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Never Settle
- Sports, Family, and the American Soul
- Narrated by: Marty Smith
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
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Publisher's summary
The amazing and blessed life of popular ESPN reporter and correspondent for College GameDay Marty Smith, whose mission in this thoughtful and funny memoir is to return fans to the true soul of sports in this country.
You know Marty, right? The guy during College GameDay hanging off the back of a pickup truck while zooming around the Clemson athletic facilities. The guy who visits Nick Saban's lake house and somehow gets Coach to jump in the lake. The guy who sits down with Dale, Jr., at Daytona to talk through tears about his miraculous return to racing. The guy who interviews Tiger Woods, Tim Tebow, Peyton Manning, and Jimmie Johnson - the guy who gets paid to live the fantasy of every sports fan in America.
Never Settle is the funny but oh, it's true story of how Marty got here, and a revealing look at his journey. Never Settle includes all the best stories and behind-the-scenes moments from Marty's wild life, covering topics including: college football, racing, fathers and sons, how sports can bring us together, and how it all goes back to growing up on a farm and playing high school ball in Pearisburg, Virginia.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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Critic reviews
"Marty Smith is fantastic! The thing I really admire is his passion and enthusiasm. Marty is engaged the whole time - he hustles and gets involved emotionally in the stories he tells. He's a great professional, great for college football, and I just have a great admiration for him." (Jim Harbaugh, head football coach, University of Michigan)
"Marty Smith's gift exceeds his power to connect with those he chronicles. For through that connection, with people famous and obscure, with some of the biggest names in sports and others you've never heard of, he conjures moments universal and intimate. This is a book of uncommon humanity - shaped by stories, including Marty's own - rendered in a voice as pure as the soil where it was nurtured." (Tom Rinaldi, national ESPN correspondent and New York Times best-selling author of The Red Bandanna)
"I've known Marty for what seems like our entire lives. He's an extremely hard worker. He's full of life. He's the friend everyone hopes to have. His life's been an incredible journey, and within the pages of Never Settle, you're along for the ride." (Dale Earnhardt, Jr., two-time Daytona 500 champion and New York Times best-selling author of Racing to the Finish)
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Surround Yourself with Greatness takes listeners around the world while looking through the eyes, mind, and heart of Chad Lewis - a once freckle-faced, four-eyed, skinny teenager who at an early age wrote in his journal, “My goal and quest is to surround myself with greatness...only greatness will penetrate the walls of my heart.”
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Chad Lewis is an inspiration
- By J.B. on 02-19-23
By: Chad Lewis
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Dabo's World
- The Life and Career of Coach Swinney and the Rise of Clemson Football
- By: Lars Anderson
- Narrated by: Jamie Renell
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to Dabo's World and learn about how Dabo Swinney used his energy, faith, and determination to turn the Clemson Tigers into a football powerhouse.
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Very Basic Retelling
- By Colonel on 12-31-22
By: Lars Anderson
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Rudy
- My Story
- By: Rudy Ruettiger
- Narrated by: Daniel Butler
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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How does a lower middle class kid, who suffered through school with undiagnosed dyslexia, get into Notre Dame and become the inspiration for millions in a Hollywood film that has become one of the most inspiring sport movies ever made? He never gave up. For the first time, read Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger's real life story and learn the behind-the-scenes details of the ten years it took to make the movie and how that tossed him into a new career of public speaking that continues on stages today alongside world-class leaders and speakers.
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The rest of the story...
- By Deidre on 09-19-12
By: Rudy Ruettiger
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Barkley
- A Biography
- By: Timothy Bella
- Narrated by: Korey Jackson
- Length: 16 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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He's one of the most interesting American athletes in the past fifty years. Passionate, candid, iconoclastic, and gifted both on and off the court, Charles Barkley has made a lasting impact on not only the world of basketball but pop culture at large. Yet few people know the real Charles. Informed by over 370 original interviews and painstaking research, Timothy Bella's Barkley is the most comprehensive biography to date of one of the most talked about icons in the world of sports.
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Great insight to the big man’s life.
