Why do sports captivate people? They allow us to watch human beings achieve peak performance, but, beyond physical strength and skill, what's really impressive is an athlete's mental prowess -- their will to succeed, engagement with their environment, and self-confidence. In Life as Sport, sport psychologist Dr. Jonathan Fader shares the skills that he teaches professional athletes--to enhance motivation, set productive goals, sharpen routines, manage stress, and clarify thought processes--and applies them to real-world situations. Dr. Fader's book is the product of thousands of hours of conversations with athletes from various teams and sports: power forwards, tennis phenoms, power-hitting outfielders, and battle-scarred linebackers, as well as hedge-fund managers, entrepreneurs, A-list actors, and dozens of other elite achievers in sports, business, and performing arts. It offers a compendium of stories, theories, and techniques that have been helpful to players, coaches, and executives in professional sports. What emerges is more than just a set of techniques, but a life philosophy that anyone can live by: an internal code to help translate our talent and drive toward the highest plateaus of performance. Dr. Fader designs his strategies to be studied, learned, practiced, and improved. He offers his readers the same exercises that he uses in every session with a professional athlete. These exercises help you to get truly engaged, whether you are designing a new business plan, working to inspire a team or individual, or even falling in love. This is what it means to truly live life as sport--to approach it with the same immediacy, wonder, and engagement that athletes feel at their peak during a game. Life as Sport helps you to pursue your own goals with an enriched intensity -- not only because it creates new potential, but also because it helps you unlock what was always there to begin with.

In Sport Is Life with the Volume Turned Up, Joan Cronan offers a refreshing and innovative perspective on strengthening performance and achieving success in both the business world and everyday life. During her twenty-eight years as Women’s Athletics Director for the University of Tennessee, Cronan built one of the most prominent and respected women’s athletics programs in the nation, resulting in ten NCAA titles and twenty-four SEC Tournament Championships for the Lady Vols during her tenure. She reveals in her book what happened behind the scenes in constructing a successful, nationally renowned women’s athletics program—and it turns out that game days were only part of the story. Cronan’s lighthearted stories and succinct business tips will draw you in until you feel like you are present for every victory she describes on the court and in the workplace. Cronan’s business acumen and passionate approach to positive change will arm you with the outlook and the tools you need to revolutionize the professional and personal spheres in your life.

There is a huge category of sports fan: people who love a bloody good argument. Sport makes them think, engage and argue. Given that people already take sport so very seriously, and at such an intense level of enquiry, then Ed Smith concludes we should draw out some of sport's intellectual lessons and practical uses What Sport Teaches Us About Life gives us a rare glimpse into the world of sport as seen from an extraordinarily keen, and closely-involved observer. In one chapter Smith extols the virtues of amateurism in today's professional world; in another he explains why there'll never be another sportsman as dominant as Don Bradman. He unearths the hidden dimensions of England's 2005 Ashes win, examines the impact of the free market on cricket and football, argues that cheating is not always as clear cut as it might seem.

The journey of a basketball player is full of incredible highs and frustrating lows--whether you're an athlete, their parent, or their coach. Read the stories in this book to discover how the good, bad, ugly, and amazing experiences on court teach athletes important lessons that help them create enduring success in their lives.

SPORT IN LIFE: Reflections & Refractions is a unique book authored by Raju Mukherji and Arijit Mukherjee, containing personal insightful nuggets with erudite views on Sport and its influence on society, politics and everything in between. The concepts and thoughts from Raju and Arijit are further reinstated through case studies from 22 contributors - A tapestry of experiences stitched together by their unwavering love for sports and what they took away long after they hung their boots.

What is life really like for the elite athlete? How does the experience of being a professional sports person differ from the popular perceptions of fans, journalists or academics? Why might elite sports people experience mental health difficulties away from the public gaze? In the first book-length study of its kind, Kitrina Douglas and David Carless present the life stories of real elite athletes alongside careful analysis and interpretation of those stories in order to better understand the experience of living in sport. Drawing on psychology, sociology, counselling, psychotherapy and narrative theory, and on narrative research in sports as diverse as golf, track and field athletics, judo and hockey, they explore the ways in which the culture of sport interacts with the mental health, development, identity and life trajectories of elite and professional sports people in highly pressurised and sometimes unhealthy environments. By casting light on a previously under-researched aspect of sport, the book makes a call for strategies to be put in place to minimise difficulties or distress for athletes, for support to be tailored across the different life phases, and highlights the potential benefits in terms of athlete well-being and improved performance. The book also considers how these important issues relate to broader cultural and social factors, and therefore represents important reading for any student or professional with an interest in sport psychology, coaching, sport sociology, youth sport, counselling, or exercise and mental health.

