My Sporting Heroes


Book Description

In My Sporting Heroes, one of the country's great sportsmen, Sir Ian Botham, draws up his template of what he believes makes a true sporting hero. Botham singles out the ten qualities he believes are the basic elements in any true sportsperson - bravery, passion, composure, determination, skill, leadership, instinct, dedication, humour and compassion - then highlights the sportsmen and women who he believes best demonstrate each quality, backing up his selection with personal anecdotes of his time spent with them or watching them in action. Covering a wide variety of sports and discussing admired athletes of both the past and present, from Ian Woosnam, Paul Gascoigne and Jonathan Davies to Joe Calzaghe, Lewis Hamilton and Andy Murray, My Sporting Heroes is a lively celebration of exactly what makes a true sporting legend - from someone who knows a thing or two about it!




The Talksport 100 Greatest British Sporting Legends


Book Description

In this wonderful celebration of all that is best about British sport, talkSPORT has taken on the challenge of listing the 100 greatest sporting legends since the war. Featuring contributions from many of talkSPORT's own presenters, including Alan Brazil, Darren Gough and Stan Collymore, the talkSPORT team has drawn up its definitive listing of Britain's top sports stars. Of course, being talkSPORT, nothing is straightforward and the opinions are hotly debated. Some surprising names make into the list, while others are relegated to the bottom or even fail to appear at all. Who comes out on top: Steve Backley or Phil 'The Power' Taylor? Who is the greatest football legend? Each of the 100 stars is fully profiled, with surprising and fascinating information revealed about all of them, and their individual ranking in the list is fully justified. In short, this book will not only provide some happy memories of great achievements, but cause much controversy - just like talkSPORT itself.




When I Grow Up - Sports Heroes


Book Description

How do little kids become sporting superstars? Find out in this inspiring board book for little ones. Everyone, from Usain Bolt to Simone Biles, was once a small child learning about the world. Read how a diverse array of sporty kids found what they loved to do, worked hard, and followed their passions all the way into adulthood. With adorable illustrations of top sports stars as typical young kids, then as superstar adults, sporting greats will seem like friends to your little one, and kids will see that sporting greatness is achievable. Meet Lionel Messi when he was a small child learning to play football, Usain Bolt before he became a super sprinter, Ellie Simmonds as she developed a love of water, and figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu when he joined his sister on the ice and became a figure skater. Let your child turn the pages and see that, like their heroes, the experiences and passions they have now can lead to incredible achievements.




Media Sport Stars


Book Description

Media Sport Stars considers how masculinity and male identity are represented through images of sport and sport stars. From the pre-radio era to today's specialist TV channels, newspaper supplements and websites, Whannel traces the growing cultural importance of sport and sportmen, showing how the very practices of sport are still bound up with the production of masculinities. Through a series of case studies of British and American sportsmen, Whannel traces the emergence of of the sporting 'hero' and 'star' , and considers the ways in which the lives of sport stars are narrated through the media. Focusing on figures like Muhammad Ali and David Beckham, whose fame has spread well beyond the world of sport, he shows how growing media coverage has helped produced a sporting system, and examines how modern celebrity addresses the issues of race and nation, performance and identity, morality and violence. From Babe Ruth to Mike Tyson, Media Sport Stars demonstrates that, in an era in which both morality and masculinity are percieved to be 'in crisis', sport holds a central place in contemporary culture, and sport stars become the focal point for discourses of masculinity and morality.




The Book of British Sporting Heroes


Book Description

Published to accompany a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, Sporting Heroes charts the popular image of the British sporting hero in works of art dating from the 18th century to the present day. Contemporary heroes and heroines, including Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis, are brought together with their earlier counterparts such as the 19th-century pugilist Tom Cribb; with - among many others - cricketers from W.G. Grace to Ian Botham; footballers from Sir Stanley Matthews to Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker; and athletes from Roger Bannister to Linford Christie, Sally Gunnell and Fatima Whitbread. Illustrated throughout with paintings, drawings, sculpture, prints, photographs and multimedia works, the book also includes many images from private collections. It is both a celebration of the role of sport in popular culture and a fascinating history of how that role developed.




