Never Settle

Sports, Family, and the American Soul

By: Marty Smith

Narrated by: Marty Smith

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.

Critic reviews

"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 bestselling author of Racing to the Finish

"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 bestselling author of The Red Bandanna

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.