Beyond the Final Score


Book Description

There's More To Life Than The Game Legendary college football coach Tom Osborne, a former NFL player and Nebraska Congressman, shares his life's wisdom in this powerful collection of stories, advice and spiritual insights. Available Fall 2009 2...




Beyond the Final Score


Book Description

The Beijing Olympics will be remembered as the largest, most expensive, and most widely watched event of the modern Olympic era. But did China present itself as a responsible host and an emergent international power, much like Japan during the 1964 Tokyo Games and South Korea during the 1988 Seoul Games? Or was Beijing in 2008 more like Berlin in 1936, when Germany took advantage of the global spotlight to promote its political ideology at home and abroad?Beyond the Final Score takes an original look at the 2008 Beijing games within the context of the politics of sport in Asia. Asian athletics are bound up with notions of national identity and nationalism, refracting political intent and the processes of globalization. For China, the Beijing Games introduced a liberalizing ethos that its authoritative regime could ignore only at its peril. Victor D. Cha-former director of Asian affairs for the White House-evaluates Beijing's contention with this pressure, considering the intense scrutiny China already faced on issues of counterproliferation, global warming, and free trade.




Scorecasting


Book Description

In Scorecasting, University of Chicago behavioral economist Tobias Moskowitz teams up with veteran Sports Illustrated writer L. Jon Wertheim to overturn some of the most cherished truisms of sports, and reveal the hidden forces that shape how basketball, baseball, football, and hockey games are played, won and lost. Drawing from Moskowitz's original research, as well as studies from fellow economists such as bestselling author Richard Thaler, the authors look at: the influence home-field advantage has on the outcomes of games in all sports and why it exists; the surprising truth about the universally accepted axiom that defense wins championships; the subtle biases that umpires exhibit in calling balls and strikes in key situations; the unintended consequences of referees' tendencies in every sport to "swallow the whistle," and more. Among the insights that Scorecasting reveals: • Why Tiger Woods is prone to the same mistake in high-pressure putting situations that you and I are • Why professional teams routinely overvalue draft picks • The myth of momentum or the "hot hand" in sports, and why so many fans, coaches, and broadcasters fervently subscribe to it • Why NFL coaches rarely go for a first down on fourth-down situations--even when their reluctance to do so reduces their chances of winning. In an engaging narrative that takes us from the putting greens of Augusta to the grid iron of a small parochial high school in Arkansas, Scorecasting will forever change how you view the game, whatever your favorite sport might be.




Looking To Score


Book Description




Knowing the Score


Book Description

In Knowing the Score, philosopher David Papineau uses sports to illuminate some of modern philosophy's most perplexing questions. As Papineau demonstrates, the study of sports clarifies, challenges, and sometimes confuses crucial issues in philosophy. The tactics of road bicycle racing shed new light on questions of altruism, while sporting family dynasties reorient the nature v. nurture debate. Why do sports competitors choke? Why do fans think God will favor their team over their rivals? How can it be moral to deceive the umpire by framing a pitch? From all of these questions, and many more, philosophy has a great deal to learn. An entertaining and erudite book that ranges far and wide through the sporting world, Knowing the Score is perfect reading for armchair philosophers and Monday morning quarterbacks alike.




Beyond the Norm


Book Description

Beyond the Norm chronicles the playing and coaching career of Norm Stewart, coach of the Missouri Tigers for 32 years. The book includes Stewart's top 10 games as a coach, his work with Coaches Against Cancer, his life off the court, and the records and statistics he established during his coaching career.







The Score Takes Care of Itself


Book Description

The last lecture on leadership by the NFL's greatest coach: Bill Walsh Bill Walsh is a towering figure in the history of the NFL. His advanced leadership transformed the San Francisco 49ers from the worst franchise in sports to a legendary dynasty. In the process, he changed the way football is played. Prior to his death, Walsh granted a series of exclusive interviews to bestselling author Steve Jamison. These became his ultimate lecture on leadership. Additional insights and perspective are provided by Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana and others. Bill Walsh taught that the requirements of successful leadership are the same whether you run an NFL franchise, a fortune 500 company, or a hardware store with 12 employees. These final words of 'wisdom by Walsh' will inspire, inform, and enlighten leaders in all professions.




S.C.O.R.E. for Life


Book Description

Have you ever choked during a performance? Have you ever been told how much talent you have, yet you're not reaching it? Are you self-conscious or doubtful during performances? Does your level of concentration fluctuate wildly? Do you feel overwhelmed at times? We all dream of overcoming our challenges. We dream of the perfect job, achieving new wealth, of living the life we choose in harmony with the people we love. For many of us, the dream stops there. We wonder what leads some extraordinary people to confront and exceed their goals and compete at the highest level, while others run in place, distracted by fears and a sense of intimidation. We seek the insights that will liberate us from anxiety and self-doubt. In this book, Jim Fannin shares a collection of ideas and daily exercises that transform everyday performers into true champions. Using the secrets of Fannin's time-tested S.C.O.R.E. System (Self-Discipline, Concentration, Optimism, Relaxation, and Enjoyment), S.C.O.R.E. for Life shows you how to balance and apply these five principles in every arena of life. The result: more moments, days, and years performing and thinking in the state of flow we call the "Zone," and more of the results and success that matter. Every chapter includes reader-friendly tests and exercises, like the "90-Second Rule" (a lesson in discipline) and "The Palm Tree Versus the Oak Tree" (a lesson in adaptability). For more than thirty years, Jim Fannin has coached hundreds of top-performing athletes and business leaders, who testify to what the S.C.O.R.E. System can do. It is a tried and proven blueprint for realizing our extraordinary human potential and overcoming the fears and worries that hold us back. With commitment and consistent use of this success formula, you will blaze new paths to personal and professional achievement.




Basketball on Paper


Book Description

Journey "inside the numbers" for an exceptional set of statistical tools and rules that can help explain the winning, or losing, ways of a basketball team. Basketball on Paper doesn't diagram plays or explain how players get in shape, but instead demonstrates how to interpret player and team performance. Dean Oliver highlights general strategies for teams when they're winning or losing and what aspects should be the focus in either situation. He describes and quantifies the jobs of team leaders and role players, then discusses the interactions between players and how to achieve the best fit. Oliver conceptualizes the meaning of teamwork and how to quantify the value of different types of players working together. He examines historically successful NBA teams and identifies what made them so successful: individual talent, a system of putting players together, or good coaching. Oliver then uses these statistical tools and case studies to evaluate the best players in history, such as Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Charles Barkley and how they contributed to their teams' success. He does the same for some of the NBA's "oddball" players-Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, and Dennis Rodman and for the WNBA's top players. Basketball on Paper is unique in its incorporation of business and analytical concepts within the context of basketball to measure the value of players in a cooperative setting. Whether you're looking for strategies or new ideas to throw out while watching the ballgame at a sports bar, Dean Oliver'sBasketball on Paper will give you amazing new insights into teamwork, coaching, and success.