- By marci rodee on 07-03-23
By: Timothy Bella
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The Great Nowitzki
- Basketball and the Meaning of Life
- By: Thomas Pletzinger, Shane Anderson - translator
- Narrated by: Charles Constant
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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The seven-foot Dirk Nowitzki is one of the great players in basketball history. With a devastating fadeaway and unexpected agility, the Dallas Mavericks superstar helped to pioneer the modern three-shooting game and became a global ambassador for the sport. Award-winning novelist and sportswriter Thomas Pletzinger traveled with Nowitzki for more than seven years, seeking the secret of his success and longevity. In novelistic detail, Pletzinger tells the dramatic story of how a lanky kid from the German suburbs became a top-five all-time scorer and NBA champion.
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👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
- By Anonymous User on 08-22-24
By: Thomas Pletzinger, and others
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Straight Shooter
- A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes
- By: Stephen A. Smith
- Narrated by: Stephen A. Smith
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Stephen A. Smith has never been handed anything, nor was he an overnight success. Growing up poor in Queens, the son of Caribbean immigrants and the youngest of six children, he was a sports-obsessed kid who faced struggles, from undiagnosed dyslexia to getting enough cereal to fill his bowl. As a basketball player at Winston-Salem State University, he got a glimmer of his true calling when he wrote a newspaper column arguing for the retirement of his own Hall of Fame coach, Clarence Gaines.
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Trash🗑
- By Maurice Davis on 01-25-23
By: Stephen A. Smith
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Sweetness
- The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton
- By: Jeff Pearlman
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 18 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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At five feet ten inches tall, running back Walter Payton was not the largest player in the NFL, but he developed a larger-than-life reputation for his strength, speed, and grit. Nicknamed “Sweetness” during his college football days, he became the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing and all-purpose yards, capturing the hearts of fans in his adopted Chicago.
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Honest Accounting Of A Fascinating Life
- By RevInTampa on 08-19-15
By: Jeff Pearlman
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Friday Night Lights
- A Town, a Team, and a Dream
- By: H. G. Bissinger
- Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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The 25th anniversary edition of the number-one New York Times best seller and Sports Illustrated's best football book of all time, with a new afterword by the author. Return once again to the timeless account of the Permian Panthers of Odessa - the winningest high school football team in Texas history.
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Keep This In Mind When You Listen
- By K. on 09-21-18
By: H. G. Bissinger
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Their Life's Work
- The Brotherhood of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers
- By: Gary M. Pomerantz
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 16 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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The Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s won an unprecedented and unmatched four Super Bowls in six years. A dozen of those Steelers players, coaches, and executives have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and three decades later their names echo in popular memory: "Mean" Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Mike Webster, Jack Lambert, Lynn Swann, and John Stallworth.
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Great Book
- By cap on 07-18-18
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Hear's the Thing
- Lessons on Listening, Life, and Love
- By: Cody Alan
- Narrated by: Cody Alan, Keith Urban
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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For Cody Alan, one of country music’s most famous on-air radio and TV personalities, listening to other people has always been a crucial part of his role. It was by fostering his ability to hear others that he discovered the person he most needed to listen to was himself. Listening ultimately led him on a journey of self-discovery where he found the courage to come out as gay, the openness to question spiritually, and the strength to explore a new definition of parenting and family.
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An Honest Conversation
- By Anonymous User on 12-22-21
By: Cody Alan
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Breaking Free
- My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder
- By: Herschel Walker
- Narrated by: Andre Teamer
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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In Breaking Free, Herschel tells his story - from the joys and hardships of childhood to his explosive impact on college football to his remarkable professional career. And he gives voice and hope to those suffering from DID. Herschel shows how this disorder played an integral role in his accomplishments and how he has learned to live with it today. His compelling account testifies to the strength of the human spirit and its ability to overcome any challenge.
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For Sports Fans Only
- By Karen P. Smith on 04-07-11
By: Herschel Walker
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Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer
- A Journey Into the Heart of Fan Mania
- By: Warren St. John
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Warren St. John decided to find out why people care so much about the outcomes of games they're not playing in by joining a group where the particulars of the fan psyche would show themselves in sharp relief: the caravan of hundreds of RVs that follow the Alabama Crimson Tide across the South, taking over college towns with a moveable feast of Weber grills, karaoke machines, Igloo coolers, and fast-draining liquor bottles.
