The Agony of Winning

Sports in modern-day America are no place for fun and games. Scholarship, all-conference, all-state, all-America, player of the year-there's serious stuff at stake here. Competition is a killer instinct that coaches and parents have instilled in young athletes almost from the time they're old enough to walk. The idea of competing while having fun sounds as if it will smother that killer instinct. So maybe no coaches or parents or players will dare pick up this book. But I hope some of them will read it, regardless. Because I love sports, absolutely, truly, and deeply. I love the real essence of competition, whatever the venue. I care tremendously about protecting the good that athletic competition can do. I know without a doubt that we have moved far away from the original, true spirit of sport, and we're moving farther away all the time. I have written this book to show the way back. -Kevin Touhey