Never Settle

Sports, Family, and the American Soul

By: Marty Smith

Narrated by: Marty Smith

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

The amazing and blessed life of popular ESPN reporter and correspondent for College GameDay Marty Smith, whose mission in this thoughtful and funny memoir is to return fans to the true soul of sports in this country.

You know Marty, right? The guy during College GameDay hanging off the back of a pickup truck while zooming around the Clemson athletic facilities. The guy who visits Nick Saban's lake house and somehow gets Coach to jump in the lake. The guy who sits down with Dale, Jr., at Daytona to talk through tears about his miraculous return to racing. The guy who interviews Tiger Woods, Tim Tebow, Peyton Manning, and Jimmie Johnson - the guy who gets paid to live the fantasy of every sports fan in America.

Never Settle is the funny but oh, it's true story of how Marty got here, and a revealing look at his journey. Never Settle includes all the best stories and behind-the-scenes moments from Marty's wild life, covering topics including: college football, racing, fathers and sons, how sports can bring us together, and how it all goes back to growing up on a farm and playing high school ball in Pearisburg, Virginia.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Marty Smith (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Marty Smith is fantastic! The thing I really admire is his passion and enthusiasm. Marty is engaged the whole time - he hustles and gets involved emotionally in the stories he tells. He's a great professional, great for college football, and I just have a great admiration for him." (Jim Harbaugh, head football coach, University of Michigan)

"Marty Smith's gift exceeds his power to connect with those he chronicles. For through that connection, with people famous and obscure, with some of the biggest names in sports and others you've never heard of, he conjures moments universal and intimate. This is a book of uncommon humanity - shaped by stories, including Marty's own - rendered in a voice as pure as the soil where it was nurtured." (Tom Rinaldi, national ESPN correspondent and New York Times best-selling author of The Red Bandanna)

"I've known Marty for what seems like our entire lives. He's an extremely hard worker. He's full of life. He's the friend everyone hopes to have. His life's been an incredible journey, and within the pages of Never Settle, you're along for the ride." (Dale Earnhardt, Jr., two-time Daytona 500 champion and New York Times best-selling author of Racing to the Finish)

At the corner of passion and preparedness

I have listened to 80+ audio books and this may be my 4th review.

Marty did an outstanding job of narrating and sharing wisdom in an entertaining way that only he can. Well done!

Awesome

Keep kicking ass! Great book! Such a great listen!God bless and much love y’all!

Came For The NASCAR Stayed For The Wisdom

As a lifelong NASCAR fan it's impossible to not know Marty Smith who covered the sport for well over a decade. His podcast with Ryan McGee was a favorite listen of mine back when they mostly talked NASCAR and old country music stories. While his book Never Settle only focuses about a third of it's pages to Marty's time in NASCAR there is much to be gained from his stories and anecdotes from interviews he has done with some of the world's greatest athletes, coaches and musicians. Part memoir, part inspirational life coaching handbook, part love letter to an often forgotten rural small town America, Never Settle has a plethora of life lessons that even a non sports fan can appreciate. Thanks, Marty!

Awesome

Marty is a talented story teller. this is filled with stories that will make you think, laugh and appreciate life.

get ready to cry

get ready to cry (in a good way) -- thank you for sharing your heart, Marty.

Eye Opening

Made me take a look at myself and my life. I am now closer to my son than ever before. Thank you

Life changing and affirming

I just finished this book by Marty Smith. I have always been drawn to him because he talks like me and we were raised the same with the same values.

This book is inspiring and reminds you of what is important in life. Marty has been immensely successful but never forgets his roots and how he was raised. I love the fact that a good ol southern boy is able to share so much about what has guided him through his journey.

The fact that he reads the book puts this over the top. I feel like I’m sitting around talking or listening to folks I grew up with.

I recommend this to anyone but it really speaks to us that are male and in that early 40’s range so much of this is close to what we are experiencing in life right now.

Thank you Marty Smith. Behind the Good Book this book inspires and offers wisdom and a guide for what is important and how to impact the world and make us better.

Thanks
Coach Joshua Williams
Lincoln Charter School, Denver, NC

Very inspiring

I have struggled with complacency, this book certainly inspires me to be better in that way!

Not your typical read....

Fact: many people may be turned off to Smith’s style of writing in this book. It’s not your typical autobiography. He even states that in the introduction. It’s more of a (nearly) unedited collection of thoughts and stories that have shaped his life. While it’s not for everyone, Smith is openly honest about everything he writes about. Which is incredibly refreshing in this day and age. He doesn’t hold back on things.

Absolutely great!

Thanks for the stories Marty Loved the book. Love your podcasts Your stories about your dad are so much a parallel to my own thoughts of my father Thanks