My Book - The Why of Sports

Yesterday, my book The Why of Sports: Finding Meaning, Presence, and Purpose in the Game and Beyond was published.

The ideas come from my life as the son of a coach, then as an athlete, coach, parent, and mindfulness teacher. The book consists of 61 short chapters, each 1-2 pages long, written in an informal, lyrical style, and divided into 4 parts:

Part 1 – The Why: Finding Your Motivation, Values, and Mindset for the Journey.

Part 2 – The Inner Game: Mastering Attention, Thoughts, Emotions, and Presence.

Part 3 – The Craft: Practice, Process, and Mastery.

Part 4 – Connection, Collaboration, and Leadership: Expanding Mastery Beyond the Self. 

These parts may also represent four ways to live an “examined life.” The book is about more than just sports. Sports are about more than just sports.

This project began with a simple question that kept tugging at me: Why do sports matter so much? Writing the book ended up being my way of answering that question for myself.

Over the years, I’ve seen sports shape character, deepen awareness, and create moments of real growth. I’ve also observed how pressure, anxiety, comparison, expectation — and indeed, the influence of big money — can be harmful. 

The book is my attempt to get back to the heart of it all. To remember that, at its best, sport is a way to practice becoming a better person. It invites us to slow down, pay attention, and reconnect with why we show up: to learn, to compete with intensity and humility, to trust our teammates, and to become more selfless, grounded, and resilient along the way. As my dad would have said, it’s about “the integrity of the game.”

My outlook may lean idealistic, but in a time when burnout, anxiety, and depression are far too common in sports, I feel called to offer a more mindful and grounded way forward.

I didn’t write this as an expert with all the answers - I’m not a psychologist or a researcher. It’s more “how to be” than “how to.” I wrote it simply as someone who has lived in this world of sports for a long time and cares deeply about the people inside it.

If these reflections bring even a little more calm, clarity, or confidence to a few athletes, coaches, or parents, then the book will have done what I hoped.

Thank you to everyone who has supported and pushed me along on this effort. I’m truly grateful.