The game of football has lots of odd language hidden in its history. Why is a field called a “gridiron?” Why are players called “quarterback” and “fullback?” Getting in the game can be intimidating if you don’t know the lingo, which is why this book is full of football terms and their origins. From the difference between a safety—the player—and a safety—a scoring play—to some of the weirder quirks of the rules, full-color photographs and graphic organizers show readers everything they need to watch this exciting sport as an informed fan.

Basketball is a game of numbers. Scoring points is one thing, but readers might not know that each position in basketball has a number, too! It’s just one of the many fun facts about basketball a reader needs to know to sound like a pro. Full-color photographs and graphic organizers explain concepts like the difference between a small forward and a power forward while introducing new terminology that helps readers get their heads in the game and ready to take the floor.

From a distance, soccer may seem like a tough sport to understand. Once you get to the pitch and get running, though, it’s easy to see why it’s so much fun! Readers explore “the beautiful game” in this exciting title full of soccer terms and facts. From an easy explanation of offside rules to the history of red and yellow cards, colorful photos and graphics make soccer history and tactical concepts easy to understand, bringing a new generation to the world’s most popular sport.

Can you put the biscuit in the basket? If you don’t know your hockey lingo, that might be a hard question to answer. After reading this book full of colorful graphics and photos explaining the finer points of hockey jargon, readers will be sure to take a shot on net and try scoring a goal for themselves. From technical terms for hockey equipment to explanations of hockey rules and positions, this book has everything readers need to lace up the skates and hit the ice with confidence.

Baseball is a great sport full of weird words. Trying to play a game with friends might be hard if you don’t know what anyone is saying! Readers will get a look in the dugout, and even learn why they call it a dugout in the first place. With color photos and other graphics explaining different terms and concepts like a double switch or ground rules, readers are sure to learn everything they need to talk—and play—like a pro.

There’s a lot more to auto racing than just driving around in a circle. From engine maintenance to understanding wind physics while drafting, drivers and their crews are smart people making decisions in the blink of an eye. Making tough calls in an instant is often the difference between taking the checkered flag for the win or settling for a finish in the back of the pack. With vivid graphics and full-color photographs illustrating the fast-paced world of race car drivers, readers learn how spotters help drivers through crashes and some of the technical terms used in the pits to help make racing champions.

As a young student, Joseph Phillips once overheard someone say of him, "He talk like a white boy!" The Denver native never thought that speaking correctly would cause others to question his authenticity as an African-American. Little did he know what lay in his future. His choices in music, politics, faith, and family have given rise to many accusations of his not being "black enough." As an actor, Joseph has encountered even more pointing fingers, this time for not being liberal enough for Hollywood. With a frank voice and a loving heart, this brilliant, conservative and outspoken African-American man presents a series of funny and thought-provoking essays that speak to the simple fact that authenticity is far more complicated that one's choice of words or music

Granville N. Toogood is a top executive communications expert, as well as an established speaker, trainer, and writer. Before starting his own company in 1982, Mr. Toogood was a television reporter and network news producer for NBC and ABC. Today he works with a long list of blue-chip clients and has served as a consultant to 38 of the Fortune 50 CEOs, as well as thousands of senior-level executives, elected officials, and diplomats throughout the world. This book is based on his acclaimed corporate workshops in executive communications. Mr. Toogood resides in Darien, Connecticut.

Selected by the New England Patriots as the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft, Tom Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback in pro football history. He has seven Super Bowl rings, five Super Bowl MVP awards, and has won NFL MVP honors three times. He is one of only two starting quarterbacks to have won Super Bowls with two different teams and is the first NFL player to win titles in three different decades. Having completed his 21st NFL season, Brady holds more than 50 NFL records and is one of the longest-tenured players in league history. After leading the Patriots through two decades of dominance, Brady cemented his GOAT status by taking the Buccaneers to a title in his first season in Tampa. This fully illustrated book celebrates Brady’s career with passionate and vivid prose, supreme photographic images, and call-out quotes. In addition, dozens of personal anecdotes and recollections about Brady from prominent members of the NFL community enhance this nostalgic experience.

The Routledge Handbook of Elite Sport Performance is the first book to examine a broad span of performance and support issues in contemporary elite sport; including coaching, sports science and medicine, leadership and management, operating in different societies, living in the system as a performer, and future developments in the domain. The book is written by authors with elite-level experience, expertise, success, and status across individual and team sports, including football, NFL, track and field athletics, rowing, and rugby, in professional, Olympic, and other elite domains. The book also considers the integration of systems at micro to macro levels, from working with individual athletes to developing national organisations and policy, and features in-depth case studies from real sport throughout. This is an essential reference for any researcher or advanced student with an interest in elite sport or applied sport science, from sport injury and sport psychology to sports coaching and sport policy. It is also an invaluable resource for coaches, managers, administrators, and policy-makers working in elite sport, offering them a "breadth first" guide to how and why specialists may work together for maximum effect.