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The World Is a Ball
- The Joy, Madness, and Meaning of Soccer
- Narrated by: Chris Kayser
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
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The World Is a Ball
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Publisher's summary
For the past 10 years, leading Canadian journalist and cultural critic John Doyle has been traveling the globe to observe World Cup and other soccer matches played at the highest level. The result is a Bill Bryson-esque narrative full of wit and insight, concluding with the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
In between his encounters with the delirious fans, the crazed taxi drivers, the leprechauns and the lederhosen, Doyle examines the evolution of soccer as a global phenomenon. More importantly, he explores in highly entertaining fashion how national character is revealed in both how the teams play the games and how their fans choose to celebrate.
This is a book that will excite and entertain both soccer enthusiasts and the legions of listeners who simply love great storytelling.
Featured Article: The Best Soccer Audiobooks for Avid and Prospective Fans
Soccer definitely has game. It’s played by more than 200 million people around the world, and it's the world's most-viewed sporting event. If you're in America, Canada, Ireland, or Australia, you probably call it soccer, and if you live in most other parts of the world, you call it football. Whether you're a casual player, a serious fan, or just interested in learning more about the game and its staying power, these audiobooks capture what makes soccer such a sensation.
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This is the story of the greatest achievement in the history of international football. After decades of failure, Spain won the European Championship in 2008 and then the World Cup in 2010. At Euro 2012 they became the first team to win three consecutive tournament titles. Graham Hunter was inside the dressing room as the players celebrated after the finals of the World Cup and Euro 2012.
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The athletes competing in the 1960 Rome Olympics included some of the most honored in Olympic history: decathlete Rafer Johnson, sprinter Wilma Rudolph, Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila, and Louisville boxer Cassius Clay, who at 18 seized the world stage for the first time, four years before he became Muhammad Ali.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 43
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 41
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Story4 out of 5 stars 41
After covering the American sports scene for 15 years, Chuck Culpepper suffered from a profound case of Common Sportswriter Malaise. He was fed up with self-righteous proclamations, steroid scandals, and the deluge of in-your-face PR that saturated the NFL, the NBA, and MLB. Then in 2006, he moved to London and discovered a new and baffling world - the renowned Premiership soccer league. Culpepper pledged his loyalty to Portsmouth, a gutsy, small-market team at the bottom of the standings. As he puts it, “It was like childhood, with beer.”
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2 out of 5 stars
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Not for americans
- By Bernie Sepponan on 09-12-14
By: Chuck Culpepper
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Why Soccer Matters
- By: Pele, Brian Winter
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 139
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 126
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 128
Soccer. Football. The beautiful game. The world’s most popular sport goes by many names, but for decades, fans have agreed on one thing: the greatest player of all time was Pelé. Now the legendary star, ambassador, and humanitarian shares a global vision for what soccer can accomplish. Now he shares his story, his experience, and his insights on the game for the very first time. Before Messi, before Ronaldo, before Beckham, there was Edson Arantes do Nascimento - known simply as Pelé.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Pele that will win your heart.
- By Montholon on 12-24-20
By: Pele, and others
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Spain
- The Inside Story of La Roja's Historic Treble
- By: Graham Hunter
- Narrated by: Graham Hunter
- Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 24
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 21
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Story5 out of 5 stars 21
This is the story of the greatest achievement in the history of international football. After decades of failure, Spain won the European Championship in 2008 and then the World Cup in 2010. At Euro 2012 they became the first team to win three consecutive tournament titles. Graham Hunter was inside the dressing room as the players celebrated after the finals of the World Cup and Euro 2012.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Insider look masterclass
- By Peter on 08-07-15
By: Graham Hunter
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Rome 1960
- The Olympics that Changed the World
- By: David Maraniss
- Narrated by: David Maraniss
- Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
- Abridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 78
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 44
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 43
The athletes competing in the 1960 Rome Olympics included some of the most honored in Olympic history: decathlete Rafer Johnson, sprinter Wilma Rudolph, Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila, and Louisville boxer Cassius Clay, who at 18 seized the world stage for the first time, four years before he became Muhammad Ali.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Very Good Book
- By Jay on 07-30-08
By: David Maraniss
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Men in Blazers Present Encyclopedia Blazertannica
- A Suboptimal Guide to Soccer, America's "Sport of the Future" Since 1972
- By: Michael Davies, Roger Bennett
- Narrated by: Roger Bennett, Michael Davies
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 151
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 135
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 135
Soccer has been America's Sport of the Future since 1972. The Men in Blazers are two English-born, soccer-obsessed broadcasters who have savored the dizzying growth of the game along with millions of Americans, as if it was a rollicking, sporting telenovela playing out in real life. Written in such a way that fully immerses Americans in the history and culture of the world's game, their Encyclopedia Blazertannica relives the careers of such greats such as George Best, Maradona, Beckham...and Alexi Lalas.
