-
Sporting Blood
- Tales from the Dark Side of Boxing
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $17.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
"This book may cement [Acevedo's] status as one of today's best boxing journalists."—Kirkus Reviews
Boxing has one of the richest literary traditions in sports. From A. J. Liebling to Donald McRae, the sweet science has consistently inspired great writing. The work of Carlos Acevedo stands firmly in that distinguished tradition.
In this expanded edition of Sporting Blood, Acevedo adds two new masterful essays—one about the murder of Stanley Ketchel, the other about the gangland slaying of Battling Siki—to those that made his debut collection an instant classic. Other highlights include a moving meditation on Muhammad Ali; a penetrating look at the enigmatic Charles "Sonny" Liston; and a vivid profile of Mike Tyson, which brilliantly conjures the Boy King's late 1980s reign of terror. Acevedo also offers many other unforgettable tales from boxing's dark side, featuring Jack Johnson, Joe Frazier, Roberto Duran, Aaron Pryor, Jake LaMotta, and more.
Sporting Blood is a poetic throwback, a singular book that evokes journalism's golden age and places Acevedo among the best sportswriters of his generation.
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The War
- Hagler-Hearns and Three Rounds for the Ages
- By: Don Stradley
- Narrated by: Chris Andrew Ciulla
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The battle between Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns is remembered as one of the greatest fights of all time. But in the months before the two finally collided on April 15, 1985, there was a feeling in the air that boxing was in trouble.
-
-
great war!
- By Anonymous User on 10-30-24
By: Don Stradley
-
The Duke
- The Life and Lies of Tommy Morrison
- By: Carlos Acevedo
- Narrated by: Brian P. Craig
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early 1990s, Tommy Morrison, a young roughneck from Jay, Oklahoma, burst onto the boxing scene to become one of the most controversial fighters of his era. Handsome, eloquent, and dynamic, Morrison parlayed destructive knockout power and a homespun personality into celebrity status throughout middle America, where boxing rarely prospered. But it was his starring role in Rocky V alongside Sylvester Stallone that propelled him to stardom—and ultimately led to his tragic downfall.
-
-
not good
- By Daniel A Serratelli on 10-21-24
By: Carlos Acevedo
-
Mobituaries
- By: Mo Rocca
- Narrated by: Mo Rocca
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mo Rocca has always loved obituaries - reading about the remarkable lives of global leaders, Hollywood heavyweights, and innovators who changed the world. But not every notable life has gotten the send-off it deserves. His quest to right that wrong inspired Mobituaries, his number one hit podcast. Now with Mobituaries, the audiobook, he has gone much further, with all new essays on artists, entertainers, sports stars, political pioneers, founding fathers, and more. Even if you know the names, you’ve never understood why they matter...until now.
-
-
Very good, but.....
- By Christopher on 11-15-19
By: Mo Rocca
-
The Champ & The Chump
- By: James McNicholas
- Narrated by: James McNicholas
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Champ: Terry Downes - known as 'The Paddington Express' - was a world champion boxer, US Marine, gangsters' favourite and latter-day film star and businessman. The Chump: James McNicholas' PE teacher once told him he was so unfit he'd be dead by the time he was 23. James has spent his life pursuing a career in acting and comedy. In reality, that has meant spells working as a painter-decorator and river cruise salesperson. After Terry's death, James finds himself in reflective mood, comparing how he's doing in life to how his grandad was at that age.
-
-
The Chump is a Champ
- By Carter S. on 08-09-21
By: James McNicholas
-
Tough Luck
- Sid Luckman, Murder, Inc., and the Rise of the Modern NFL
- By: R. D. Rosen
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the long annals of sports and crime, no story compares to the one that engulfed the Luckman family in 1935. As 18-year-old Sid Luckman made headlines across New York City for his high school football exploits at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, his father, Meyer Luckman, was making headlines in the same papers for a very different reason: the gangland murder of his own brother-in-law. Amazingly, the connection between sports celebrity son and mobster father was studiously ignored by the press and ultimately overlooked for eight decades.
-
-
Mob meets NFL.
- By William Bernstein on 06-30-20
By: R. D. Rosen
-
The Big Fight
- My Life In and Out of the Ring
- By: Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael Arkush
- Narrated by: Sugar Ray Leonard
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this unflinching and inspiring autobiography, the boxing legend faces his single greatest competitor: himself. Sugar Ray Leonard's brutally honest and uplifting memoir reveals in intimate detail for the first time the complex man behind the boxer. The Olympic hero, multichampionship winner, and beloved athlete waged his own personal battle with depression, rage, addiction, and greed.
