The Yards Between Us
A Memoir of Life, Love, and Football
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Narrated by:
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R.K. Russell
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By:
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R.K. Russell
About this listen
In 2019, R.K. Russell broke the mold when he came out as bisexual in an essay for ESPN that ignited the sports world. Now, in his powerful memoir, THE YARDS BETWEEN US, he shares his story and explores his love of football, men and women, walking the devastating tightrope of keeping his sexuality secret, the tension between his private and public lives, and the importance of crashing through barriers.
One part inspirational journey and one part coming of age as an athlete struggling to break a mold. THE YARDS BETWEEN US follows in the footsteps of moving, impactful sports memoirs like Agassi's OPEN, Misty Copeland's LIFE IN MOTION, and Megan Rapinoe's ONE LIFE.
Russell traces the highs and lows of his life in and out of football, from his early life as a shy kid struggling with the expectations on a Black boy and the pull between his quiet nature and his athletic ability, to being drafted by his hometown team the Dallas Cowboys, and then on to seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills. And as his time in the sport comes into full bloom, Russell realizes that keeping his secret in the NFL is easier than in college when life and football are so much more connected to social worlds.
Through being cut, injured, and frustrating setbacks, Russell's confidence lags as the secret of his sexuality weighs heavier and heavier. And when that frustration is combined with the devastating loss of his best friend and sole confidant, the darkness that follows also brings a deep understanding that perhaps it's time to make a change. In Los Angeles, against the backdrop of the swaying palm trees and warm sands of Malibu, Russell falls in love and it's the final push he needs to stand up for every part of himself—a professional athlete, a writer, a son, a friend, a lover, a bisexual Black man. In THE YARDS BETWEEN US, R.K. Russell shows us the life-changing power of embracing who you are and fighting to make space so others can do the same.
©2023 R.K. Russell (P)2023 Hyperion AvenueListeners also enjoyed...
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- Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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When Jayden and his teammates find out there’s not going to be a Hoop Group this year - and maybe ever again - they have to learn to lean on each other if they want to save their basketball season, in this inspiring new middle grade novel from NBA superstar LeBron James and acclaimed author Andrea Williams. A New York Times best seller!
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Hoop Group
- By Ptolemy on 01-25-23
By: LeBron James, and others
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Play Their Hearts Out
- A Coach, His Star Recruit, and the Youth Basketball Machine
- By: George Dohrmann
- Narrated by: Emily Rose Speer
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The NBA has returned to prominence on the backs of phenoms like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett. The media promotes them, the shoe companies pay them, and America applauds. But how exactly do such players reach the pros? What do they give up to get there? And what happens to those who fall short?
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Amazing book, fantastic narration.
- By Randy on 11-03-10
By: George Dohrmann
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By the Grace of the Game
- The Holocaust, a Basketball Legacy, and an Unprecedented American Dream
- By: Dan Grunfeld
- Narrated by: Chris Lutkin
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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When Lily and Alex entered a packed gymnasium in Queens, New York, in 1972, they barely recognized their son. The boy who escaped to America with them, who was bullied as he struggled to learn English and cope with family tragedy, was now a young man who had discovered and secretly honed his basketball talent on the outdoor courts of New York City. That young man was Ernie Grunfeld, who would go on to win an Olympic gold medal and reach previously unimaginable heights as an NBA player and executive.
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Exceptional
- By Patrick Messing on 04-07-22
By: Dan Grunfeld
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Dr. J Unabridged
- The Autobiography
- By: Julius Erving, Karl Taro Greenfeld
- Narrated by: Julius Erving
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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With his flights of improvisation around the basket and his towering afro, Julius Erving became one of the most charismatic (and revolutionary) players basketball has ever known. But while the public has long revered this cultural icon, few have ever known of the double life of Julius Erving. Dr. J traces the inner lives of the nearly perfect player and the imperfect man - and how he has come to terms with both.
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I may overrate it, but I’m a hoops junkie!
- By Anonymous User on 01-29-14
By: Julius Erving, and others
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The Keeper
- A Life of Saving Goals and Achieving Them
- By: Ali Benjamin, Tim Howard
- Narrated by: J.D. Jackson
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In the summer of 2014, Tim Howard became an overnight sensation after more than 10 years as one of America's leading professional soccer players. His record-breaking 15 saves for the United States national team against Belgium in the World Cup electrified a nation that had only recently woken up to the Beautiful Game after decades of hibernation. In this inspiring and candid memoir, the beloved US and Everton goalkeeper finally allows himself to do something that he would never do on the field: He drops his guard.
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Tim Howard Saves more then Goals!