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1 out of 5 stars
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complete horsecrap
- By Jordan on 06-07-18
By: Michael Davies, and others
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My Story
- By: Steven Gerrard
- Narrated by: Michael Ryan
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 234
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 214
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 212
Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of My Story by Steven Gerrard, read Michael Ryan. Steven Gerrard is the former captain of Liverpool football team and of the England national football team and is the only player ever to have scored in a FA cup final, a league cup final, a UEFA cup final and a champion's league final. His entire career, since 1998, has been spent at Anfield with Liverpool.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Ohhhh, ya beautyyy!!
- By Gabriel on 09-29-15
By: Steven Gerrard
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Among the Thugs
- By: Bill Buford
- Narrated by: Bill Buford
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 194
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 173
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 172
They have names like Barmy Bernie, Daft Donald, and Steamin' Sammy. They like lager (in huge quantities), the queen, football clubs (especially Manchester United), and themselves. Their dislike encompasses the rest of the known universe, and England's soccer thugs express it in ways that range from mere vandalism to riots that terrorize entire cities. Now, Bill Buford, editor of the prestigious journal Granta, enters this alternate society and records both its savageries and its sinister allure.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Riveting
- By Matthew & Nina iles on 10-22-19
By: Bill Buford
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Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer
- A Journey Into the Heart of Fan Mania
- By: Warren St. John
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 130
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 92
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 92
Warren St. John decided to find out why people care so much about the outcomes of games they're not playing in by joining a group where the particulars of the fan psyche would show themselves in sharp relief: the caravan of hundreds of RVs that follow the Alabama Crimson Tide across the South, taking over college towns with a moveable feast of Weber grills, karaoke machines, Igloo coolers, and fast-draining liquor bottles.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Well done
- By James Younger on 10-07-04
By: Warren St. John
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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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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 131
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 120
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 119
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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5 out of 5 stars
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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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A Life Too Short
- The Tragedy of Robert Enke
- By: Ronald Reng
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 35
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 35
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Story5 out of 5 stars 35
Why does an international footballer with the World at his feet decide to take his own life? On November 10, 2009, the German national goalkeeper Robert Enke stepped in front of a passing train. He was 32 years old. Viewed from the outside, Enke had it all. Here was a professional goalkeeper who had played for a string of Europe's top clubs, including Jose Mourinho's Benfica and Louis Van Gaal's Barcelona. Enke was destined to be his country's first choice for years. But beneath the veneer of success lay a darker story.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Depression is real, this story brings it home.
- By Bob Seavers on 12-13-19
By: Ronald Reng
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The Football Ramble
- By: Marcus Speller, Pete Donaldson, Luke Aaron Moore, and others
- Narrated by: Marcus Speller, Pete Donaldson, Luke Aaron Moore, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 105
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 100
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 99
Downloaded over 10 million times a year, The Football Ramble podcast has established itself as the essential independent voice of football punditry. The weekly podcast has resonated with supporters around the world, and their sold-out live shows have been a massive hit with supporters. This audiobook is a collaboration by all four presenters and tackles the real issues from fans you won't see or hear on Sky Sports - or anywhere else, for that matter.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Best Performance
- By Amazon Customer on 11-15-16
By: Marcus Speller, and others
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Madden
- A Biography
- By: Bryan Burwell
- Narrated by: Mark Moseley
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 188
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 164
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Story5 out of 5 stars 165
Several years after his playing career was cut short by injury before it had a chance to really begin, John Madden was hired as an assistant coach by the Oakland Raiders, one of professional football's most iconoclastic franchises. Two years later he was named the team's head coach and proceeded to lead the Raiders to five championship games in his first seven seasons. Following years of heartbreaking losses in some of history's most memorable games.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Essential For Raider And Madden Fans
- By MovieGuy on 03-08-16
By: Bryan Burwell
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When the Game Was Ours
- By: Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Jackie MacMullan, Larry Bird
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 13 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 664
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 509
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 508
From the moment these two players took the court on opposing sides, they engaged in a fierce physical and psychological battle. Their uncommonly competitive relationship came to symbolize the most compelling rivalry in the NBA. These were the basketball epics of the 1980s - Celtics vs Lakers, East vs West, physical vs finesse, Old School vs Showtime, even white vs black. Each pushed the other to greatness - together Bird and Johnson collected eight NBA Championships and six MVP awards.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great story; stilted delivery
- By Amazon Customer on 08-07-15
By: Earvin "Magic" Johnson, and others
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Their Life's Work
- The Brotherhood of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers
- By: Gary M. Pomerantz
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 16 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 77
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 68
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 68
The Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s won an unprecedented and unmatched four Super Bowls in six years. A dozen of those Steelers players, coaches, and executives have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and three decades later their names echo in popular memory: "Mean" Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Mike Webster, Jack Lambert, Lynn Swann, and John Stallworth.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great Book
- By cap on 07-18-18
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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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Overall5 out of 5 stars 24
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 17
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Story5 out of 5 stars 17
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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5 out of 5 stars
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Don't judge a book by it's cover.
