Go for the Gold This Summer With These Sports-Themed Audiobooks and Podcasts
Summer is peak season for some of our favorite sports and events. Whether you’re rooting for the home team at the ballpark or cheering for your country as it competes in Paris, Spotify’s editors have audiobook and podcast recommendations that will help you amp up your team spirit.
Audiobooks
Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance
Simone Biles, Michelle Burford
Narrated by Imani Parks
In Courage to Soar, four-time Olympic gold-winning and record-setting American gymnast Simone Biles shares how her faith, family, passion, and perseverance made her one of the top athletes and gymnasts in the world. The GOAT’s entrance into the world of gymnastics started on a field trip in her hometown of Spring, Texas, and her talent, along with drive to succeed no matter what, has fueled her ever since. This official autobiography shows that there is much more to Simone than meets the eye, and it offers inspiration for finding the courage to overcome life’s obstacles.
Make It Count: My Fight to Become the First Transgender Olympic Runner
CeCé Telfer
Narrated by CeCé Telfer
This inspiring story from the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA title follows CeCé Telfer’s traditional upbringing in Jamaica, her fight to become a U.S. citizen, her efforts to achieve her Olympic dreams, and the many obstacles that came with them. It’s a story of resilience, athleticism, and a quest for clarity, because when CeCé discovered running, she also found herself.
Three Kings: Race, Class, and the Barrier-Breaking Rivals Who Launched the Modern Olympic Age
Todd Balf
Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini
Even a century later, the 100-meter sprint final at the 1924 Paris Games is considered one of the most thrilling races in Olympic history. Broadcast live for the first time and featuring three of the world’s fastest swimmers—American legends Duke Kahanamoku and Johnny Weissmuller, and Japanese upstart Katsuo Takaishi—the race was also the first Olympic swimming final to spotlight athletes of different races. Three Kings traces the careers and rivalries of these men and looks at how our modern-day conception of athleticism and competition is rooted in this previous era and its athletes.
Drop In: The Gender Rebels Who Changed the Face of Skateboarding
Deborah Stoll
Narrated by Deborah Stoll, Daru Oda
Who gets to tell the story of skateboarding? The four skateboarders at the heart of Drop In defied expectations of gender, talent, physical ability, and mental capacity to fight the status quo: Alana as the first openly nonbinary athlete in Olympic history; Vanessa as a record-breaking runaway; Marbie as an accidental boundary-breaking trans icon; and Victoria as the skate rookie turned social media sensation. This story spotlights their paths from rebellious outsiders to pioneers onstage at the 2021 Tokyo Games, where skateboarding made its debut.
Just Add Water: My Swimming Life
Katie Ledecky
Narrated by Katie Ledecky
Katie Ledecky has won more individual Olympic races than any female swimmer in history. Just Add Water charts Ledecky’s life in swimming, from her start in Bethesda, Maryland, where she first discovered the joy of the pool, to winning gold at just 15 years old, to balancing competition and her education at Stanford University. Ledecky shares firsthand how she developed a champion’s mindset that has allowed her to persevere through the intense pressures of her sport and how she has continued to dominate in the pool, where success comes down to milliseconds
Podcasts
Sal’s Winning Weekend
Sal Iacono—Jimmy Kimmel Live on-air personality and host of Cousin Sal’s Winning Weekend—breaks down the world of gambling across a variety of sports, including professional football, basketball, hockey, and ultimate fighting; boxing; wrestling; and even competitive hot dog eating.
The Ryen Russillo Podcast
Each week, longtime sports radio host Ryen Russillo covers the biggest topics in sports. This podcast is one-stop listening for everything that’s happening in the athletic world, from the winners and losers to trade talk and predictions—and a dash of pop culture.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
HBO and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons hosts the most downloaded sports podcast of all time. Tune in to hear him in conversation with a rotating crew of celebrities, athletes, and media heavyweights, as well as regulars like Cousin Sal and Joe House.
Counter Pressed
Commentator Flo Lloyd-Hughes and a rotating group of friends offer a fun, unfiltered look at the world of football, with a focus on the women’s game.
The Press Box
The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker catch up listeners on the biggest media stories of the week, from sports to politics and everything in between.
Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air
Emmy-winning producer, actor, and comedian Larry Wilmore weighs in on the issues of the week and interviews guests from the worlds of politics, entertainment, culture, sports, and beyond.
Ringer Dish
Ringer Dish is the place for all things celebrity and pop culture. From major moments like the Met Gala, the Oscars, and massive sporting events to the weird habits of the stars you love, and even refreshers on the biggest tabloid stories of the last 20 years, Ringer Dish has all the vital details.
