Sports activities are a phenomenon that’s embedded in our language, vogue and media. Sports activities metaphors are so ubiquitous that we barely even discover them anymore; they’re used for the whole lot from a primary kiss to profession trajectory.
Resilient in nature, athletes typically share private tales about breaking by way of boundaries, beating odds and conquering important challenges—tales which can be typically riveting and inspirational. We’ve compiled an inventory of some current sports activities books that provide simply that.
1. What You’re Made For: Highly effective Life Classes from My Profession in Sports activities
By George Raveling and Ryan Vacation (2025)
It’s important to be a fairly large deal to persuade Michael Jordan to write down a foreword to your guide. Jordan took the request a step additional in his foreword to legendary basketball coach George Raveling’s memoir (co-authored by thinker Ryan Vacation), writing that Raveling “doesn’t get the credit score that I really feel he deserves.” The guide combines narrative reflections on Raveling’s tenacity and resilience, constructed from navigating a tough childhood after being orphaned at 13, and turning into a trailblazing coach for one of many world’s hottest sports activities. Raveling shares tales from his life, recounting serving as safety on the 1963 March on Washington, the place he skilled the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legendary “I Have a Dream” speech. He additionally chronicles working intently with Jordan and Kobe Bryant at Nike. Raveling’s story is a riveting learn that’s fast and detailed, providing steering by way of storytelling.
Purchase this guide on Amazon.
2. Mamba & Mambacita Ceaselessly
By Vanessa Bryant (October 2025)
After the 2020 helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, murals honoring the pair sprouted up everywhere in the globe. 5 years later, there are nonetheless a whole bunch of murals round Southern California and the world. Vanessa Bryant, spouse of Kobe and mom of Gianna, is releasing a guide of images and tales concerning the murals, which have been a mix of commissioned artwork and graffiti. The quilt of the guide options New York avenue artist Andaluz’s vivid Costa Mesa, California, mural depicting Gianna resting on Kobe’s head, a somber but affectionate image of the father-daughter bond.
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3. Simply Add Water: My Swimming Life
By Katie Ledecky (2024)
The winner of 9 Olympic gold medals and 21 World Championship gold medals, Katie Ledecky is without doubt one of the most distinguished swimmers on the earth. Ledecky’s memoir examines her swimming profession from its childhood begin on a swim staff, which she credit to her mom’s want to assist her make pals on the pool. Her expertise for swimming was found early, resulting in a record-breaking efficiency within the London Olympics at age 15. As she tells her story, Ledecky credit her success to her dedication to setting excessive targets for herself and the follow-through mandatory to attain them.
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4. On the Edge: The Autobiography
By Martin Keown (2025)
Former Arsenal footballer Martin Keown, now a BAFTA-winning TV pundit, recounts enjoying for the world-renowned soccer membership. Rising up the son of working-class Irish mother and father in Oxford, England, Keown realized that he was an outsider after the Birmingham pub bombings in 1974 led to elevated hostility towards the group’s Irish members. Keown grew to become obsessive about soccer round age 7 and performed his first recreation for Arsenal within the mid-Eighties. All through his decades-spanning profession, Keown performed with greats like David Beckham and Thierry Henry. This autobiography of considered one of Arsenal’s all-time greats is a coming-of-age story about outsider persistence and resilience.
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5. KLIM
By Michael Klim (2024)
In 2000, Michael Klim received two gold medals for swimming within the Sydney Olympics. Within the Eighties, Klim’s household emigrated from communist-era Poland, finally settling in Melbourne, Australia. Klim’s swimming talents have been observed by the Australian Institute of Sport, and, at 15, he moved to Canberra, Australia, to coach as knowledgeable swimmer. In his storied profession, Klim pioneered the straight-arm freestyle and broke the world report for the 100m butterfly—twice. In his memoir, Klim climbs out of the pool and affords a candid account of the adversity he skilled in his private life, which culminated in a significant disaster that pressured him to vary his life totally with a purpose to hold his future afloat.
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This text initially appeared within the July/August 2025 challenge of SUCCESS journal. Photograph by skynesher/iStock
