Kirjahaku

An inspirational look at a diverse group of popular sports figures and how they found success in sports and life. Young athletes all dream of what they might become. They might see themselves as a soccer player racing through defenses at the World Cup, as a hockey player scoring the winning goal in the Stanley Cup Final, or as a figure skater in the Winter Olympics. But to get there takes hard work, dedication, and passion.In The Reason We Play: American Sports Figures and What Inspires Them, Marc Bona profiles some of the nation’s top athletes and sports personalities from the past several decades to reveal what it takes to make it in the world of professional sports. Along with fascinating accounts of the sports figures’ lives and careers, Bona includes, in their own words, what motivated them, what obstacles they overcame, and even what books they loved to read when they were young. Featuring athletes such as soccer icon Kristine Lilly, basketball star Victor Oladipo, and softball phenom Cat Osterman, The Reason We Play has something for everyone. From football to rodeo, baseball to racing, the front office to coaching, the subjects all share a common trait of excellence on and off the field.

Sportswriter Catharine Andrews knows what professional football is like in the near future, but as the season begins she finds herself digging into a mysterious, dominating player's past to uncover the secret of his greatness. This all-ages book gives the reader a vantage on the field and in the locker room as a mystery unfolds.

Explore the hidden gems of Cleveland sports Cleveland sports history goes well beyond The Shot, The Fumble, The Drive and so many other ignoble moments. Many of the city's most illustrious sports tales are long-forgotten chapters of tribulations and tragedy, of fleeting fame and enduring milestones. There are forgotten firsts, such as football's first pass and the invention of baseball's slider having ties to Cleveland. There are overshadowed tragedies like a fatal crash involving an Indians pitcher occurring the same year two of the team's hurlers were killed in a high-profile boating accident. And then there are the near misses--like George Steinbrenner coming within seconds of owning the Indians and a famous musician who almost became a Cleveland Brown. From basketball to boxing, hockey to Heisman, journalist Marc Bona chronicles more than a century of unremembered tales.