Sports management books are a fantastic resource for people who want to build a career in sports. With incredible and inspiring stories, strategy, and industry information, you can learn a lot about sports management jobs and how to be successful in your career. From coaches to players and owners to managers, these seven sports management books are filled to the brim with wisdom.
Most Inspiring Sports Management Books
1. Attitude: Develop a Winning Mindset On and Off the Court by Jay Wright
Attitude is an excellent choice for people who want to know how to create a winning culture, achieve aggressive goals or build a winning team. Jay Wright, coach of the Villanova University men’s basketball team, spells out his competitive philosophy and how his core values acted as a propeller of success. Interspersing personal anecdotes and guidance from his own coaches and mentors, Wright tells a stellar story of his journey and the steps in his dynamic career.
2. The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse by Tom Verducci
The history of the Chicago Cubs is the stuff of legend. The fans that keep root, root, rooting for the home team are steadfastly loyal. In The Cubs Way, Verducci elaborates on the importance of clubhouse culture that helped to build the best team in baseball in 2016 as the World Series Champions.
As one of the most inspiring sports management books, this gem delves not only into stats like on-base-percentage, but into some of the intangibles — showcasing how positive energy, vibe, and personality can combine to break a curse and help people perform to their fullest potential.
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3. When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi by David Maraniss
One of the most inspiring quotes of legendary football coach Vince Lombardi is:
“The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.”
Sports management jobs are tough but incredibly rewarding. You may not always succeed. This bestselling biography showcases his twenty frustrating years as a high school coach prior to getting his big break, and all the work that led to winning five world champions in nine seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
Vince never gave up. In When Pride Still Mattered, you will discover his personal leadership principles that can help guide you in your career — through the frustrations, challenges, and thrills of victory. It’s about perseverance, discipline, leadership, and teamwork — and never giving up.
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4. Imperfect: An Improbable Life by Jim Abbott
Imperfect is a story about a man born without a right hand. Jim Abbott always wanted to be an athlete, and by twenty-one, he earned a gold medal in the Olympics>. This amazing baseball player bypassed the minor leagues and went straight to the starting lineup of the California Angels, and even finished third in voting for the Cy Young Award.
Dealing with insecurity, Abbott speaks honestly about the challenges he had growing up different. His strength and determination to excel is a real inspiration. Another highlight of his career was after he joined the New York Yankees where he pitched one of the most intense and dramatic no-hitters in the history of major league baseball. An unforgettable memoir, Jim Abbott’s book shines a spotlight on how we can overcome obstacles to success, and truly thrive.
5. Call an Audible: Let My Pivot From Harvard Law to NFL Coach Inspire Your Transition by Daron K. Roberts
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. They’re hard, right? If you’re reading sports management books because you are ready for a change and want to follow your passion for sports as a career, don’t miss Call an Audible. Getting to the NFL is never easy, even when you’ve been entrenched in the game of football all of your life.
Roberts’ bestselling book in mentoring and coaching vividly tells about his transition from law to football, giving a behind-the-scenes look at his out of the ordinary beat-the-odds journey. Making a switch like this isn’t easy, and this book can help people across all backgrounds find the inspiration to truly go after what you want.
6. The Real Madrid Way: How Values Created the Most Successful Sports Team on the Planet by Steven G. Mandis
Soccer offers thrills to fans all over the world. It is a sport, a lifestyle, and a global business phenomenon. One of the most successful sports teams on the entire planet, Real Madrid’s trophies seem to be unending. What does it take to be this incredibly successful?
The Real Madrid Way goes into detail of both the on-the-field and off the field aspects of their winning formula. Detailing one of the most amazing turnarounds in sports (and business!) history, this is definitely one of the tops in sports management books. It focuses on how they went against conventional wisdom and aligned their strategy with the values and culture of its fans.
7. Playbook for Success: A Hall of Famer’s Business Tactics for Teamwork and Leadership by Nancy Lieberman
Lieberman is a Hall of Fame basketball coach and business entrepreneur that teaches leaders the rules of success that she uses with her players. Aligning the boardroom with the court, Playbook for Success focuses on teaching women how to recognize their own strengths and how success is propelled through attitude and belief. In a primarily male industry, Lieberman is a fresh, unique voice that needs to be heard.
Read On!
These seven inspiring sports management books will move you through many emotions as the stories reveal the lows and the challenges to the joys of winning together and achieving lifelong dreams. Reading books like these can help people seeking sports management jobs to understand the complexities of the personalities of people you will work with, successful leadership traits, and secrets to creating a fulfilling career in sports.
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