Football History

Liverpool and Manchester. Two gloriously independent-minded, eclectic, culturally vibrant places—two cities, both alike in dignity. Yet the inhabitants dislike each other with a passion that is visceral. It is a divide that spans generations, across class and ethnicity. It is a divide that has grown over the years, largely driven by one thing: football. The dark, malignant loathing shared by the followers of Liverpool and Manchester United has seeped into every aspect of life in the two cities.

Spies on the Sidelines: The High-Stakes World of NFL Espionage details the collection techniques that NFL teams utilize to gather information on their opponents in order to gain a game-day advantage, as well as the countermeasures used to defend against them. The book spans the entire history of the league and contains anecdotes from every NFL team. Topics include spying on practices, stealing paperwork and signals, debriefing personnel that switch teams, listening devices, headset tampering, elicitation, Spygate, Deflategate, and so much more!

Telling the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team's story in expert prose, Pride of a Nation is a lavish tribute to one of the most beloved teams in sports, revisiting their historic four World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals, as well as unforgettable players across the generations, such as Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Briana Scurry, Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith, Rose Lavelle, Catarina Macario, Mallory Pugh, and more.

Do you want to introduce your child to the world of football in a way that captures their imagination, teaches essential values, and ignites their love for the game—even if they’ve never set foot on the field? Look no further than A Kid’s Guide to Football Legends! This engaging audiobook strikes the perfect balance between fun and learning, offering more than just stats and facts. It’s designed to inspire your young listener with exciting stories, interactive quizzes, and real-life lessons from football’s greatest moments and players.

In Mad Ducks and Bears, George Plimpton's engaging companion to Paper Lion, Plimpton focuses on two of the most entertaining and roguish linemen and former teammates: Alex Karras ("Mad Ducks") and John Gordy ("Bears"), both of whom went on to achieve brilliant post-football success. A more reflective, less madcap audiobook than Plimpton's other work, Mad Ducks and Bears is no less truthful and searching.

University of Miami football is more than national championships, 30-game winning streaks, and being a pipeline to the NFL. It’s the Gator Flop, defeating Tulane on a fifth down, and playing three games in eight days. It’s converting third and 44 against Notre Dame, Michael Irvin talking smack with Florida State’s Deion Sanders, and Vinny Testaverde being sacked by hamburgers.

Soccer has been America's Sport of the Future since 1972. The Men in Blazers are two English-born, soccer-obsessed broadcasters who have savored the dizzying growth of the game along with millions of Americans, as if it was a rollicking, sporting telenovela playing out in real life. Written in such a way that fully immerses Americans in the history and culture of the world's game, their Encyclopedia Blazertannica relives the careers of such greats such as George Best, Maradona, Beckham...and Alexi Lalas.

Get ready to kick back, relax, and indulge in a laughter-filled journey through the world of soccer's funniest moments. In Kicks and Giggles: Interesting Stories from Soccer History, prepare to be entertained as we explore the lighter side of the beautiful game. From bizarre world records that defy logic to comical mishaps on the pitch, this book is a delightful collection of side-splitting stories and amusing anecdotes that will leave you in stitches. Discover the mischievous pranks played by players, uncover the peculiar traditions and superstitions of the sport, and relish in the ...

Against the backdrop of the call to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, the National Women’s Football League was founded as something of a gimmick. However, their star team, the Toledo Troopers, emerged to challenge traditional gender roles and amass a win-loss record never before or since achieved in American football. The players were housewives, factory workers, hairdressers, former nuns, high school teachers, bartenders, mail carriers, pilots, and would-be drill sergeants. Most of all, they were athletes who had been denied the opportunity to play a game they were born to play.

The stunning victory of the upstart New York Jets over the stalwart Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III transformed the NFL and established the Super Bowl as America s premier sporting event. While attending a banquet at the Miami Touchdown Club honoring his selection as the AFL s MVP, the brash Joe Nameth guaranteed a Jets victory in the forthcoming Super Bowl III and invoked a maelstrom of media attention.

MBS is the untold story of how one man fought his way to the summit of power in Saudi Arabia, the wealthiest country in the Middle East and a key ally of the United States. Even in his youth as an obscure prince among the vast Saudi royal family, Mohammed bin Salman nurtured sweeping ambitions to accumulate power and reshape his staunchly conservative kingdom and its interactions with the world.

This book has 106 questions of interesting trivia and fun facts on baseball, basketball, American football, and Olympic questions to keep you entertained.

Long before their first Super Bowl victory in 2003, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did something no NFL team had ever done before and that none will ever likely do again: They lost 26 games in a row. It started in 1976, in their first season as an expansion team, and it lasted until the penultimate game of the 1977 season, when they defeated Archie Manning and the New Orleans Saints on the road. It was the beginning of a new streak for a team that had come to be called "The Yucks".

Soccer Coaching: The Impact of VAR in Professional Soccer is an insightful exploration of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system's journey in the realm of professional soccer. It starts with the initial conceptualization of VAR, its global adoption, and the mechanics of its operation. The book delves into how VAR has been integrated by soccer's governing bodies, including FIFA and UEFA, supported by case studies from notable tournaments. Readers will find a candid discussion on the controversial moments in VAR history and their influence on the sport and public opinion. Furthermore, the ...

Ever met a boy whose heart beats faster at the roar of a football stadium? If you know a 9-12-year-old with eyes wide at touchdown replays? Does your son, grandson, or nephew re-enact the famous moves of legendary players whenever they have a ball to hand?

Alfredo Di Stéfano, Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta, Juan Román Riquelme, Lionel Messi...Argentina has produced some of the greatest footballers of all time. But the rich, volatile history of Argentinian football is made up of both the sublime and the ruthlessly pragmatic. Jonathan Wilson, having lived there on and off during the last decade, is ideally placed to chart the sport's development in a country that, perhaps more than any other, lives and breathes football, its theories and its myths.

In 2014, David Goldblatt published The Game of Our Lives, an exhaustive and critically-acclaimed ‘state of the nation’ account of the UK told through the prism of football. A William Hill Award-winner, the book was described by historian David Kynaston as ‘enlightening, enriching and exceptional’, and Goldblatt was consequently heralded by Dominic Sandbrook in the Sunday Times as possibly the greatest football historian there has ever been.

Welcome to the School of Soccer! Dive into a world where soccer is more than a game—it's a lesson in dreams, perseverance, and triumph. "Inspiring Soccer Stories for Kids" invites young readers to discover the lives of 28 soccer legends who exemplify resilience and success. From Pelé and Ronaldinho’s iconic moves to Messi and Ronaldo’s relentless drive, these stories go beyond the pitch, offering lessons every child can apply to their life.

The Victorians invented mass entertainment. As the 19th century's growing industrialized class acquired the funds and the free time to pursue leisure activities, their every whim was satisfied by entrepreneurs building new venues for popular amusement. Contrary to their reputation as dour, buttoned-up prudes, the Victorians reveled in these newly created "palaces of pleasure".

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of America's most beloved sporting event - the Super Bowl - an authoritative collection of the most pivotal plays through the decades, compiled by the legendary Jerry Rice.