Whether your preschooler is showing interest in soccer or your teen wants to join the football team, you should be proud to have a child interested in athletics. After all, the benefits of playing organized sports can last a lifetime-from improved health and wellness to a greater sense of confidence and self-worth.
But when you're parenting an aspiring athlete, you also take on a unique set of challenges. You must learn to nurture, teach, and strengthen your child-all while coping with the extra demands the world of sports brings.
As a longtime athlete, parent, and coach, Thomas Lott is familiar with the ins and outs of raising young athletes and the many life lessons that team sports can teach a child both on and off the field. In Getting in the Game, Lott provides a helpful primer for parents as they guide children through all the challenges and triumphs of the sporting world-teaching the everlasting importance of teamwork, dedication, and good sportsmanship along the way.
About the Author: Thomas Lott remains one of the University of Oklahoma's most celebrated alums. A native of San Antonio, Texas, Thomas was a decorated multisport high school athlete who was recognized as a Parade All-American at quarterback. After earning a scholarship to the University of Oklahoma, in addition to being a member of the 1975 National Championship team, he was the starting quarterback at OU for three years, 1976 to 1978, during which the Sooners won three Conference Championships. Thomas was a two-time All-Conference selection.
Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals, Thomas spent several years on the professional level. In 2006, Thomas was inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2010, he was honored as an inductee into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.
Lott currently resides in Oklahoma City, where he continues to coach and train athletes. He provides live commentary for University of Oklahoma football games on Coaches' Cabana.
