Professional Athletes

Athletic success comes from a strong mindset more than strong muscle power. You don’t have to be born mentally tough–you can develop this vital trait with hard work and consistency. Loaded with simple, actionable strategies, this guidebook will help you build mental strength, become resilient, and achieve the top spot in your game.

By studying this playbook, aspiring and rookie NBA and NFL athletes will be able to create a blueprint to prepare them to navigate the world of professional sports and successfully transition into the final stage of their lives. This playbook takes a proactive approach in addressing the common issues that plague athletes, enabling them to move forward strategically and with purpose.

"Hard pass." That's what the last girl I slept with said when she got her first sober glimpse of me. She laughed, walked out of my penthouse - and I never saw her again. It doesn't matter that I'm a rich, professional athlete; what mattered was my face. Beauty might only be skin deep for some - but I know better. "Pay up." That's what the last girl I spoke to said over the phone when I made her an offer she couldn't refuse.

They are motivators, key strategists, tough bosses, and choreographers. They can be branded as heroes, ousted as scapegoats, quietly valued as friends, and everything in between. It's all in the job description for an NHL head coach. In Behind the Bench, Craig Custance sits down for film sessions and candid conversations with some of the game's most notable modern luminaries - names like Mike Babcock, Joel Quenneville, Dan Bylsma, Ken Hitchcock, and Claude Julien - all of whom share their singular views on topics ranging from leadership secrets to on-ice game plans.

Reiner Strickland had led his team to three national championships, and playing a knight in shining armor was all in a day's work for the NFL star quarterback. Only his damsel in distress had no idea who he was, and it threw him off his game. He was the face of his organization and was used to everyone recognizing him. Her innocence, charm, and beauty captivated him. It wasn't until after they parted ways that he realized that he never got her number or even her last name.

Never have the best sportspeople seemed so far removed from the rest of us. So how are these extraordinary athletes made, and what do their achievements tell us about success? The Best reveals how the most incredible sportspeople in the world got that way. It is a unique look at the path to sporting greatness. This is a story of origins, training, luck, and serendipity, as well as of sports science and cutting-edge technology.

In Brave Enough, Jessie Diggins reveals the true story of her journey from the American Midwest into sports history. With candid charm and characteristic grit, she connects the dots from her free-spirited upbringing in the woods of Minnesota to racing in the bright spotlights of the Olympics. Going far beyond stories of races and ribbons, she describes the challenges and frustrations of becoming a serious athlete.

In Playing Through the Pain, writer Dan Good seeks to make sense of MLB MVP Ken Caminiti's fascinating, troubled life. The story of Caminiti, the player who opened the lid on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball, has never been properly told. Caminiti voluntarily admitted in a 2002 Sports Illustrated cover story that he used steroids during his career, including his 1996 season, and guessed that half of the players were using performance-enhancing drugs. Good's on-the-record sources include Caminiti's steroids supplier, people who attended rehab with him, and more.

Pro athletes are in a unique situation. They have a shot clock ticking down the time until retirement more quickly than nonathletes do. The Money Playbook offers athletes a way to enjoy their post-career days just as much as their playing days.

Are you settling for less than your full potential? Ryback, also known as "The Big Guy", may seem like he has it all - success as a professional athlete, health, money, and a physique to envy. But in Wake Up! It's Feeding Time he reveals that he hasn't always been so successful; he had to earn it. The key to his success - and yours too, if you heed his advice - is to "believe in yourself, even when nobody else does", set smart goals, and work toward achieving them.

Whatever your fitness goals are, the most important thing to do is set them before you start. If you don't know where you're going, how will you get there? There's no point in getting frustrated when a year down the line and all that time at the gym has yielded no results. Quit worrying about what other people's goals are. Worrying about other people's goals is a waste of time and energy! We're constantly bombarded with messages from advertisers, magazines, and social media telling us that their idea of beauty is the only one that matters—but it isn't true!

From the New York Times best-selling author of Return of the King comes the story of LeBron James' incredible transformation from basketball star to sports and business mogul.

Jim Thorpe was one of the greatest athletes who ever lived. He played professional football, major league baseball, and won Olympic gold medals in track and field. But his life wasn't an easy one. Born on the Sac and Fox Reservation in 1887, he encountered much family tragedy, and was sent as a young boy to various Indian boarding schools: strict, cold institutions that didn't allow their students to hold on to their Native American languages and traditions.

Despite the howling protests from his peers, no one's ever been more willing to spill the beans on what it's really like inside the pro cycling peloton than the sarcastic scribe Phil Gaimon. Building on the outrageous success of his hilarious 2014 debut, Pro Cycling on $10 a Day: From Fat Kid to Euro Pro, Gaimon gathers the absolute gems from his monthly Q & A feature column in VeloNews magazine into his new book, Ask a Pro.

Tired of watching your dream athlete from the sidelines? Chloe Kaitlyn Conner is here to spill the tea with a revolutionary roadmap to teach you how to swipe right on your own BALLER! Yes, you read that right. Professional Athletes – those dazzling specimens of physical perfection and sporting glory – are now within your reach! No longer will you languish in the spectator seats, longing for a glimpse of your dream athlete. With this comprehensive and humorous guide, you’ll transform from a mere observer to a captivating temptress, ready sweep off the feet, your very own statuesque ...

When a group of private equity bigwigs purchased the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011, the team was both bad and boring. Attendance was down. So were ratings. The Sixers had an aging coach, an antiquated front office, and a group of players that could best be described as mediocre. Enter Sam Hinkie - a man with a plan straight out of the PE playbook, one that violated professional sports' Golden Rule: You play to win the game.

Elle I fell in love with the wrong guy. His world is a corrupt place, and I’m done playing the game. I left months ago, and I’m not sure if he’s really let me go or if he’s simply giving me the illusion of freedom. Even with no one controlling my life now, I struggle to find happiness. I haven’t allowed anyone new close to me in months—heck, probably years. But when the All-Pro quarterback tries to push his way in, I’m tempted even though I know I can’t be what he needs. Max is at the top of his game, and I won’t let him get hurt. Not by me and definitely not by Jack. The ...

Making Sound Money Moves is a must-consume playbook on money and behavioral psychology that will turn financially illiterate jocks into money-managing rockstars. Every topic was meticulously curated for the aspirational millionaire. You don't have to be a professional athlete to score sound money management tips from this book.

Hoop Dreams Fulfilled is a detailed, first-person account of an athlete's failures and struggles on his way to playing professional basketball. Through in-depth experiences, Tyson Hartnett describes his journey playing basketball starting in fourth grade, through high school, college, and eventually professionally overseas. He profiles his mistakes and failures and his eventual redemption.

If you are listening to this investment guide, it means you are within reach of ample wealth, which you will earn in a surprisingly short period of time. Some of you may already have achieved this. The word “earn” is important, for you have put in years of hard work and fierce devotion to build yourself into a proud member of one of the most admired professions in America. You are a professional athlete. One of the few people lucky enough to get paid fat sums for doing something you love to do.