Author Interview

Mike Sandrolini, sportswriter and editor/author of “All the Good in Sports,” a collection of stories of 25 contemporary sports personalities finding their faith, agreed to speak with me recently. A review of Mike’s book can be seen here.

Heather: How did you get started writing about sports?

Mike: I grew up in north central Illinois loving hockey. My hometown of Peru is located along the Illinois River. All of us who played hockey in the area couldn’t wait for the river’s backwaters to freeze; the nearest indoor skating rink was 60 to 80 miles away. My best friend in high school, Larry Lister -- he was the goalie -- helped me out one day with a story I did for our school’s newspaper on hockey. That was my first story.

Heather: Sports is usually geared toward game performances, scores and statistics. What made you decide to look at the spiritual side of sports stars? To write a book length work?

Mike: Sadly, I think whenever an athlete – or anyone in public eye for that matter, whether he or she is a politician, a celebrity, etc. – says “I believe in God” or “I believe in Jesus,” they are viewed with a certain degree of skepticism, or dismissed as a holier-than-thou bible thumper. I think they get a bad rap. They’re not perfect; they simply try to live their lives according to their beliefs. I wanted to give readers an in-depth look at why they believe what they believe, and how they rely on their faith, both on and off the field.

Heather: How did you find those who participated in the book?

Mike: The stories in this collection are adapted from the pages of Sports Spectrum magazine, which is published nationally and in Canada. It comes out six times per year. I went through all the issues of the magazine, dating back to the early 1990s, then consulted with Sports Spectrum staff members and editors at Regal Books, the book’s publisher, to decide which 25 stories would appear in the book.

Heather: Certain topics are often seen as taboo to speak of, religion among them; was this a concern?

Mike: Not at all. Some people are turned off by it, but I don’t think discussing things that are religious or spiritual is as taboo as it once was. Many athletes have openly expressed their faith during interviews. Their faith is at the core of who they are. Certainly, anyone who watched last year’s Super Bowl may recall how Tony Dungy, the Indianapolis Colts head coach, gave credit to the Lord on national television following the game. I think that’s quite refreshing!

Heather: What was your main goal in compiling “All the Good in Sports”?

Mike: In this book, I wanted to show how these sports figures go through many of the same life challenges, struggles, disappointments and loss that you and I do, yet the recurring theme in this book is how their faith has either helped carry them through their circumstances, or helped them cope with something they could not change.

Heather: Has the release been as successful as I expect? Are you pleased with the results?

Mike: Yes, most definitely. In mid-December, All the Good in Sports was ranked among the top 100 most popular sports books on Amazon.com. I think that’s a testament to the great stories that are in the book, and the talented group of writers who told the stories. They deserve the credit.

Heather: What is next for Mike Sandrolini?

Mike: Well, I certainly would like to be involved in another book project sometime. We’ll have to see what happens.

Heather: Thanks Mike! Readers, here is a little bit of a bio about Mike, in his words.

I’m a graduate of Illinois State University, and have worked for over 20 years as an editor, reporter and columnist at four different newspapers. Over the years, I have written articles for Suburban Life Publications, Sports Spectrum, the Chicago Tribune, the Daily Herald, Copley Newspapers, SLAM magazine (a nationally published basketball magazine), the Chicago Bear Report and Preview Sports magazine (nationally published).

Web links: www.sportsspectrum.com, www.regalbooks.com