My Encyclopedia of Very Important Sports


Book Description

A charming children's encyclopedia bursting with fun facts about the world of sport, for little learners who want to know everything! The world is so much bigger than young minds can fathom and there is always more to learn. My Encyclopedia of Very Important Sport is a vibrant encyclopedia for curious 5-9 year olds, with a unique approach to the subject of sport that combines facts and figures with the inspiring stories of sporting legends and icons. This exciting book for children is packed with fun facts about a range of popular sportssuch as football, karate, badminton, and skiing, as well as ones you might never have heard of like biathlon or cheese rolling. Whether you’re a fan of team sports, winter sports, water sports, extreme sports, and even board games such as chess and go, this reference book has it all! My Encyclopedia of Very Important Sport also celebrates the unique talents, lives, and careers of sporting heroes such as Usain Bolt, Serena Williams, Yuna Kim, Lin Dan, and Donald Bradman, and chronicles the most celebrated stories in sporting history, such as breaking the Four-minute mile, Nadia Comaneci’s Perfect 10, and Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics. Featuring everything from obscure rules and strange equipment, to moments of triumph and sporting events like The World Cup, Superbowl, Olympics, Paralympics, and more – this is the perfect book for budding superstars everywhere. Celebrate your child’s curiosity as they: - Read all about individual sports, team sports, motor sports, and winter sports - Learn the stories of sporting legends such as Usain Bolt, Serena Williams and more - Discover key moments in sporting history Our encyclopedia for children is the perfect blend of striking illustrations and educational text, written in a friendly, witty and fun manner, featuring a combination of fact-files, detailed paragraphs, labels, and speech bubbles. Topics are simple to navigate – perfect for knowledgeable sports fans who want to read about their favorites as well as readers who are unfamiliar with sport and are looking to learn. Encourage early learners to go on a journey to explore a world of information, making this the ideal first reference book for kids aged 5-9 to enjoy for hours on end, whether for shared reading with the family or reading alone, this fun fact book for children also doubles up as the perfect gift for curious kids who love to learn. Tell the story of the world one page at a time, by uncovering: - Educational content written in a friendly and fun manner - Beautifully padded cover with several high-quality finishes, including padding and foil - Features a built-in ribbon bookmark so you never lose your place whilst reading More in the Series My Encyclopedia of Very Important Sport is part of the educational kid’s book series My Very Encyclopedia series. Complete the series and nurture your child's curiosity with My Encyclopedia of Very Important Adventures, teach them about different species with My Encyclopedia of Very Important Animals, or let them walk with the dinosaurs who ruled the earth before them in My Encyclopedia of Very Important Dinosaurs.




Ireland’s Call


Book Description

In Ireland's Call BBC journalist Stephen Walker charts the fascinating stories of 40 Irishmen who swapped the sports field for the battlefield - household names who gave up their blossoming careers to volunteer for the Great War. Using rare archive letters, memoirs and newspaper reports, this compelling book features the stories of sportsmen whose lives were tragically cut short in the mud of the Somme, the despair of Ypres and the heat of Gallipoli. It chronicles the remarkable achievements of Irish international footballers and rugby players, athletes, GAA stars, cricketers, hockey players and a record-breaking Irish champion golfer. A century on, their sacrifices and those of a generation of Irish sporting heroes, are finally and faithfully recorded in this unique and evocative account.




EDGE: Sporting Heroes: Jamie Vardy


Book Description

This inspirational biography for children, written by award-winning author Roy Apps, follows the dream-come-true story of Jamie Vardy and his amazing rise to become a star striker in Leicester City's Premier League-winning side and top England goalscorer. Illustrated with colour artwork by Alessandro Valdrighi, including graphic novel-style panels, this book is perfect for sport-mad girls and boys with a reading age of 7, but will work perfectly well for older readers too. Printed on off-white paper using a reading font approved by the British Dyslexia Association, the Sporting Heroes series brings to life the skill, grit and determination needed to be a world-class sportsperson today. This title is published by Franklin Watts EDGE, which produces a range of books to get children reading with confidence. EDGE - for books kids can't put down.




Sport Stars


Book Description

Sport Stars investigates the nature of contemporary sporting celebrity, examining stars' often turbulent relationship with the press, and exploring themes of identity, race, and spectacle.




EDGE: Sporting Heroes: Cristiano Ronaldo


Book Description

This inspirational biography for children, written by award-winning author Roy Apps, follows the amazing story of Cristiano Ronaldo from his first street kickabout in Funchal, Maderia, to playing for Manchester Utd and Real Madrid. Illustrated with colour artwork by Alessandro Valdrighi, including graphic novel-style panels, this book is perfect for sport-mad girls and boys with a reading age of 7, but will work perfectly well for older readers too. Printed on off-white paper using a reading font approved by the British Dyslexia Association, the Sporting Heroes series brings to life the skill, grit and determination needed to be a world-class sportsperson today. This title is published by Franklin Watts EDGE, which produces a range of books to get children reading with confidence. EDGE - for books kids can't put down.