Abrams Pr | Atletické sporty

A groundbreaking, timely history of the largely unknown early days of Black basketball, bringing to life the trailblazers, entertainers, gangsters, and supremely talented athletes who made the game From the introduction of the game of basketball to Black communities in 1904 to the integration of the NBA in 1950, there was a full era in the development of the game. It was a time when Black players were discriminated against and opportunities were limited, but entrepreneurial men and women nurtured the game and breathed life into a sport they loved. This period was known as the Black Fives Era (teams at the time were often called "fives"), and was akin to the golden age of the Negro Leagues. But despite fierce rivalries between big-city clubs, innovative managers, and star players, this period is almost entirely unknown to basketball fans. Claude Johnson has made it his

A brilliant, entertaining deconstruction of basketball, drawing on the expertise of board-game creators, winemakers, therapists, and more Basketball is the second-most popular sport in the world--an insanely complicated game built on a combination of athleticism, craftiness, rules, intangibles, and superstardom. However, while it's enjoyable to watch, the real reason it works is because it's a game of culture, art, and all the things that make us human. How to Watch Basketball Like a Genius deconstructs the sport from top to bottom and then puts it back together again, detailing its intricacies through reporting and dozens of interviews with experts. These experts, however, are a diverse group: wine critics weighing in on LeBron's ability to delegate on the fly, magicians analyzing Kyrie Irving's mystifying dribbling techniques, SpaceX rocket scientists

Publishing on the 50th anniversary of that magic season, the definitive chronicle of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only undefeated team in NFL history--from an award-winning literary sportswriter The 1972 Miami Dolphins had something to prove. Losers in the previous Super Bowl, a ragtag bunch of overlooked, underappreciated, or just plain old players, they were led by Don Shula, a genius young coach obsessed with obliterating the reputation that he couldn't win the big game. And as the Dolphins headed into only their seventh season, all eyes were on Miami. For the last time, a city was hosting both national political conventions, and the backdrop to this season of redemption would be turbulent: the culture wars, the Nixon reelection campaign, the strange, unfolding saga of Watergate, and the war in Vietnam. Generational and cultural divides abounded on the team as

This Is Our City isa celebration of two decades of sports success in Boston from the cohost of the #1 sports radio show in New England, Felger & Mazz. In Boston, sports loyalty--and passion--runs deep. With one team in each of the four major American professional leagues, the Red Sox, the Celtics, the Bruins, and the Patriots have long commanded undivided attention. But for much of the 20th century, the records of the local teams were mixed, with some victories but also heartbreaking losses and endless talk of curses. And then, things changed. Over twenty years, Boston was blessed with an extraordinary run of success, including 12 championships, 7 runners-up, and many more years of heated contention. In the 21st century, Boston became the hub of the sports universe. According to Tony Massarotti, a longtime Boston sports columnist and host of

A captivating account of the NBA's strangest season ever, from shutdown to championship, from a prominent national basketball writer living inside the bubble When NBA player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020, the league shut down immediately, bringing a shocking, sudden pause to the season. As the pandemic raged, it looked as if it might be the first year in league history with no champion. But four months later, after meticulous planning, twenty-two teams resumed play in a "bub­ble" at Disney World-a restricted, single-site locale cut off from the outside world. Due to health concerns, the league invited only a handful of reporters, who were required to sacrifice medical privacy, live in a hotel room for more than three months, and submit to daily coronavirus test­ing in hopes of keeping the bubble from bursting. In exchange for the

A deeply moving and painfully honest memoir from the trailblazing, World Cup-winning, Olympic gold medalist, and US Women's soccer goalie Briana Scurry Briana Scurry was a pioneer on the US Women's National Team. She won gold in Atlanta in 1996, the first time women's soccer was ever played in the Olympics. She was a key part of the fabled "99ers," making an epic save in the decisive penalty-kick shootout in the final. Scurry captured her second Olympic gold in 2004, cementing her status as one of the premier players in the world. She was the only Black player on the team, and she was also the first player to be openly gay. It was a singularly amazing ride, one that Scurry handled with her trademark generosity and class--qualities that made her one of the most popular players ever to wear a US jersey. But Scurry's storybook career ended in 2010 when a knee to the

An in-depth examination of the rise of analytics in soccer and the wild experiments unfolding around the world in the beautiful gameNet Gains: Inside the Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution takes readers on a tour across the world and throughout soccer history, introducing the many people who have attempted to shine a light onto and innovate a sport that, in many ways, is still stuck in the Dark Ages. This deep dive into the rise of analytics in soccer--a sport where tradition reigns supreme--shows how revolutionary tactics and underexplored metrics are breaking the beautiful game wide open. By exploring how massive institutions built on billions of dollars can function for so long without any kind of introspection--and what happens when people from the outside attempt to question the status quo--author Ryan O'Hanlon, staff writer at ESPN, shows how time and