How to Build a Sport or Life Dynasty By: Norbert A. Baschnagel “How to Build a Sport or Life Dynasty is a must read book, not only for those who are currently coaching and those who aspire to coach, but also for people who are seeking to live meaningful and productive lives.” “Coach Baschnagel gives a very detailed and successful plan on how to excel as a coach and how to create a sports dynasty. This plan is based on his expertise, knowledge, and life experience. It was this plan that enabled him to create a Sports Dynasty for the Women’s Varsity Tennis Team at Clarion University. In his last four years of coaching the team, a record of 57 wins and only 1 loss was compiled. This book can help any coach achieve greater success. In this book Coach Baschnagel is sharing “The tricks of the trade” with his readers.” “He also shares the qualities that are needed for a person, not only to be successful in life, but also to be significant. If a person wants to have a higher and more satisfying life, this book is a must. As the author has excelled in his personal life, coaching, and in the community, he has brought that same excellence in this book.” ~Fr. Sam Bungo, St. Charles Church, New Bethlehem, PA “The book exemplifies how to develop and build a sports or life dynasty and is truly how you live your life. Your persistence, determination when others said it could not be done, commitment, dedication to others and your amazing leadership skills are fundamental in shifting from success to significance.” “Being a part of your “Tennis Dynasty” for four years and playing under your leadership was both an honor and privilege. At the same time I didn’t realize how valuable the life’s lessons were that I was acquiring. You don’t always see the magnitude of something while in the middle of it. What you write about is exactly what your expectations were of each player. Good sportsmanship, hard work, discipline, teamwork, training, preparation, compassion, self-control, enthusiasm and friendship are all attributes that you valued and instilled in us as our leader. These qualities have carried over into adulthood and are great strengths to have throughout life.” “Whether you are a coach wanting to build a team dynasty, or an athlete wanting to master his or her skill, this book is a roadmap to do just that.” ~Tamara Myers-CUP Hall of Fame Member (1987-1990) Tennis Team Captain, Medical Sales Rep. “Norb always has a plan, and with that plan he has always had Beverly to make sure he stayed focused to get these plans accomplished. Only Norb could have believed and figured out how to build a dynasty in a place that is known for Wrestling and Autumn Leaf Festival. If you want to know how to build a successful program in sports, business, and even life, read this book, “How to Build a Sport or Life Dynasty”. Everyone thought he was crazy, including his assistant coaches and some of his players who are in the Clarion Sports Hall of Fame, but two years later, we were not only the best tennis team in the PSAC for four straight years, we were the dominant team on the whole east coast. Coach Baschnagel is the only person who could have believed and made this happen, and I believe with hard work and using his principal’s you could be as successful as he was, but you must burn the midnight oil. You can’t be successful by accident, and this success story does not come without a few hard times and headaches. It is a book that you will not be able to put down and you can use every day.” ~Philip D. Popielski Jr CUP Student Assistant Tennis Coach (1984-1987), Assistant Principal Woodlawn High School Baltimore, MD “In this his fourth sports themed book Norbert Baschnagel tells the story of how he took a struggling, non-winning women’s tennis program at Clarion University of Pennsylvania and turned it into the conference leader with an astounding string of wins during his stint as head coach. The achievement led to many honors including his being named the conference’s “Coach of the Year” and being inducted into the Clarion University Sports Hall of Fame.” Baschnagel then provides a detailed blueprint of how he achieved his success and how others can achieve similar results. Baschnagel eventually left coaching to become a member of the Clarion University faculty, teaching in the university’s Department of Health and Physical Education for many years before retiring recently. A few years before his retirement Professor Baschnagel received one of academia’s highest honors when he was named a full professor. Though Coach/Professor Baschnagel is now retired he is not resting on his laurels as he remains active in the community and the sports world. And as this book ably demonstrates while he may be retired he is still very much in the game.” ~Dr. William Buchanan, Professor Emeritus, Department of Information and Library Science, Clarion University of Pennsylvania