Other books that might interest you

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  Punk in the Gym

  Andy Pollitt

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  Andy Pollitt is as close to a Hollywood A-lister as the climbing world will ever get. He had the looks, and he starred in all the big roles in the 1980s and 1990s - Tremadog, Pen Trwyn, the big Gogarth climbs, Raven Tor and the cult Australian adventures. Alongside co-stars like Jerry Moffatt, John Redhead and Malcolm 'HB' Matheson, he brought us sexy climbing - gone were the beards, the woolly socks and the fibre pile. Andy was all skin-tight pink Lycra, vests and brooding looks. For those watching, Andy Pollitt had it all. But Punk in the Gym gives us the whole truth. The self-doubt, the depression, the drinking, the fags, the womanising, the injuries, the loss of a father and the trouble that brings, and a need for something - for recognition, a release for the pain, and, for Andy, more drinking, more tears, bigger run-outs.With nothing held back, Andy tells his roller-coaster story from the UK to Australia, exactly as it happened. Exposing his fragile ego and leaving us to laugh, cry, marvel and judge, this is a sports autobiography like no other. The legendary routes are all here - The Bells, The Bells!, Skinhead Moonstomp, The Hollow Man, Boot Boys, The Whore of Babylon and Knockin' on Heaven's Door. And the route that broke him and robbed the climbing world of its Hollywood star - Punks in the Gym.

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  The United States of Soccer -...

  Phil West

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  “A brisk and informative look at Major League Soccer’s first twenty years . . . West gives MLS fans a worthy chronicle.” (Booklist). 
   
  In 1988, FIFA decreed that the 1994 World Cup would be played in the United States – with the condition that the U.S. would start a new professional league. The North American Soccer League had failed just four years prior, and the prospects of launching a new league for Americans, who didn’t share the rest of the world’s love for soccer, were both exciting and daunting.  
   
  The United States of Soccer is the engaging history of Major League Soccer’s bootstrap origins prior to its 1996 launch, its near-demise in the early 2000s, and its surprising resilience and growth as it won recognition from soccer fans around the world. The book also explores the origin of MLS’s superfans who set the tone within MLS stadiums and defining what it is to be a North American soccer fan. Phil West chronicles those fans’ voices – intermingled with league officials, former players and coaches, journalists, and newspaper accounts – to detail MLS’s remarkable journey.

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  Life Is Short and So Am I - My...

  Dylan Postl

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  Heart, determination, and triumph
  		 
  This is the story of a boy who fell in love with wrestling before he was able to walk. Born with achondroplasia, a condition that causes disproportionate dwarfism, Dylan Postl had endured multiple surgeries by the age of 12. And yet, he held on to the dream that he would one day become a professional wrestler. Ignoring the naysayers and against doctors’ recommendations, Postl began training in his teens, and he soon began appearing on local independent shows. Before he turned 20, he was signed by WWE to play the role of Irish grappler Finlay’s feisty sidekick, Hornswoggle, and remained a fixture in the company for a full decade. 
  		 
  While most of Postl’s adult life has been spent in the wild world of the wrestling industry, his is more than a story of a little person’s journey through a world of giants; it’s a memoir of elation and anguish, triumph and disappointment, and of how an endlessly positive outlook combined with the unwavering support of family and friends helped a long shot become a success in his industry and a loving, responsible father.

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  I'll Show You

  Derrick Rose, Sam Smith

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  In 2012, Derrick Rose was on top of the world. 
  After growing up in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, Rose achieved an improbable childhood dream: being selected first overall in the NBA draft by his hometown Chicago Bulls. The point guard known to his family as "Pooh" was a phenom, winning the Rookie of the Year award and electrifying fans around the world. In 2011, he became the youngest MVP in league history. He and the Bulls believed the city's first berth in the NBA Finals since the Jordan era was on the horizon. Rarely had a bond between a player and fans been so strong, as the city wrapped its arms around the homegrown hero. 
  Six years and four knee surgeries later, he was waived by the Utah Jazz, a once surefire Hall of Fame career seemingly on the brink of collapse. Many speculated his days in the NBA were over. 
  But Derrick Rose never doubted himself, never believed his struggles on and off the court were anything other than temporary setbacks. Rather than telling the world he had more to give, he decided to show them.

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  Messi – 2016 Updated Edition -...

  Luca Caioli

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  Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer of our time: a magician with uncanny ability to beat defenders, find space and score goals. At the peak of his powers during Barcelona's 2015 treble win – a decade on from his first Spanish title – the four-time Ballon d'Or winner has again eclipsed his rivals and proved emphatically that he has no intention of surrendering his crown just yet.
  
  Messi is Luca Caioli's classic portrait of modern football's star turn, now fully updated to include all the action from 2014/15. Featuring exclusive testimony from those who know him best, including coaches, teammates and even Messi himself, it offers an unrivalled behind-the-scenes look at the life of a football superstar.

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  Out There - A Voice from the Wild

  Chris Townsend

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  WINNER OF THE OUTDOOR WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS GUILD: OUTDOOR BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2016
  'Those who decry peak bagging as mere list ticking fail to understand the commitment challenge and pleasure involved. Collecting summits means collecting experiences.'
  Drawing from more than forty years of experience as an outdoorsman, and probably the world's best known long distance walker who also writes, Chris Townsend describes the landscapes and wildlife, the walkers and climbers, and the authors who have influenced him in this lucid and beautiful book. Writing from his home in the heart of the Cairngorms he discusses the wild, its importance to civilisation and how we cannot do without it.

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