Most books past times nationally-known sportscasters follow a pattern. There are entertaining tales of the early on days, jumping from outlet to outlet, in addition to and thus the even moves into a recounting of games in addition to personalities encountered over the years.
"Playing Hurt" is definitely non that book.
The belatedly John Saunders had a lot hand to him inward his too-short life. He tells us nearly many of them inward his memoir, which inward spots is painful to read.
From a distance, Saunders was a rather typical success story. He get-go became nationally known when he landed at ESPN inward the belatedly 1980s, precisely when the outlet was gear upwards to accept off. Saunders did a lot of events over the years, in addition to did them well. He wasn't a polarizing figure on the air, content to only state you lot what was going on. There's a sure dignity inward that approach that was welcome; you lot don't lead maintain to scream all the fourth dimension to instruct attention.
What's more, Saunders was a dark from Canada, which made him dissimilar inward a professional person basis filled amongst white males. If you lot were a youngster of coloring looking for a component subdivision model, Saunders for sure could create total that role.
That's all good in addition to good, but at that spot is petty nearly that side of Saunders inward the book. He starts off inward dramatic fashion, telling nearly a trip he took inward 2012 to the Tappen Zee Bridge due north of New York City. Saunders pulled to the side of the route of the bridge, got out of the car, walked to the edge, in addition to idea nearly jumping. Depression, it turns out, came along amongst Saunders throughout his life, in addition to he had to battle the demons almost every day. It's non what you'd hold off out of someone amongst a dream chore in addition to a lovely married adult woman in addition to ii daughters.
Saunders goes into his childhood inward Canada from there, in addition to it's non pretty. His manly someone raise was abusive (physically in addition to verbally) when he bothered to locomote home, which wasn't often because he was commonly inward Ohio. His mom commonly had to heighten the solid unit of measurement of 3 children past times herself, in addition to she had plenty of her ain problems. Saunders was sexually molested past times the missy of a friend of the solid unit of measurement earlier he became a teenager, causing problems inward relationships for the balance of his life. Moving unopen to a flake in all likelihood didn't assist either. Saunders developed problems amongst alcohol in addition to drugs, in addition to his relationships amongst women were oftentimes distant in addition to brief. And depression started to plough upwards amongst frequency; it would locomote a lifelong rider along amongst diabetes.
At that point, it's slowly to wonder how Saunders turned out thus good professionally. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 vivid spot was that he was pretty skillful at hockey, which got him an invitation to play for a brace of colleges. Saunders form of stumbled into a broadcasting career, starting amongst a chore inward Espanola, Ontario - I've been there, in addition to it's fifty-fifty smaller than you lot powerfulness intend it is. From at that spot it was on to other stops, including Toronto in addition to Baltimore, earlier landing at ESPN. There were some mental wellness issues along the way, but manifestly he made his life work.
If all of that weren't enough, in addition to it for sure would locomote for most people, Saunders blacked out in addition to hitting his caput at operate inward September 2011. That caused a serious encephalon injury that would request a nifty bargain of therapy. It also led to what could locomote called an addiction to a rigid prescription drug that was issued past times a doc for reasons solely known to him; other doctors were shocked at the dosage.
The even essentially ends inward 2013, when Saunders has been weaned off the prescription drug in addition to he was feeling better. Some readers volition call upwards that when Saunders died inward 2016, non a nifty bargain was said nearly the argue or reasons why. While reading the book, it's slowly to wonder what powerfulness lead maintain happened in addition to why. Thankfully, co-author John U. Bacon writes an afterword nearly the side past times side 3 years. Saunders collapsed inward a bath in addition to could non locomote revived. Doctors said he died of a combination of an enlarged heart, complications from diabetes, in addition to some other affliction that affected the rule of breathing, blood clit per unit of measurement area in addition to pump rate.
"Playing Hurt" isn't a happy story, of course, in addition to it's deplorable that this almost-universally liked human being left us besides soon. Reading the even was almost shocking, in addition to such stories aren't going to locomote brought to the beach to serve equally a summertime diversion. Still, Saunders' promise was that a mass would demonstrate others amongst mental wellness issues that they aren't solitary in addition to should make out for help. This should create that, in addition to more.
Five stars
Learn to a greater extent than nearly this book.
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