-
-
Sugar Ray
- By KDeSantis on 11-09-18
By: Sugar Ray Leonard, and others
-
The War
- Hagler-Hearns and Three Rounds for the Ages
- By: Don Stradley
- Narrated by: Chris Andrew Ciulla
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The battle between Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns is remembered as one of the greatest fights of all time. But in the months before the two finally collided on April 15, 1985, there was a feeling in the air that boxing was in trouble.
-
-
great war!
- By Anonymous User on 10-30-24
By: Don Stradley
-
The Duke
- The Life and Lies of Tommy Morrison
- By: Carlos Acevedo
- Narrated by: Brian P. Craig
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early 1990s, Tommy Morrison, a young roughneck from Jay, Oklahoma, burst onto the boxing scene to become one of the most controversial fighters of his era. Handsome, eloquent, and dynamic, Morrison parlayed destructive knockout power and a homespun personality into celebrity status throughout middle America, where boxing rarely prospered. But it was his starring role in Rocky V alongside Sylvester Stallone that propelled him to stardom—and ultimately led to his tragic downfall.
-
-
not good
- By Daniel A Serratelli on 10-21-24
By: Carlos Acevedo
-
Mobituaries
- By: Mo Rocca
- Narrated by: Mo Rocca
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mo Rocca has always loved obituaries - reading about the remarkable lives of global leaders, Hollywood heavyweights, and innovators who changed the world. But not every notable life has gotten the send-off it deserves. His quest to right that wrong inspired Mobituaries, his number one hit podcast. Now with Mobituaries, the audiobook, he has gone much further, with all new essays on artists, entertainers, sports stars, political pioneers, founding fathers, and more. Even if you know the names, you’ve never understood why they matter...until now.
-
-
Very good, but.....
- By Christopher on 11-15-19
By: Mo Rocca
-
The Champ & The Chump
- By: James McNicholas
- Narrated by: James McNicholas
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Champ: Terry Downes - known as 'The Paddington Express' - was a world champion boxer, US Marine, gangsters' favourite and latter-day film star and businessman. The Chump: James McNicholas' PE teacher once told him he was so unfit he'd be dead by the time he was 23. James has spent his life pursuing a career in acting and comedy. In reality, that has meant spells working as a painter-decorator and river cruise salesperson. After Terry's death, James finds himself in reflective mood, comparing how he's doing in life to how his grandad was at that age.
-
-
The Chump is a Champ
- By Carter S. on 08-09-21
By: James McNicholas
-
Tough Luck
- Sid Luckman, Murder, Inc., and the Rise of the Modern NFL
- By: R. D. Rosen
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the long annals of sports and crime, no story compares to the one that engulfed the Luckman family in 1935. As 18-year-old Sid Luckman made headlines across New York City for his high school football exploits at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, his father, Meyer Luckman, was making headlines in the same papers for a very different reason: the gangland murder of his own brother-in-law. Amazingly, the connection between sports celebrity son and mobster father was studiously ignored by the press and ultimately overlooked for eight decades.
-
-
Mob meets NFL.
- By William Bernstein on 06-30-20
By: R. D. Rosen
-
The Big Fight
- My Life In and Out of the Ring
- By: Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael Arkush
- Narrated by: Sugar Ray Leonard
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this unflinching and inspiring autobiography, the boxing legend faces his single greatest competitor: himself. Sugar Ray Leonard's brutally honest and uplifting memoir reveals in intimate detail for the first time the complex man behind the boxer. The Olympic hero, multichampionship winner, and beloved athlete waged his own personal battle with depression, rage, addiction, and greed.
-
-
Sugar Ray
- By KDeSantis on 11-09-18
By: Sugar Ray Leonard, and others
-
The Second Life of Tiger Woods
- By: Michael Bamberger
- Narrated by: David Morse
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tiger Woods’ long descent into a personal and professional hell reached bottom in the early hours of Memorial Day in 2017. Woods’ DUI arrest that night came on the heels of a desperate spinal surgery, just weeks after he told close friends he might never play tournament golf again. The former paragon of discipline now found himself hopelessly lost and out of control, exposed for all the world to see. That episode could have marked the beginning of Tiger’s end. It proved to be the opposite.
