653: Letters to a Young Athlete
In this episode, I wasn’t the target audience, but I appreciated an athlete’s letters nonetheless...
Friends, friends, friends.
Welcome back to Teatime Reading where there are books in progress.
If you watched the NBA in the last decade, Chris Bosh was one of the most scrutinized and criticized athletes in basketball. As the third member of the Miami Heat big three, Bosh was often blamed for the Heat’s failures.
That was despite the fact that Bosh undoubtedly had to make the biggest sacrifices to his game in the hopes of becoming a champion.
However, even after becoming a two-time champion, Bosh couldn’t have imagined his career ending abruptly right around the all-star break in 2016.
As a huge NBA fan, I felt for him because he and Dwyane Wade were set to team up for a deep playoff run after LeBron James’ departure.
It always felt weird because Chris Bosh never gave up on his NBA dream even as test after test came back. After announcing his retirement more than three years after his final game, his jersey was raised to the rafters and it seemed like he was starting the next chapter of his life.
One of the first parts of that new chapter is his new motivational book titled Letters to a Young Athlete. I was honestly hoping that the audiobook would be narrated by the author, but no luck there.
I loved the format of this book. The letters to a young athlete was a title but also made this book super accessible to a younger person.
Bosh tackled subjects that would be relevant to athletes and non-athletes alike, even though he focused on one of these groups for the purposes of this book. Issues like learning from your mistakes, taking care of your mind and body, work ethic, and much more.
Chris Bosh has always had an incredible heart. His passion for the game of basketball always showed on the court and I’m happy to say that his new book didn’t sugarcoat the reality of the grueling days as a pro athlete. It revealed his experiences as an athlete and as a man, and that was a huge gift for me as a reader.
I’ll end this review with some of the best moments in this audiobook, in no particular order.
there is winning and there is misery there is nothing in between
I am supremely gracious
Are you willing to push past the E on your tank?
Scratch the depths of your soul and see what's there
When you ask enough why's it gets real deep real quick
It's important for me to tell you this because I might not be told to you if I don't tell it to you
Part of competing at a high level is learning to take your ego out of it
Ego was thinking everyone you meet is a supporting player in the story of you
Letters to a Young Athlete is a really good book by a really talented and determined star athlete. I can see many kids and teenagers getting a lot of insight and inspiration from Chris Bosh’s life.
Until next time, keep your bookmarks close.
Peace, Love, Pages.
Note: As Always, Affiliate Links are here for your convenience at no cost to you. All reading was at my own expense.