The Book of Sports Virtues: Portraits from the Field of Play

There's more to a game of sports than winning and losing. "The Book of Sports Virtues: Portraits from the Field of Play" is an assortment of stories telling of athletes and their virtues in their chosen sports. Be it a tale of Appreciation involving Lou Gehrig, Nobility involving Jackie Robinson, or Unity involving Olympic hockey teams, "The Book of Sports Virtues" is a collection of virtue and should be read by any coach or sports educator who want to impart good sportsmanship on their students.

This book is about great human beings who happen to have been great athletes. It tells true stories of courage, determination and overcoming physical, mental and cultural adversity. It demonstrates core values and I believe that if collegiate, high school and middle school athletes read this book they will better understand the true value of life and sports.

This work by Fritz Knapp, a longtime teacher and coach, is the result of a 10-year study of "life abilities" that make certain sports figures great. Reading numerous biographies of athletes dating to the late 1800s has served Knapp well as he faces trials in his own life. His hope is that these stories will inspire readers to "be true to who God made you--a shining star in a dimming world." The book is organized into 15 chapters, each focusing on a virtue exemplified by one or more athletes. Family background, personal trials, and athletic accomplishments are covered. Each chapter ends with a quotation from a well-known author or public figure. A fact-of-the-matter closing tells of charitable work on behalf of the subject or gives information on an illness or disability he or she suffered. In addition to chapters on individuals, Knapp presents closely related athletes in single chapters, pairing football's Gayle Sayers and Brian Piccolo under the virtue of compassion and baseball's Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson as models of nobility. Under the theme of unity, Knapp writes of U.S. Olympic hockey teams (1980 men and 1998 women). Material in this chapter's fact-of-the-matter section links teamwork in athletics with "dream team science," the recent trend toward interdisciplinary biomedical research. Knapp compares the prospect of finding cures for diseases such as cancer to the motivation that inspires Olympic athletes in their quest for the gold.

Think of the standards that our youth get calibrated on today - from the sports world to our culture at large. From revelations of using illegal, performance enhancing drugs by recent Olympic Gold Medal track stars, Tour de France champions and of course baseball stars ... to political and business leaders who violate ethical standards for their own personal gain or pleasure by completely disregarding the law ... these are just a few general examples of the headlines that bombard us almost daily. If you're old enough to remember Olympic competition from back in the 1970's, you may recall the feeling of indignation when you learned that the East Germans and the Soviets were using illegal drugs in an effort to win. Why did you view that as unconscionable behavior? One reason may be that you were grounded with cultural norms that surrounded you every day ... put didn't necessarily notice those cultural foundation values being instilled into you. Youth back in the 1970s were probably more focused on `the thrill of victory', `the agony of defeat' (phrases made famous on WABCs Wild World of Sports), or just the rush from the drama of nail-biting competition in any sport. Fast forward a generation and Fritz Knapp helps us reflect on the big picture from the vantage point of a seasoned adult who has lived through the bruises of life as his introduction so crispy calibrates us. Stories many of us were familiar with as kids now look quite a bit different when viewed through the lens of an adult with responsibility for passing along cultural values and standards. In addition, Fritz takes us on a journey through time, visiting the intersections of role models who demonstrated the values and virtues that we were raised to strive to achieve. On the journey Fritz Knapp takes us on he also shines an uncomfortable light on the fuller story of obstacles that minorities faced that tug at your heart ... but also help you realize that we have indeed come very far in the last several generations. In my opinion, Fritz Knapp's book should be required reading for youth today. Its healthy soul food, guidance and proof for kids now and in the future that people have been able to uphold the highest ethical standards and values while overcoming tremendous challenges and setbacks. Fritz Knapp is on to something here. I hope he is planning the first of many sequels because we all can be helped by being reminded of or exposed to these stories of inspiration...and there are more good stories out there waiting to be shared! Well done Fritz!