-
-
In some parts overly sympathetic to “poor Tiger”
- By @MrBookChief on 09-03-20
-
Paddy Whacked
- The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster
- By: T. J. English
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 21 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Paddy Whacked, best-selling author and organized crime expert T. J. English brings to life nearly two centuries of Irish American gangsterism, which spawned such unforgettable characters as Mike "King Mike" McDonald, Chicago's subterranean godfather; Big Bill Dwyer, New York's most notorious rumrunner during Prohibition; Mickey Featherstone, troubled Vietnam vet turned Westies gang leader; and James "Whitey" Bulger, the ruthless and seemingly untouchable Southie legend.
-
-
First Half - 4 Stars - Second Half - 2 Stars
- By Lulu on 08-29-16
By: T. J. English
-
Unbeaten
- By: Mike Stanton
- Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the best-selling author of The Prince of Providence comes a revelatory biography of Rocky Marciano, the greatest heavyweight champion of all time.The son of poor Italian immigrants, with short arms and stubby legs, Rocky Marciano accomplished a feat that eluded legendary heavyweight champions like Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, Muhammad Ali, and Mike Tyson: He never lost a professional fight. His record was a perfect 49-0.
-
-
Great book, terrible accents in the reading
- By Ishmael Angaluuk Hope on 11-02-21
By: Mike Stanton
-
Blood in the Cage
- Mixed Martial Arts, Pat Miletich, and the Furious Rise of the UFC
- By: L. Jon Wertheim
- Narrated by: Phil Gigante
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Based on unlimited access to the Ultimate Fighting Championship and its rival leagues, Blood in the Cage peers through the chain-link Octagon into the frighteningly seductive world of mixed martial arts, which is exploding in popularity despite resistance from every corner. Wertheim focuses on Pat Miletich, a mixed-martial-arts pioneer and six-time UFC champion, who currently runs the most famous MMA training school in the world.
-
-
MMA Bible
- By Bret on 01-27-09
By: L. Jon Wertheim
-
The Townhouse Massacre
- The Unforgettable Crimes of Richard Speck
- By: Ryan Green
- Narrated by: Steve White
- Length: 3 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Townhouse Massacre is a chilling and gripping account of one of the most brutal and gruesome true crime stories in American history. Ryan Green’s riveting narrative draws the listener into the real-life horror experienced by the victims and has all the elements of a classic thriller.
-
-
Pathetic women hating loser's coup de grâce
- By SisterSeven on 01-11-20
By: Ryan Green
-
Irish Thunder
- The Hard Life & Times of Micky Ward
- By: Bob Halloran
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Irish" Micky Ward grew up in the 1970s and ’80s as a tough kid from Lowell, Massachusetts - a town where boxers were once bred as a means of survival. A hard worker who overcame bad luck, bad management, and chronic pain in his hands, he avoided the pitfall of poverty and dead-end work that plagued Lowell to become a Golden Gloves junior welterweight. Ward participated in street fights from an early age and was forever known by his opponents and spectators as the underdog.
-
-
Great Listen!!
- By Paul on 09-15-16
By: Bob Halloran
-
Rat Pack Confidential
- Frank, Dean, Sammy, Peter, Joey and the Last Great Show Biz Party
- By: Shawn Levy
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Frank Sinatra. Dean Martin. Sammy Davis, Jr. Peter Lawford. Joey Bishop. They call themselves The Clan. But to an awed world, they are known as The Rat Pack. They had it all. Fame. Gorgeous women. A fabulous playground of a city and all the money in the world. The backing of fearsome crime lords and the blessing of the President of the United States. But the dark side - over the thin line between pleasure and debauchery, between swinging self-confidence and brutal arrogance - took its toll. In four years, their great ride was over, and showbiz was never the same.
-
-
If. You Are A Fan, Skip This Book
- By redheadmomx2 on 01-26-21
By: Shawn Levy
-
Playing Through the Whistle
- Steel, Football, and an American Town
- By: S. L. Price
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 15 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aliquippa, Pennsylvania is famous for two things: the Jones and Laughlin Steel mill, an industrial behemoth that helped win World War II; and football, with a high school team that has produced numerous NFL stars, including Mike Ditka and Darrelle Revis. But the mill, once the fourth largest producer in America, closed for good in 2000. What happens to a town when a dream dies? Does it just disappear?
