It's Not About the Bra

By Brandi Chastain

     World Cup Soccer champion Brandi Chastain has been disappointed by the direction youth sports has taken. Too many stories of poor sportsmanship and violence left Chastain wondering what she could do to help put the fun back into youth sports. This book is part of her answer to the rapidly growing problem.

    Chastain has crafted this book to give youth, as well as their parents and coaches some guidelines for being passionate about sports without getting carried away. She outlines how to play aggressively without being dangerous to other players. She also highlights that sports are a team effort, and everyone has to rely on their fellow players in order to be great.

     Chastain's writing style is very accessible, even to readers who may not be literate in sports vocabulary. Her personal anecdotes and conversational tone leave readers with the impression that they've just had a chat with Chastain herself, rather than having read a book. She uses relevant examples from her own experience to drive home her points, and her arguments are logical. Chastain's passion and enthusiasm for her game, as well as all sports, is very evident and is sure to inspire her readers.

Readers can come away from this book with a positive feeling about the role of sports in everyday life and hope for the future of friendly youth sports. Her anecdotes are easy to relate to and her zeal for a game well played lends genuine credibility to the text. Her advice to young players, as well as their mentors, is idealistic, yet attainable. She challenges everyone to approach sports with fairness and a desire to be their best. She stresses that personal achievement should not be gained at the destruction of others.

    Overall, Chastain has written an easy-to-read and inspiring manifesto for how sports should be played. This is an interesting read for diehard sports fans and occasional spectators alike.