Book Report - Beyond the Game: the Collected Sportwriting

“Beyond the Game: The Collected Sportwriting”

“Someone to Lean On”

Roderick Lindsey

SSPE 399 A-CT-Theory of Coaching

Jim Hammond

“Beyond the Game: The Collected Sportwriting”, written by legendary Gary Smith it was a series of true stories of the sport experiences put together. Gary Smith is a skillful sports journalists working today, and is a three time winner of the National Magazine Award. It opened up a lot of doors for him, and gave him the opportunity to become a candidate of the “Associated Press Editors” as an individual that would most likely to be hired. Beyond the Game is not only a collection of great sportswriting; it is a collection of great writings of Smith. Gary Smith’s stories will touch a lot of hearts, it is very truthful and interesting to hear, it caught my attention after the first page.

Radio was a very popular selling movie that was written in this collection of stories as, "Someone to Lean On” because we all need someone to lean on, so I took the two and summarized them both. "Someone to Lean On" was based on a mentally challenged young man named James Robert Kennedy. Kennedy was amused by sports and always found himself venturing off to a nearby high school by his home. At this high school; T.L. Hanna High, he would watch the varsity football team, wishing he could be a part of such clan. Day in and day out he would go their alone and bring his valuable asset; his radio. One day the sounds and commentating on his radio would grasp the attention of the head coach, Harold Jones. Jones observed Kennedy and noticed he didn’t mean harm and just wanted to be a part of something so jones had no problem with him being there.

During a quick water break, Jones went up to the fence that Kennedy would normally linger on and offered him the opportunity to come on the sidelines of practice. Though Kennedy was mentally challenged, he was very intelligent. Kennedy did not immediately go in the gate he was offered a soda, so he went to jones. Kennedy knew this was a sign that coach did not have intentions of harming him. He took the chances and entered the gate where they were holding practice. Coach introduced himself to Kennedy, and asked, “What relation do you have with that radio, you always have with you?” Kennedy stated his reason and gave Coach Jones the privilege to call him, “Radio”.  The name “Radio” was given to James Robert Kennedy for his actions of always lugging along a hand held radio everywhere he went, by the community since he was a child.

Once he was introduced to the team, Radio was given the opportunity on a regular basis to come on the sidelines; he became a great benefit to the team during practice, he was then offered the job as the team manager. Coach Jones had no clue that Radio was there to stay. Radio would have water prepared for the teams on water breaks. Unlike the movie Radio, he was not harassed by the football team in real life, but more by the students at the school and in the community. Students have persuaded Radio to pull a fire alarm, which got him in legal trouble and hulled to jail. The team along with Coach Jones and other coaches grew a very strong bond with Radio and cared a lot about his whereabouts. This gave Coach Jones the obligation to go check on Radio and speak with his guardian, and he would do this because they really cared about radio and wanted him to fell apart of the team.

Coach Jones went to Radios house and spoke with his mother to find out information about Radio’s situation. Coach and Radio’s mother then had a vivid conversation that led to learning more about the family. It was understood that there is no specific name for the disorder that Radio possess, but more convinced that it is genetic, for his father and brother possessed the same as him. As this conversation went on Coach Jones grew an unexplainable bond for Radio which pushed him to include Radio with family events, it’s quite unique that a coach would do such a thing with a team manager. It just goes to show that coaches really do have good hearts.