African American Sports

Available once again for a new generation of audiences, the second volume in Arthur Ashe’s epic trilogy that chronicles the remarkable legacy of Black athletes in the United States—a major addition to our understanding of American history and the fulfillment of this legendary sports star and global activist’s lifelong dream.

Among these biographies, listeners will find aviators and artists, politicians and pop stars, athletes and activists. The exceptional men featured include artist Aaron Douglas, civil rights leader John Lewis, dancer Alvin Ailey, filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, musician Prince, photographer Gordon Parks, tennis champion Arthur Ashe, and writer James Baldwin.

Coach Shegog, as we still call him today, is one of the oldest living people with HIV. He received his diagnosis in 1986, five years before Magic Johnson. Treatment and outcomes during this time were so poor that contracting the virus was a death sentence. Coach Shegog lost numerous loved ones to the virus and he suffered multiple bouts with the often fatal opportunistic pneumonias. ˃˃˃ Yet he persisted. Driven by his passion for wrestling, he needed to make sure his students were on track with their classes, able to graduate high school, and ready to continue their postgraduate pursuits...

Three months after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, prizefighters Charles "Sonny" Liston and Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. stepped into a boxing ring in Miami to dispute the heavyweight championship of the world. Liston was a mob fighter with a criminal past, and rumors were spreading that Clay was not just a noisy, bright-eyed boy blessed with more than his share of the craziness of youth, but a believer in a shadowy cult: the Nation of Islam. Instead of a hero and a villain, boxing had served up two bad guys.

Tackling the Everyday shows how college football particularly harms the young Black men who are overrepresented on gridirons across the country. Although coaches and universities constantly invoke the misleading "football family" narrative, this book describes how a brotherhood among Black players operates alongside their caring mothers, who support them on and off the field. With a Black feminist approach—one that highlights often-overlooked voices—Canada exposes how race, gender, kinship, and care shape the lives of the young athletes who shoulder America's favorite game.

A powerful telling of the first African-American heavyweight champion, this story portrays how a shy, fearful young man learned to fight back and become one of history's more compelling personalities. Children will be awed and inspired by the boxer's energy and drive which is duly reflected through the rhythmic text and excellent narration.

During the 1980s, Black athletes and other athletes of color broadened the popularity and profitability of major college televised sports by infusing games with a "Black style" of play. At a moment ripe for a revolution in men's college basketball and football, clashes between "good guy" white protagonists and bombastic "bad boy" Black antagonists attracted new fans and spectators. And no two teams in the 1980s welcomed the enemy's role more than Georgetown Hoya basketball and Miami Hurricane football. The Hoyas and the 'Canes made the bad-boy image look good. Pop culture took notice.

Available once again for a new generation of listeners, the third and final volume in Arthur Ashe’s epic trilogy that chronicles the remarkable legacy of Black athletes in the United States—a major addition to our understanding of American history and the fulfillment of this legendary sports star and global activist’s lifelong dream.

Pretending to date my brother’s best friend unleashes real passions. In this forbidden game of hearts, opposites attract, and friends become lovers. Sabrina My dream job hinges on pretending to be Justin Taylor's girlfriend. The grumpy NBA heartthrob is my brother's best friend—a guy I never thought could be mine. As we fake intimacy, real emotions surface. His touch ignites a fire, and his smile unravels my insecurities. Justin Curves that defy my control. A writer who drives me insane. Forced proximity in my mansion was never this tempting. She's my best friend's socially awkward ...

Gymnast Simone Biles won four Olympic gold medals in 2016, and she plans to compete at the Olympics again in 2021. Engaging text and critical-thinking questions will make this book a hit with young gymnastics fans.

The first woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, there was no one like Effa Manley in the sports world of the 1930s and 1940s. She was a sophisticated woman who owned a baseball team. She never shrank from going head to head with men, who dominated the ranks of sports executives. That her life story remained unchronicled for so long can only be attributed to one thing: her team, the Newark Eagles, belonged to the Negro Leagues. Author James Overmyer brings to light new details regarding Effa Manley's fascinating story.

David Falkner, noted author of five previous books about baseball, deftly portrays the rise to stardom of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play on a major-league team in baseball’s modern era. As Falkner traces the development of Robinson’s natural skill and tireless dedication, he focuses on the strengths that earned Robinson a unique place on the diamond and in the struggle for civil rights. This compelling biography illuminates a critical intersection of sports and cultural history.

Emilia Cruz has a crush on her best friend, Drake Johnson. They’ve been friends for over fifteen years, and through that time, Emilia always struggled to find a way to explain how she truly felt about Drake, until she learns that she might lose a chance to express her feelings for him when he takes a job in London. To keep Drake in her life, she challenges him to a race. If she wins, he stays, if he wins, he leaves. With the rules set, can she win the race for her chance at love? Running for Love is a short interracial romance story. It is only 2,800 words.

On August 14, 2016, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick began a protest when he refused to stand for the national anthem. He wanted to make a statement about the oppression of people of color in the United States after he had spent a summer speaking out against police brutality. After playing professional football for six seasons, that would become Colin Kaepernick's last season in the NFL, but he would go on to become one of the most prominent activists of today.

It is crazy how hard it is to give up a good thing. I have been dating NFL Quarterback Tanner Wilson for years now, but we have never been "official". Every time I try to break it up, he just throws money at me. Or a new car. Or a new apartment. And like a fool, I always go back to being one of his "bitches". The benefits are just too damn good. But this time it is going to be different. This time I have a trick up my sleeve and that handsome football star is not going to know what has hit him.

This audiobook tells the life story of Jackie Robinson and his pro baseball career.

Did you know that Muhammad Ali was so terrified of flying on planes that he would bring a parachute? Or that he won the Presidential Medal of Freedom? Bet you didn’t know that he had an official sweat-taster to determine how salty his sweat was after each match! Siblings Paige and Turner do - and they’ve collected some of the most unusual and surprising facts about him, from his childhood and the spark of his boxing career through his time as heavyweight champion of the world.

For nearly 15 years NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture has been a leading scholarly journal of baseball history. Covering the cultural and historical implications of America’s national pastime, NINE has explored baseball from the earliest matches and little-known players of the 1800s to the modern billion-dollar industry and its superstars of today. Here, gathered for the first time, are the best essays from NINE that center on the complex and multifaceted topic of African Americans in baseball.

After moving to America, Nick Wideman - son of a Greek sprinter and an American pole vaulter - is dumbfounded when he is criticized by the black community and ostracized by whites for transferring to all-black Central High School in an attempt to join a nationally acclaimed 400-meter relay team, whose runners are so fast they are called Rocket Men. A school-boy's crush on pretty brown Mia Hunter only adds fuel to the fire as Nick battles reverse discrimination and stiff competition to make the team.

Discover the inspiring story of Jesse Owens - African American track-and-field athlete and Olympic gold medalist - in this fascinating kids' biography. Jesse Owens is one of the most famous athletes of all time, but he experienced discrimination throughout his athletic career, such as having to stay at a different hotel to his teammates, because of the color of his skin. However, he went on to win an incredible four gold medals at the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games.