-
-
This is not a football book
- By radchick on 04-19-17
By: S. L. Price
-
The Murder of Sonny Liston
- Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights
- By: Shaun Assael
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On January 5, 1971, Sonny Liston was found dead in his home - of an apparent heroin overdose. But no one close to Liston believed that his death was accidental. Digging deep into a life that Liston tried hard to hide, Shaun Assael treats the boxer's death as a cold case. The result is a riveting whodunit that evokes a glorious and grimy era of Las Vegas.
-
-
Great read
- By Diane Dodge on 09-14-19
By: Shaun Assael
-
Jim Brown
- Last Man Standing
- By: Dave Zirin
- Narrated by: Dave Zirin
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dave Zirin's book redefines an American icon, and not always in a flattering light. At 81 years old, Brown continues to speak out and look for fights. His recent public support of Donald Trump and criticism of Colin Kaepernick are just the latest examples of someone who seems restless if he is not in conflict. Jim Brown is a raw and thrilling account of Brown's remarkable life and a must-listen for sports fans and students of the Black freedom struggle.
-
-
Just Ok
- By MIGS on 01-06-24
By: Dave Zirin
-
Not a Game
- The Incredible Rise and Unthinkable Fall of Allen Iverson
- By: Kent Babb
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Through extensive research and interviews with those closest to Iverson, acclaimed Washington Post sportswriter Kent Babb gets behind the familiar, sanitized, and heroic version of the hard-changing, hard-partying athlete who played every game as if it were his last.
-
-
So sad.
- By jonathan meharg on 05-05-20
By: Kent Babb
-
The Club King
- My Rise, Reign, and Fall in New York Nightlife
- By: Peter Gatien
- Narrated by: Braden Wright
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this frank and gritty memoir, Peter Gatien charts the seismic changes in his personal and professional life and the targeted destruction of his nightclub empire. From Peter’s childhood in a Canadian mill town to the freedom of the 1970s, through the excesses of the 1980s and the ensuing crackdown in the 1990s, The Club King chronicles the birth and death of a cultural movement--and the life of the man who was in control of every beat.
-
-
Story of the Club King-Superb Narration
- By Admiralu on 09-01-22
By: Peter Gatien
Related to this topic
-
Boxing and the Mob
- The Notorious History of the Sweet Science
- By: Jeffrey Sussman
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More than any other sport, boxing has a history of being easy to rig. There are only two athletes and one or both may be induced to accept a bribe; if not the fighters, then the judges or referee might be swayed. In such inviting circumstances, the mob moved into boxing in the 1930s and profited by corrupting a sport ripe for exploitation. In Boxing and the Mob: The Notorious History of the Sweet Science, Jeffrey Sussman tells the story of the coercive and criminal underside of boxing, covering nearly the entire 20th century.
-
-
Great Book
- By Lester Boggs on 05-22-19
By: Jeffrey Sussman
-
The Boxing Kings
- When American Heavyweights Ruled the Ring
- By: Paul Beston
- Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Boxing Kings tells the story of the heavyweight title in the days when it was a defining institution in the United States. Author Paul Beston places special emphasis on those champions who held a central place in American culture beyond just in the boxing ring, including John L. Sullivan, who made the title a commercial property; Jack Johnson, who in 1908 became the first black man to claim the title; Joe Louis, whose contributions to racial tolerance and social progress transcended even his greatness in the ring; and many more.
-
-
An outstanding book on heavyweight champions
- By LSmith on 02-01-18
By: Paul Beston
-
We Promised You a Great Main Event
- An Unauthorized WWE History
- By: Bill Hanstock
- Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In We Promised You a Great Main Event, longtime sports journalist Bill Hanstock pulls back the curtain to give a smart fan’s account of WWE and Vince McMahon’s journey to the top. Untangling the truth behind the official WWE storyline, Hanstock does a deep dive into key moments of the company’s history, from the behind-the-scenes drama at the Montreal Screwjob, to the company’s handling of the Jimmy Snuka scandal, to the real story of the Monday Night Wars.
-
-
Pronounce names correctly!
