About my latest book, Sportuality: Finding Joy in the Games
Sportuality is an examination of sports at all levels from a Western perspective, focusing on how it reflects our cultural belief in separation and dualistic thinking, as well as how sports can grow peace, understanding, and joy. Sportuality crosses disciplines of sports and spirituality to help readers—athletes, coaches, parents, and fans—evolve a higher consciousness within sports and competition. Using a journal and questions for self-reflection—called a “box score” and “time-out”—readers can reflect upon and create their own sportual stories. By examining words traditionally used within sports, Sportuality helps the reader think critically about competition, community, communication, spirit, humor, enthusiasm, education, religion, holiness, sanctuary, sacrifice, and victory. Sportuality can also expose our learned beliefs in war and violence so we might be willing to choose the alternatives of joy and peace.
Here's what others are saying about the book:
"In her fascinating, enlightening and remarkably inspirational new book, "Sportuality: Finding Joy in the Games" (Balboa Press), lifelong athlete, coach, teacher and sports guru Jeanne Hess invites us on a spiritual and religious journey toward greater happiness."
-John K.
"Sportuality is an examination of sports at all levels from a Western perspective, focusing on how it reflects our cultural belief in separation and dualistic thinking, as well as how sports can grow peace, understanding, and joy."
-Stephanie M.
"Hess explains it this way in the book: 'When we recognize our participation in sport as an act of spirituality and religion, we then realize that we can use sport as a catalyst for change toward a more peaceful, more divine, more spirit-oriented world.'"
-C.A. Webb
"Sportuality-Finding Joy In The Games by Jeanne Hess sets forth a central argument that sports are known and appreciated universally. As such, participants evolve to a higher state of consciousness in sports transcending competition in favor of community and teamwork."
-Dr. Joseph M.
"The author, Jeanne Hess, says that words control ideas and ideas impact behaviors and behaviors can change society. And so the author has researched sports words to discover the original meaning and by redefining words she hopes to change ideas and thereby influence behavior shifts."