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Well done
- By James Younger on 10-07-04
By: Warren St. John
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Jeff Gordon
- His Dream, Drive & Destiny
- By: Joe Garner
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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The first-ever authorized biography of Jeff Gordon, the four-time champion racing legend. For over a year, Garner interviewed and observed Gordon at races, at special events, and at home. The book is based on extensive interviews with Gordon - as well as in-depth interviews with dozens of family members, friends, competitors, and colleagues, some of whom have never gone on the record before.
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Great Listen!
- By Q on 12-01-22
By: Joe Garner
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The Boys of Winter
- The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
- By: Wayne Coffey
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Once upon a time, they taught us to believe. They were the 1980 US Olympic hockey team, a blue-collar bunch led by an unconventional coach, and they engineered perhaps the greatest sports moment of the 20th century. Their "Miracle on Ice" has become a national fairy tale, but the real Cinderella story is even more remarkable. It is a legacy of hope, hard work, and homegrown triumph. It is a chronicle of everyday heroes who just wanted to play hockey happily ever after.
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Great, but...
- By S. B. G. on 02-13-18
By: Wayne Coffey
What listeners say about Never Settle
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Chris K.
- 01-15-21
At the corner of passion and preparedness
I have listened to 80+ audio books and this may be my 4th review.
Marty did an outstanding job of narrating and sharing wisdom in an entertaining way that only he can. Well done!
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- Stephen A. Bevans
- 08-17-19
Awesome
Keep kicking ass! Great book! Such a great listen!God bless and much love y’all!
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- Timothy Surrency
- 08-05-21
Came For The NASCAR Stayed For The Wisdom
As a lifelong NASCAR fan it's impossible to not know Marty Smith who covered the sport for well over a decade. His podcast with Ryan McGee was a favorite listen of mine back when they mostly talked NASCAR and old country music stories. While his book Never Settle only focuses about a third of it's pages to Marty's time in NASCAR there is much to be gained from his stories and anecdotes from interviews he has done with some of the world's greatest athletes, coaches and musicians. Part memoir, part inspirational life coaching handbook, part love letter to an often forgotten rural small town America, Never Settle has a plethora of life lessons that even a non sports fan can appreciate. Thanks, Marty!
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- Steven Hennegan
- 11-19-19
Awesome
Marty is a talented story teller. this is filled with stories that will make you think, laugh and appreciate life.
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- Amy Joanides
- 08-12-19
get ready to cry
get ready to cry (in a good way) -- thank you for sharing your heart, Marty.
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- Mitch Wells
- 08-28-19
Eye Opening
Made me take a look at myself and my life. I am now closer to my son than ever before. Thank you
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- Jessica R. M. Williams
- 10-14-19
Life changing and affirming
I just finished this book by Marty Smith. I have always been drawn to him because he talks like me and we were raised the same with the same values.
This book is inspiring and reminds you of what is important in life. Marty has been immensely successful but never forgets his roots and how he was raised. I love the fact that a good ol southern boy is able to share so much about what has guided him through his journey.
The fact that he reads the book puts this over the top. I feel like I’m sitting around talking or listening to folks I grew up with.
I recommend this to anyone but it really speaks to us that are male and in that early 40’s range so much of this is close to what we are experiencing in life right now.
Thank you Marty Smith. Behind the Good Book this book inspires and offers wisdom and a guide for what is important and how to impact the world and make us better.
Thanks
Coach Joshua Williams
Lincoln Charter School, Denver, NC
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- Anonymous User
- 08-13-19
Very inspiring
I have struggled with complacency, this book certainly inspires me to be better in that way!
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- jjhammer
- 10-24-19
Not your typical read....
Fact: many people may be turned off to Smith’s style of writing in this book. It’s not your typical autobiography. He even states that in the introduction. It’s more of a (nearly) unedited collection of thoughts and stories that have shaped his life. While it’s not for everyone, Smith is openly honest about everything he writes about. Which is incredibly refreshing in this day and age. He doesn’t hold back on things.
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- Nicholas McCarty
- 11-15-19
Absolutely great!
Thanks for the stories Marty Loved the book. Love your podcasts Your stories about your dad are so much a parallel to my own thoughts of my father Thanks
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