Prepare to be inspired by the story of Delane Parnell, the unlikeliest of CEOs now leading a gaming empire at the center of the booming, multibillion-dollar esports industry. Delane Parnell is not your typical tech entrepreneur. He was raised in a gang-riddled neighborhood on Detroit’s west side, bouncing between homes as his mother tried to make ends meet. Many of his closest friends and family members ended up in jail or dead. This makes it even more incredible that Delane became the 25-year-old founder and CEO of PlayVS, a Los Angeles company that is forever changing the gaming landscape in America. In 2018, esports— team-based competitive video gaming—became an officially sanctioned high school sport, meaning student gamers can now earn varsity letters just like their basketball and volleyball player peers. Delane’s startup is making that happen, providing the infrastructure that hosts the competitions, compiles the statistics, organizes playoff tournaments, and streams state championships for tens of thousands of students across the country. Ahead of the Game is a deeply reported narrative that tells the story of Delane, the motley group of underdogs and hustlers that helped build his several-hundred-million-dollar startup, and the previously overlooked students now participating in America’s growing esports phenomenon. It’s a tale of perseverance, courage, loyalty, race, family, tragedy, and believing you can overcome the odds—no matter how severely they’re stacked against you. Readers will also: Learn how the growing Esports industry is changing the lives of students across the country who were previously not engaged in the high school experience. Get a glimpse into a successful entrepreneur path unlike any other by following the story of how Delane Parnell created PlayVs in spite of the greatest of challenges. Be inspired that there is hope and opportunity available to people who go against conventional paths to realize their dreams. With a foreword by Sean "Diddy" Combs

Each week, 52 million kids take to America?s gymnasiums, playing fields, and race tracks. Many of them dream of becoming the next sports superstar. While they train for countless hours to get to the top, sacrifice and dedication are often not enough. Young athletes have no idea that a different field of competition awaits them down the road: the game of professional sports business. Without adequate preparation for this winner-takes-all industry, athletes risk derailing an otherwise promising career with a single business misstep. Combining his experience with the insights of other industry insiders, sports business consultant Ken Ungar created Ahead of the Game: What Every Athlete Needs to Know About Sports Business, a complete primer for young athletes and their families on the challenges they will face off the playing field. This practical ?how to? book walks the reader through complex sports business topics, like marketing, law, insurance, finance, and career planning, in easy-to-understand terms. Every athlete wanting to make the most of a career in professional sports need this book to stay Ahead of the Game. Distributed by:Sports Career Press11405 N. Pennsylvania Street, Ste. 115Carmel, IN 46032www.ungarstrategies.com

“A delight for baseball lovers” (Kirkus Reviews) and “one of the most significant baseball books of the year” (Bob Costas) Ahead of the Curve uses stories from baseball’s present and past to examine why we sometimes choose ignorance over information, and how tradition can trump logic. Forget batting average. Kill the “Win.” Say goodbye to starting pitchers. And please, please stop bunting. MLB Network anchor and commentator Brian Kenny provides “an excellent, entertaining read for the all-around baseball fan” (Library Journal) and shows how baseball has been revolutionized—not destroyed—by analytical thinking. Most people who resist logical thought in baseball preach “tradition” and “respecting the game.” But many of baseball’s traditions go back to the nineteenth century, when the pitcher’s job was to provide the batter with a ball he could hit and fielders played without gloves. Instead of fearing change, Brian Kenny wants fans to think critically, reject outmoded groupthink, and embrace the changes that have come with the sabermetric era. In his entertaining and enlightening book, Kenny discusses why the pitching win-loss record, the Triple Crown, fielding errors, and so-called battling titles should be ignored. He also points out how fossilized sportswriters have been electing the wrong MVP’s and ignoring legitimate candidates for the Hall of Fame; why managers are hired based on their looks; and how the most important position in baseball may just be “Director of Decision Sciences.” “Prepare to have your brain and your assumptions challenged. Guided by data and a deep love of the game, Brian Kenny takes a cutting-edge look at where baseball is and where it is going” (Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated). Illustrated with unique anecdotes from those who have reshaped the game, Ahead of the Curve is “a great story about the game in the age of information and technology” (Billy Beane).

When a body is discovered at a popular Highland landmark, it seems like just another day on the job for DCI Jack Logan and his team.Except this body is missing a very vital component, and given its location - The Well of Seven Heads - it seems like someone is trying to send a message. But why? And to whom?With pressure mounting from his superiors, six hundred teenagers baying for blood, and the press sniffing around for a scandal, the only chance Jack has of cracking his latest case is if he finds a way to keep the heid, while all around are losing theirs.Ahead of the Game is the tenth book from bestselling Scottish crime author, JD Kirk, and is perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, Stuart Macbride, and Val McDermid.

Pat Williams has known the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat--both on the sidelines of the basketball court and in his personal life. In this engaging look at his life and career, he tells of big-name players, multimillion dollar deals, and nail-biting playoffs during his rise from minor league wunderkind to general manager of an NBA championship team. He also tells of his heart-crushing divorce and his battle with cancer. In Ahead of the Game he offers readers ten principles for success that will inspire them to live a winning life despite their challenges.

Mental attitude in sport is the difference between winning/performing well and losing/performing badly. Many elite athletes say that the mental aspects of sport make the difference between being a champion or not. Whether at professional or recreational level, your mindset determines the degree of success and fulfillment you achieve from your sport. Ahead of the Game will teach you how to use your mind to win and perform to your best in sport.Ahead of the Game is written for sports coaches, athletes and players of all levels who want to learn some leading-edge yet tried and tested techniques to using your mind more effectively, and helping others to do the same. It draws on many of the techniques from Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), proven methods to achieve success and better results, faster. Ahead of the Game takes you through the techniques and approaches step by step, and is full of practical exercises and examples of how these techniques have been used with athletes so that you can adapt the techniques to suit you in all sports, including major sports like athletics, football/soccer, tennis, golf, basketball and swimming.'Within the book, Jeremy simplifies the learnings of what at first glance are some complex areas through the activities that he presents, the tips that he supplies and the intriguing personal stories he provides as to how he has worked with athletes to enable them to make huge leaps in their performance - all of which allow the reader to extract the vital information presented quickly and effectively.I urge anybody who is an athlete wishing to improve their sporting potential, or anybody working within the athlete set-up to read this book and challenge themselves to implement the learnings from it in all aspects of their lives.'From the Preface by JJ Smith, Lecturer and Researcher of Sport Psychology, Loughborough University, England.