Sports Inspiration

For many of us, we look to varying types of people for inspiration. This includes the people directly involved in our lives (for instance, our family members or friends) and people that we admire from afar (religious figures, celebrities, influencers, politicians, etc.). For me personally, I have looked to a few different athletes to draw inspiration from – during both my childhood and in more recent times.

Inside the Harper College Library, I have put together a display of a few of these athletes’ books and movies. This display is near The Desk on the main, second floor of the library. In this blog post, I’ll write about some of the athletes highlighted on the display, including the books they have written or the books written about them. 

• Tim Tebow – Tim Tebow is a former Heisman trophy winning football quarterback on the college level, as well as a former NFL player for the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, and a few other professional level teams, in recent history. His book, Mission Possible, gives advice on how to make one’s life count, giving a Biblical pathway for this. 

• Chrissie Wellington – She is an Ironman world champion that has written a book entitled A Life Without Limits. It is about her journey in life, including her inspirational path to the top in the sport of Ironman distance racing.  

• Althea Gibson – The book about this tennis champion, aptly called Althea, was written by author Sally H. Jacobs and published recently in 2023. In it, the life of American sports legend Althea Gibson is explored. This Black woman from Harlem broke the color barrier for tennis in the 1950s, and the color barrier for women’s golf in the 1960s. At one point, she rose up to be the number one-ranked female tennis player in the world. Her story is one of talent and grit, and it should serve as a true inspiration for anyone who reads this book. 

These 3 inspirational sports figures are only a few of the athletes highlighted on the Library display. Other athletes described, along with their corresponding book, include Billie Jean King (tennis star), the “Dust Bowl Girls” (a women’s basketball team that came together and flourished during the Great Depression of the 1930s), Mike Krzyzewski (college basketball coach), and Cristiano Ronaldo (professional soccer player). Movies highlighted include the classics Rudy (about the Notre Dame walk-on football player Rudy Ruettiger) and Rocky (about the fictional underdog boxer who becomes a champion against all odds).

Clearly, there are a lot of choices here at Harper College Library for sports inspiration. Be sure to come and pick up one of the books or movies today! You won’t be disappointed.