The Heart of a Champion: Celebrating the Spirit and Character of Great American Sports Heroes

by Frank Deford

Book Overview

An award-winning sports writer captures the inspirational stories of many of the greatest athletes and teams to appear on a Wheaties box. This highly visual book defines moments that turn athletes... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1559718374
• ISBN13: 9781559718370
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Northword Press
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 2.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 10.6" x 11.5"

Customer Reviews

What Makes A Champion?

I must admit that the only time I may have been in awe of athletes was prior to my teenage years.Never have I pondered over the question, what makes a champion?However, upon glancing at the table of contents of a book entitled The Heart Of A Champion: Celebrating The Spirit And Character Of Great American Sports Heroes authored by the well-known sports writer and commentator Frank Deford, I was hooked.Deford has written twelve previous books including novels, biography, sports, social history, humour and has been called the world's greatest sports writer. If you have won the six-time Sportswriter award of the Year and are a member of the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters, being called the greatest sports writer is an understatement.Sports fans very often treat their sports heroes like demi-gods, however, from the very onset of the book, Deford makes it abundantly clear that athletes are neither gods nor heroes. They are our dream models. As he states: "we imagine ourselves in their places in our daydreams."Why do many of us look up to our baseball, hockey, basketball or football athletes?According to Deford, "it is because a sports star is so visible and so beguiling, but also, classical. Athletes not only join us together in this more complicated culture, they connect us to the simpler past. In their glory, they make us feel more whole."The book is divided into seven sections five of which deal with a particular aspect of what constitutes an essential ingredient of athletic greatness. These five are: commitment, grace, courage, team effort and perseverance.Within each of these sections Deford refers to athletes who portray a particular attribute that contributes to his or her greatness. Who can argue that courage is the defining quality of hockey star Mario Lemieux? This Canadian hockey star suffered from excruciating back pains and was forced to undergo two operations. However, what is more amazing is that he overcame the dreadful Hodgkin's decease, a form of cancer and returned to play hockey. How about Jackie Robinson, who Deford describes as the indisputably single most important athlete in our culture and probably the finest. The quality of grace is attributed to Robinson, who had to overcome problems with some of his own teammates, blatant racism on the baseball field, and threats from spectators. Nevertheless, he succeeded and paved the way for other African Americans to play in the major leagues. These are just some of the many seductive stories included in the book along with the 250 full color and black and white photos and illustrations. A book I am sure will find shelf space in the homes and libraries of the many sports enthusiasts. This review first appared on reviewer's own site

A Great Tribute Book to Great Athletes

Great sports athletes really inspire us. And as I read Frank Deford's inspiring profiles of Cal Ripken, Jr., Tiger Woods, Jerry Rice, Chris Evert, Jackie Robinson, the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team, and ohers, I was again sent back to relive some of the greatest sports moments of my life. The photos enhance the categories of commitment, grace, courage, team effort and perseverance. Frank Deford has captured the enduring spirit of these amazing men and women, and thanks to Wheaties, they ae enshrined in our minds and hearts forever. If you have a sports lover in your family, this is the book to get them this Chrsitmas.

Better than a box of Wheaties

Do you remember growing up and hearing about Wheaties, The Breakfast of Champions? We were always told that if we ate our Wheaties, we would grow up to be champions as well. Well, that part of the story never did hold true for me, but the champions that did appear on the front of the cereal box over the years have proved to be an enduring selection of sports heroes who have great stories behind their acheivements. In this very engaging and beautifully photographed book, the front of the Wheaties' boxes that I remember as a child have come to life. The author, Frank Deford, has written great essays to allow us to better understand the underlying stories behind the athletic acheivements of these memorable champions of sports.Interestingly enough, I am not a big follower of sports and originally purchased this book as an early Christmas gift for my brother. Sitting down for a cup of coffee, I became involved with the book and found myself enjoying the well written stories and great historical photos. I've decided to keep this copy, and I'll buy my brothers and nephews additional copies for their own use. I'm sure they will enjoy the great gift.I highly recommend this book. Trust me, it is much better than reading the back of the Wheaties box while enjoying a bowl of cereal.