Brad Herzog - Awesome Stories of Generosity in Sports

As shown by the wonderful stories in Count on Me: Sports, athletics can not only reveal character, but also inspire it.

Shannon Miller, two-time Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics

The true tales in Brad Herzogs books show how the games we play can teach seriously important life lessons.

Jake Delhomme, former Super Bowl quarterback for the Carolina Panthers

Copyright 2014 by Brad Herzog

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Unless otherwise noted, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations or critical reviews. For more information, go to www.freespirit.com/company/permissions.cfm.

Free Spirit, Free Spirit Publishing, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Free Spirit Publishing Inc. A complete listing of our logos and trademarks is available at www.freespirit.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Herzog, Brad.

Awesome stories of generosity in sports / by Brad Herzog.

pages cm. (Count on me: Sports)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Audience: Interest Level Ages: 813.

ISBN 978-1-57542-477-4 ISBN 1-57542-477-0 1. AthletesConduct of lifeJuvenile literature. 2. AthletesCharitable contributionsJuvenile literature. 3. GenerosityJuvenile literature. I. Title.

GV706.3.H46 2014

306.483dc23

ePub ISBN: 978-1-57542-506-1

Free Spirit Publishing does not have control over or assume responsibility for author or third-party websites and their content.

Reading Level Grade 5; Interest Level Ages 813;
Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading Level V

Edited by Alison Behnke
Cover and interior design by Michelle Lee Lagerroos

Cover photo credits: background Bruxov|Dreamstime.com;
clockwise from top left: AP Photo; AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti; AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki; AP Photo/John Raoux; AP Photo/Nathan Bilow; AP Photo/Greg Trott.
For interior photo credits, see .

Free Spirit Publishing Inc.
Minneapolis, MN
(612) 338-2068
www.freespirit.com

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Contact for pricing information on multiple quantity purchases.

DEDICATION

To the always generous Horner familyJulie, Doug, and super swimmers Sedona and Delaney.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to Judy Galbraith, Margie Lisovskis, and the rest of the crew at Free Spirit Publishing for having the courage to pursue a series of books celebrating stories of character in sports. I found Alison Behnke to be both insightful and inclusive as an editor, an authors dream combination, and Michelle Lee Lagerroos put in overtime making sure the designs were just right. Finally, I am grateful to Aimee Jackson for bringing me to Free Spirit in the first place and for her unwavering support and friendship.

An Olympic skier grants wishes for people in their golden years.

A young athlete raises money for a childrens hospital by starring on the baseball diamond.

With the help of his coach and classmates, a brave runner strives for the finish line.

A hockey family honors the memory of a lost son and brother by spreading a message of tolerance.

One of baseballs all-time greats makes a big hit with a few generous words.

Two NFL receivers offer helping hands to those suffering from an African famine.

Two youth soccer teams support each other when they need it most.

Most baseball coaches might offer batting or fielding tips. One coach offers a player far more.

A proud father and a Hall of Fame hockey star create a very cool program on the ice.

With the help of a generous man, a daughter realizes a dream for her dying mom.

Thanks to one woman, a child whom no one wanted becomes an Olympian.

After a tragic accident, a big league baseball team makes a purposeful decision.

One student-athlete and thousands of spectators bear down to uplift cancer patients.

A decision after one boxers tragedy gives four women a fighting chance.

After achieving her goals through basketball, a woman helps African girls reach toward theirs.

An overlooked sport and a struggling town provide a sense of pride for each other.

One man shows an entire African country what disabled people can achieve.

An inspiring lacrosse player and a team in need of inspiration find each other.

A former NBA player stands tall for good causes and makes his mother proud.

Although he lost his life too soon, a legendary baseball players generosity lives on.

Arthur Ashe was a world-class tennis player. In 1968, he became the first black man to win the U.S. Open. In 1975, he made history again by being the first black man to win Wimbledon. Yet he once said that if he were remembered only as a tennis player, he would consider himself a failure.

By that measure, Ashe definitely succeeded. He worked hard to fight social and political injustice beyond the tennis court. Today, U.S. Open matches are played at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was named for Ashe not just because he was a great athlete, but because he was a great man.

Ashe formed many groups to work toward goals he cared about. For example, he set up the Athlete-Career Connection to help athletes after they finished college. He also started the National Junior Tennis League. It provides tennis and life skills to more than 250,000 young people each year. And he created Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid. This group protested the treatment of black people in South Africa.

In 1993, Ashe died of pneumonia. Even in his last days, he spoke against injustice. He protested the poor treatment of refugees from Haiti to the United States. Throughout Ashes life, his philosophy was simple. As he saw it, From what we get, we can make a living. What we give, however, makes a life.

Thats what this book is about: People who have found joy in giving. These stories celebrate athletes and others who have used their success to achieve more important victories. Some have made a career out of a cause. Others have responded in a moment of need. After all, sometimes a single act of generosity can be powerful. For example, in April 2012, a young woman named Christina visited Floridas Daytona Beach. At the time, Christina was being treated for a brain tumor. She was in a wheelchair. When she went to the beach, Christina sat watching the waves. She wished she could get closer to the water. But it was very hard to move her wheelchair through the sand. Just then, six college athletes from New York came by. The men were in Florida on vacation. They offered to help Christina. Together they carried her wheelchair to the edge of the water and cheered as she dipped her toes into the ocean. The experience was a simple one. But simple acts of kindness can make lasting memories.

As the stories in these pages show, generosity comes in many forms. It can mean helping a single person, as in the story of the college baseball coach who donated an organ to one of his players. It can mean lifting the spirits of an entire town. Thats what some undersized football players did when they brought big smiles to a tough-luck coal mining town. It can even mean changing the perspective of a whole country, like the disabled cyclist in Ghana who inspired his nation to care for all its citizens.