- By JLA4 on 12-29-20
By: Bill Hanstock
-
Blood in the Cage
- Mixed Martial Arts, Pat Miletich, and the Furious Rise of the UFC
- By: L. Jon Wertheim
- Narrated by: Phil Gigante
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Based on unlimited access to the Ultimate Fighting Championship and its rival leagues, Blood in the Cage peers through the chain-link Octagon into the frighteningly seductive world of mixed martial arts, which is exploding in popularity despite resistance from every corner. Wertheim focuses on Pat Miletich, a mixed-martial-arts pioneer and six-time UFC champion, who currently runs the most famous MMA training school in the world.
-
-
MMA Bible
- By Bret on 01-27-09
By: L. Jon Wertheim
-
Cinderella Man
- James J. Braddock, Max Baer and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History
- By: Jeremy Schaap
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lost in the annals of boxing is the sport's true Cinderella story. James J. Braddock, dubbed "Cinderella Man" by Damon Runyon, was a once promising light heavyweight for whom a string of losses in the ring and a broken right hand happened to coincide with the Great Crash of 1929.
-
-
Excellent
- By MA on 06-05-05
By: Jeremy Schaap
-
One Day
- The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary 24 Hours in America
- By: Gene Weingarten
- Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On New Year’s Day 2013, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Gene Weingarten asked three strangers to, literally, pluck a day, month, and year from a hat. That day - chosen completely at random - was Sunday, December 28, 1986, by any conventional measure a most ordinary day. Weingarten spent the next six years proving that there is no such thing. That Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s turned out to be filled with comedy, tragedy, implausible irony, cosmic comeuppances, kindness, cruelty, heroism, cowardice, genius, idiocy, and much more....
-
-
I'm giving this book more credit for its concept
- By J. F. Boyd on 12-24-19
By: Gene Weingarten
-
Boxing and the Mob
- The Notorious History of the Sweet Science
- By: Jeffrey Sussman
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
More than any other sport, boxing has a history of being easy to rig. There are only two athletes and one or both may be induced to accept a bribe; if not the fighters, then the judges or referee might be swayed. In such inviting circumstances, the mob moved into boxing in the 1930s and profited by corrupting a sport ripe for exploitation. In Boxing and the Mob: The Notorious History of the Sweet Science, Jeffrey Sussman tells the story of the coercive and criminal underside of boxing, covering nearly the entire 20th century.
-
-
Great Book
- By Lester Boggs on 05-22-19
By: Jeffrey Sussman
-
The Boxing Kings
- When American Heavyweights Ruled the Ring
- By: Paul Beston
- Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Boxing Kings tells the story of the heavyweight title in the days when it was a defining institution in the United States. Author Paul Beston places special emphasis on those champions who held a central place in American culture beyond just in the boxing ring, including John L. Sullivan, who made the title a commercial property; Jack Johnson, who in 1908 became the first black man to claim the title; Joe Louis, whose contributions to racial tolerance and social progress transcended even his greatness in the ring; and many more.
-
-
An outstanding book on heavyweight champions
- By LSmith on 02-01-18
By: Paul Beston
-
We Promised You a Great Main Event
- An Unauthorized WWE History
- By: Bill Hanstock
- Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In We Promised You a Great Main Event, longtime sports journalist Bill Hanstock pulls back the curtain to give a smart fan’s account of WWE and Vince McMahon’s journey to the top. Untangling the truth behind the official WWE storyline, Hanstock does a deep dive into key moments of the company’s history, from the behind-the-scenes drama at the Montreal Screwjob, to the company’s handling of the Jimmy Snuka scandal, to the real story of the Monday Night Wars.
-
-
Pronounce names correctly!
- By JLA4 on 12-29-20
By: Bill Hanstock
-
Blood in the Cage
- Mixed Martial Arts, Pat Miletich, and the Furious Rise of the UFC
- By: L. Jon Wertheim
- Narrated by: Phil Gigante
- Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Based on unlimited access to the Ultimate Fighting Championship and its rival leagues, Blood in the Cage peers through the chain-link Octagon into the frighteningly seductive world of mixed martial arts, which is exploding in popularity despite resistance from every corner. Wertheim focuses on Pat Miletich, a mixed-martial-arts pioneer and six-time UFC champion, who currently runs the most famous MMA training school in the world.
