched a new era.In the early 1950s, the Hungarian side was unbeatable, winning the Olympic gold and thrashing England in the Match of the Century. Their legendary forward, Ferenc Puskás, was one of the game's first international superstars. But as Jonathan Wilson reveals in The Names Heard Long Ago, this celebrated era was in fact the final act of the true golden age of Hungarian soccer.In Budapest in the 1920s and 1930s, a new school of soccer emerged that became one of the most influential in the game's history, shaped by brilliant players and coaches who brought mathematical rigor and imagination to the style of play. But with the onset of World War II, many were forced into exile, fleeing anti-Semitism and the rise of fascism.Yet their legacy endured. Against the backdrop of economic and political turmoil between the wars, and in spite of extraordinary odds, Hungary taught the world to play.
The Victory Machine: The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty
by Ethan Sherwood StraussHow money, guts, and greed built the Warriors dynasty -- and then took it apartThe Golden State Warriors dominated the NBA for the better part of a decade. Since the arrival of owner Joe Lacob, they won more championships and sold more merchandise than any other franchise in the sport. And in 2019, they opened the doors on a lavish new stadium.Yet all this success contained some of the seeds of decline. Ethan Sherwood Strauss's clear-eyed exposé reveals the team's culture, its financial ambitions and struggles, and the price that its players and managers have paid for all their winning. From Lacob's unlikely acquisition of the team to Kevin Durant's controversial departure, Strauss shows how the smallest moments can define success or failure for years.And, looking ahead, Strauss ponders whether this organization can rebuild after its abrupt fall from the top, and how a relentless business wears down its players and executives. The Victory Machine is a defining book on the modern NBA: it not only rewrites the story of the Warriors, but shows how the Darwinian business of pro basketball really works.
Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between
by Eric NusbaumA story about baseball, family, the American Dream, and the fight to turn Los Angeles into a big league city.Dodger Stadium is an American icon. But the story of how it came to be goes far beyond baseball. The hills that cradle the stadium were once home to three vibrant Mexican American communities. In the early 1950s, those communities were condemned to make way for a utopian public housing project. Then, in a remarkable turn, public housing in the city was defeated amidst a Red Scare conspiracy.Instead of getting their homes back, the remaining residents saw the city sell their land to Walter O'Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Now LA would be getting a different sort of utopian fantasy -- a glittering, ultra-modern stadium.But before Dodger Stadium could be built, the city would have to face down the neighborhood's families -- including one, the Aréchigas, who refused to yield their home. The ensuing confrontation captivated the nation - and the divisive outcome still echoes through Los Angeles today.