- By Anonymous User on 08-17-17
By: Tim Howard
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Wonder Girl
- The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias
- By: Don Van Natta Jr.
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 38
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 31
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 31
Texas girl Babe Didrikson never tried a sport too tough and never met a hurdle too high. Despite attempts to keep women from competing, Babe achieved All-American status in basketball and won gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Olympics. Then, Babe attempted to conquer golf. One of the founders of the LPGA, Babe won more consecutive tournaments than any golfer in history. But at the height of her fame, she was diagnosed with cancer. Babe would then take her most daring step of all....
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great read
- By Jajam on 01-07-18
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Major Taylor
- The Inspiring Story of a Black Cyclist and the Men Who Helped Him Achieve Worldwide Fame
- By: Conrad Kerber, Terry Kerber
- Narrated by: Barrie Buckner
- Length: 15 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 66
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 61
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 62
In the wake of the Tour de France’s fallen heroes, the story of one of history’s most legendary cyclists provides a much-needed antidote. In 1907 the world’s most popular athlete was not Cy Young or Ty Cobb. Rather, he was a black bicycle racer named "Major” Taylor. In his day, Taylor became a spiritual and athletic idol. He was the fastest man in America and a champion who prevailed over unspeakable cruelty. The men who aided him were among the most colorful to emerge from the era.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Great book terrible narrator
- By B. P. H. on 10-31-18
By: Conrad Kerber, and others
What listeners say about The World Is a Ball
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jason Lewis
- 05-21-15
Some great stories but best for a true soccer fan
This is a fascinating chronology of major events in soccer from a unique perspective. However, although the writer attempts to simplify certain terms and examples, it takes a certain amount of preexisting knowledge to understand it all.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Hooked on AMZN
- 03-02-16
solid story, good humor
great insight and perspective from a journalist and fan! good anecdotes from soccer maniacs across the globe.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sean Downey
- 01-15-19
A fantastic story
A must listen, of a unique and passionate persective on the world's most important sport.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- bbchompski
- 04-20-20
Really enjoyable
Great quarantine book. I attended many of the same World Cups and Euros as discussed and was fun to hear his take on them.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Danny
- 07-13-16
Enjoyable
Listening to the journey of various World Cups, various Euro competitions, it's a great listen. Lots of history and lots of fun
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 08-20-17
Fantastic story, solid but flawed narration.
The story was magnificent, the narration solid, but too many mispronounced/overpronounced names that occasionally broke the immersion of the book.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- KLam
- 05-21-14
Mostly very enjoyable BUT....
How did the narrator detract from the book?
SOOOO many poor pronunciations...UEFA, Ajax, Scholes, Ibrahimovic, Feyenoord, Arjen Robben...all it takes is a little research. I suspect the author would be disappointed.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jonathan
- 05-26-16
A must read for north American soccer fans!
The emotional aspect of the game becomes clear as the narrator delivers a strong performance to capture those aspects of the Beautiful Game that are blaringly absent from traditional North American sports. We'll written and a joy to listen to! RCTID!
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1 person found this helpful