-
-
MMA Bible
- By Bret on 01-27-09
By: L. Jon Wertheim
-
Cinderella Man
- James J. Braddock, Max Baer and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History
- By: Jeremy Schaap
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lost in the annals of boxing is the sport's true Cinderella story. James J. Braddock, dubbed "Cinderella Man" by Damon Runyon, was a once promising light heavyweight for whom a string of losses in the ring and a broken right hand happened to coincide with the Great Crash of 1929.
-
-
Excellent
- By MA on 06-05-05
By: Jeremy Schaap
-
One Day
- The Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary 24 Hours in America
- By: Gene Weingarten
- Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On New Year’s Day 2013, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Gene Weingarten asked three strangers to, literally, pluck a day, month, and year from a hat. That day - chosen completely at random - was Sunday, December 28, 1986, by any conventional measure a most ordinary day. Weingarten spent the next six years proving that there is no such thing. That Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s turned out to be filled with comedy, tragedy, implausible irony, cosmic comeuppances, kindness, cruelty, heroism, cowardice, genius, idiocy, and much more....
-
-
I'm giving this book more credit for its concept
- By J. F. Boyd on 12-24-19
By: Gene Weingarten
-
The King of New Orleans
- How the Junkyard Dog Became Professional Wrestling's First Black Superhero
- By: Greg Klein
- Narrated by: J D Jackson
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Telling the remarkable tale of a man who is still remembered on the streets of New Orleans and in the hearts of professional-wrestling fans, this book aims to restore the overlooked Junkyard Dog to his proper place in the history books. In 1979, Sylvester Ritter, also known as the Junkyard Dog, managed to break one of the final color barriers in the sport by becoming the first Black wrestler named undisputed top star of his promotion, and this biography reveals all the famous feuds and business back stories that made him a wrestling legend.
-
-
Entertaining & Insightful
- By Michael Cavacini on 10-22-20
By: Greg Klein
-
Sound and Fury
- Two Powerful Lives, One Fateful Friendship
- By: Dave Kindred
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Muhammed Ali and Howard Cosell, a legendary athlete and a television icon, were individually interesting, but together they were mesmerizing. They were profoundly different, young and old, black and white, a Muslim and a Jew, Ali barely literate, Cosell an editor of his university's law review. Yet they had in common forces that made them unforgettable: both were unprecedented performers who covered enormous insecurities by demanding, loudly and often, public acclaim.
-
-
Great insight into Ali & Cosell
- By Steve on 05-04-06
By: Dave Kindred
-
Too Sweet
- Inside the Indie Wrestling Revolution
- By: Keith Elliot Greenberg
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2017, after being told that no independent wrestling group could draw a crowd of more than 10,000, a group of wrestlers took up the challenge. For several years, these gladiators had been performing in front of rabid crowds and understood the hunger for wrestling that was different from the TV-slick product. In September 2018, they had the numbers to prove it: 11,263 fans filled the Sears Center Arena for the All In pay-per-view event, ushering in a new era. A year later, WWE had its first major head-to-head competitor in nearly two decades when All Elite Wrestling debuted on TNT.
-
-
Super Book, Annoying Narration
- By Richard on 04-10-21
-
A Flame of Pure Fire
- Jack Dempsey and the Roaring '20s
- By: Roger Kahn
- Narrated by: Kevin Yon
- Length: 17 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Through most of the Roaring '20s, Jack Dempsey was the heavyweight champion of the world. With his fierce good looks and matchless dedication to the kill, he was a fighter perfectly suited to his time. In A Flame of Pure Fire, renowned sports writer Roger Kahn not only chronicles the thrilling, brutal bouts of the Manassa Mauler, but also illustrates how the tumultuous 1920s shaped Dempsey - and how the champ, in turn, left an indelible mark on sports and American history.
-
-
Ambitious but poorly executed
- By Keith on 10-02-19
By: Roger Kahn
-
Hey Rube
- Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and the Downward Spiral of Dumbness
- By: Hunter S. Thompson
- Narrated by: Scott Sowers
- Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author and acclaimed Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson is known for such groundbreaking works as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. A provocative collection of rants and reflections from Thompson’s columns at ESPN.com, Hey Rube offers outrageously brilliant insight on topics ranging from the 2000 election to his unconventional take on professional sports (“eliminate the pitcher” to improve Major League Baseball).
-
-
A bit of the best, a bit of the... not best.