- By Ron on 12-16-14
By: Ali Benjamin, and others
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Basketball Junkie
- A Memoir
- By: Chris Herren, Bill Reynolds
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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At basketball-crazy Durfee High School in Fall River, Massachusetts, junior guard Chris Herren carried his family’s and the city’s dreams on his skinny frame. His grandfather, father, and older brother had created their own sports legends in a declining city; he was the last, best hope for a career beyond the shuttered mills and factories. Herren was heavily recruited by major universities, chosen as a McDonald’s All-American, featured in a Sports Illustrated cover story, and at just seventeen years old became the central figure in Fall River Dreams, an acclaimed book about the 1994 Durfee team’s quest for the state championship.
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most powerful recovery story I've ever heard
- By Brian Swasey on 03-23-22
By: Chris Herren, and others
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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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Head On
- A Memoir
- By: Larry Csonka
- Narrated by: Phil Thron
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Larry Csonka ran the football with audacity and authority. He lived his off-the-field life with equal abandon. As part of the NFL's 100th Anniversary, he and his undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins teammates were named the best team in NFL history. In Head On, Csonka shares how they achieved their legendary Perfect Season. From quitting football at a young age, to his often-combative relationship with Coach Don Shula, to brazen exploits with his NFL pals, Csonka narrates a life that is colorful, unbridled, and thrilling.
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My Childhood Hero
- By Amy MacDougall on 01-28-23
By: Larry Csonka
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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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Overtime
- Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football
- By: John U. Bacon
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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For the past year, John U. Bacon has received unprecedented access to Jim Harbaugh’s University of Michigan football team: coaches, players, and staffers, in closed-door meetings, locker rooms, meals, and classes. Overtime captures this storied program at the crossroads, as the sport’s winningest team battles to reclaim its former glory. But what if the price of success today comes at the cost of your soul? Do you pay it, or compete without compromising?
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Good story.... but
- By Amazon Customer on 10-07-19
By: John U. Bacon
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The Keeper - Young Readers' Edition
- The Unguarded Story of Tim Howard
- By: Tim Howard
- Narrated by: William Harper
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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In this heartwarming and candid memoir, Tim Howard does something he would never do on a soccer field: he drops his guard. As fiercely protective about his privacy as he is guarding the goal for the US national team and for Everton in the English Premier League, Howard opens up for the first time about how a hyperactive kid from New Jersey with Tourette's syndrome defied the odds to become one of the world’s premier goalkeepers.
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Don't judge a book by it's cover.
- By Anonymous User on 08-17-17
By: Tim Howard
What listeners say about The Yards Between Us
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Corey Martin Craig
- 07-30-23
Heartfelt and insightful look at acceptance
I’ve had the pleasure to know Russ through a gym in Los Angeles. Hearing his story now through full acceptance and his journey to live his purest life is inspiring. Highly recommend.
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- MarkinGA
- 07-29-24
It's Ryan's truth. What stands out the most to me was the love and courage it took for him to share it all....openly.
Ryan's relationship with his mother is amazing and his openness to figure things out with his Father, awesome. it's not my role to judge his journey but I'm very grateful that he was willing to share it and that it is written so well.
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- Michael
- 05-18-23
A lonely journey
R.K. ‘s path is a testament to be considerate to everyone,, you never know what someone else is dealing with and more although their existence suggests something otherwise! A super listen! You feel as though you really know him but could never really know his struggles unless you are him!
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- libraboi
- 05-24-23
Powerful story
I really enjoyed this story. being a black and gay man myself, him sharing his story is inspiring. I encourage others who are struggling coming out, especially black men, read this book to help ease that process. y
You are more than enough, and there's a whole community that will support you 💕💕💕
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- Buys right
- 06-04-23
Intriguing and motivating
This will help a lot of people and open some eyes. Sadly, some of those people who need to read and understand Ryan’s problems will never open their eyes or minds to anything LGBTQ+.
Thanks to Mr Russell for this enlightening work.
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- L. Watt
- 08-05-23
Detoxifying masculinity, or plain ol’ excellence in being human, well-told
This is an important work to add to the growing chorus of new voices on detoxifying masculinity.
I’m a white woman from a difficult past who is aligned with expanding the pool of recipients society treats with dignity, and I am fully ignorant of sports.
Stories like these help me process my grief from my own life with grace; reading/hearing stories from people so unlike me whose skillful and generous telling lays bare our common humanity gifts me the grace of solidarity with so many who live with pains and sorrows as diverse as life on Earth.
We don’t all learn to live, though, and one of the strengths of this story is not the athletic arc itself, but the introspection, voiced for all of us, from a deliberate thinker and feeler.
Masculinity, like humanity, is deep and raw; easy to get lost in. This is an important story about how to learn to live with self-determination, integrity, and depth amidst the complexity of all our lives.
The author’s reading sometimes strolls over powerful phrases or moments, hiding his excellent writing. I think this is worth both a listen and a read, and I might do both.
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- Austin Pierce
- 12-25-23
Probably More Brave Than I Realize
As a bisexual man, I read for the bisexuality and not the football. I’m sure there will be readers who are the exact opposite.
But I’m grateful for RK for bringing these two worlds closer together—before he even wrote this book.
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