From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up-It's easy to make fun of a book that offers advice such as "Have a positive attitude in whatever you're doing" and "Winning in athletics and in life means focusing on the task at hand." Factor in a slightly oversized typeface and rather amateurish cartoon illustrations and you might be likely to dismiss this as a dumb-jock book. Doing so would be a mistake. In addition to sound information regarding the awarding of athletic scholarships, dealing with recruiters, and following NCAA guidelines, the authors provide the kind of brutally honest counsel that many young athletes need but few receive. Consider, for example, the affect on the starry-eyed high school player of the statement, "Statistically, you have a better chance of becoming a brain surgeon than a professional athlete." Or the shock of recognition that will come to many competitors when confronted with the bold assertion that, "To remain eligible and uneducated, an athlete has to cooperate in deception." The clear theme throughout is that one is responsible for one's own actions and that success depends on preparation and hard work. While marred by a couple of illustrations that could be considered demeaning to women, this otherwise solid effort is among the best of a number of similar guides.
Richard Luzer, Fair Haven Union High School, VTCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From the Publisher
Top Ten reasons to buy (and read!) The Real Athletes
Guide 10) Has no messages from Mike Tyson, Marge Schott, or Michael Irvin.
Don't worry: Ronnie Lott, Ann Meyers Drysdale, and Coach K are a bit more
qualified to speak on success.
9) 1/7 the weight of the NCAA rule book. 7,000 times more readable.
8) Athletes who can't read can start by looking at the16 full-page
cartoons, then get help.
7) At $19.95, a whole lot cheaper than a pair of Nikes. And a lot more
useful.
6) This book is hilarious, but the biggest joke is failure to learn about
these issues.
5) Whether you're highly recruited or highly unrecruited, shows you how
to make the most of your chances, and avoid disaster.
4) The business of college athletics is ruthless, but with the Babe Ruth
of books on your team, you can come out on top.
3) The team you lost to last week, they all read the book.
2) We don't want to give away the ending, but if you don't read it, think
Titanic.
And the #1 reason you should buy The Real Athletes Guide....
1) Ineligibility sucks.