- By m.w. on 08-03-12
-
Paddy Whacked
- The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster
- By: T. J. English
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 21 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Paddy Whacked, best-selling author and organized crime expert T. J. English brings to life nearly two centuries of Irish American gangsterism, which spawned such unforgettable characters as Mike "King Mike" McDonald, Chicago's subterranean godfather; Big Bill Dwyer, New York's most notorious rumrunner during Prohibition; Mickey Featherstone, troubled Vietnam vet turned Westies gang leader; and James "Whitey" Bulger, the ruthless and seemingly untouchable Southie legend.
-
-
First Half - 4 Stars - Second Half - 2 Stars
- By Lulu on 08-29-16
By: T. J. English
-
Quitters Never Win
- My Life in UFC
- By: Michael Bisping
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Featuring an entirely new chapter for US readers, the story of his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame, fresh insights about his fighting career, never-before-told stories about his film and TV career, and a harrowing account of his fighting off attempted kidnappers while filming in South Africa, Quitters Never Win tells the incredible story of how he went from rough and humble beginnings and then on to a legendary mixed martial arts career capped by winning the Middleweight Championship in one of the greatest upsets in UFC history.
-
-
Good Book
- By Tullio708 on 04-22-20
By: Michael Bisping
-
Hardcore History
- The Extremely Unauthorized Story of the ECW
- By: Scott E. Williams
- Narrated by: Karl Miller
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
ECW was one extreme contradiction piled on top of another. It was an incredibly influential company in the world of professional wrestling during the 1990s, yet it was never profitable. It portrayed itself as the ultimate in anti-authority rebellion, but its leadership was, at various points, working covertly with the two wrestling giants, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. Most of all, it blurred the line between real life and the fantasy world of professional wrestling like no other company before it.
-
-
Get a narrator with product knowledge
- By Dr Feelgood on 11-29-16
-
Unbeaten
- By: Mike Stanton
- Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the best-selling author of The Prince of Providence comes a revelatory biography of Rocky Marciano, the greatest heavyweight champion of all time.The son of poor Italian immigrants, with short arms and stubby legs, Rocky Marciano accomplished a feat that eluded legendary heavyweight champions like Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, Muhammad Ali, and Mike Tyson: He never lost a professional fight. His record was a perfect 49-0.
-
-
Great book, terrible accents in the reading
- By Ishmael Angaluuk Hope on 11-02-21
By: Mike Stanton
-
The Murder of Sonny Liston
- Las Vegas, Heroin, and Heavyweights
- By: Shaun Assael
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On January 5, 1971, Sonny Liston was found dead in his home - of an apparent heroin overdose. But no one close to Liston believed that his death was accidental. Digging deep into a life that Liston tried hard to hide, Shaun Assael treats the boxer's death as a cold case. The result is a riveting whodunit that evokes a glorious and grimy era of Las Vegas.
-
-
Great read
- By Diane Dodge on 09-14-19
By: Shaun Assael
-
Strokes of Genius
- Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played
- By: L. Jon Wertheim
- Narrated by: Edward Bauer
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 2008 Wimbledon men's final, Center Court was a stage set worthy of Shakespearean drama. Five-time champion Roger Federer was on track to take his rightful place as the most dominant player in the history of the game. He just needed to cling to his trajectory. So in the last few moments of daylight, Center Court witnessed a coronation. Only it wasn't a crowning for the Swiss heir apparent but for a swashbuckling Spaniard.
-
-
Nostalgia at its best
- By komenak on 03-03-24
By: L. Jon Wertheim
-
Playing Through the Whistle
- Steel, Football, and an American Town
- By: S. L. Price
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 15 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aliquippa, Pennsylvania is famous for two things: the Jones and Laughlin Steel mill, an industrial behemoth that helped win World War II; and football, with a high school team that has produced numerous NFL stars, including Mike Ditka and Darrelle Revis. But the mill, once the fourth largest producer in America, closed for good in 2000. What happens to a town when a dream dies? Does it just disappear?
-
-
This is not a football book
- By radchick on 04-19-17
By: S. L. Price
What listeners say about Sporting Blood
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- The Senate
- 01-16-24
Audiobook error ruins story
There's some loop on the Jack Johnson chapter, around the halfway point the chaper begins again. i don't know if there's more to the chapter that is left out or if it's just lazy editing but it's annoying
The Narrator kind of sucks too. putting accents on Hispanic names but can't get Ali or Holyfield right, calls them Alli and Hollyfield.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!