The Red Rubber Ball

Several years ago I attended a banking and real estate conference called PCBC in San Francisco. One of the keynotes was given by a man named Kevin Carroll, who worked for several companies, including the likes of Nike. He changed my mind, and helped foster my creative to both write my book and found ESM.



He spoke about the power of play. He talked about how each one of us has the ability to evoke positive change in the world, and to do so we needed to find our inner child. By doing that, he argued, we could have a powerful experience everyday. Most importantly he emphasized, that if we found that inner child and that passion to play that we could accomplish great things along the way.



In a lot of ways his speech helped me to write my book. In it, I talk a great deal about the power of play, and the ability we have in our society to effect kids through sports and empowerment.



One of the most interesting things I come across in my travels is that plethora of parents and coaches who don't get it. I can't put it any simpler: they just don't get it. They think that sports are about winning. They think that sports are about bragging about who is a better athlete. I am hoping that my book will shed some light on what's going on with the current plight of youth sports in America, but more importantly, provide a road map for what we need to do in order to bring about powerful change.



In the end, its all about finding a way to play.