Star of a Small-Market Team [Sports]

1. At his mother's insistence, David Christopher started learning golf, horseback riding, and fencing at the age of three. His mother always said that refined sports made people more refined. Even in gym class, he should never let himself become so hysterical. How would that make him any different from the street punks in Brooklyn? Through the car window, David saw two boys on a nearby basketball court leap high into the air to fight for an orange ball. I can jump higher than both of them, he thought. A few years later, he entered the NBA draft and was selected second overall by the Toronto Raptors. A reporter asked how he felt about being picked second. Beneath the dazzling spotlights, camera shutters clicked nonstop. "I'm going to bring this city its first championship," he said. 2. David Christopher, the second overall pick selected by the Raptors, was a New Yorker. In an era when every player wanted to play for their hometown team, and everyone wanted more money, less work, and a shorter commute, Canadian fans worried he would leave as soon as he won NBA Rookie of the Year. Toronto's weather was cold and its climate unpleasant, and it was a very small market. By every measure, the city had little to offer a future star to stay. But step by step, he became the brightest star in this small market. And for a long time, he shone in the night sky above the frozen north. (A passionate basketball story, using the names of real professional basketball teams, but all characters mentioned in the novel are original.) (Archived synopsis, December 10, 2023) [Next sports novel] The Independent Racing Team Heir Synopsis: Everyone said Matthew Reo had gotten insanely lucky. He'd invested in his genius classmate's business back in college, and now he was a major shareholder in the most profitable game company in the industry. He could spend the rest of his life lying back and counting his money. Matthew thought so too. He didn't see anything wrong with spending his days lying back and counting his money. But when he was twenty-eight, his grandfather suddenly died. The lawyer brought out the will and divided up all of Mr. Reo's assets. His cousin got two estates in southern France, his female cousin got a Manhattan apartment, and his other cousins each inherited real estate. The only thing he got was the racing team his grandfather had founded when he was young. The team was poorly run, had a bad record, couldn't attract sponsors, and couldn't find a good driver. It was only still going because his grandfather was emotionally attached to it. Everyone thought he would sell the team immediately and get rid of the liability. Instead, to everyone's astonishment, he started running it seriously. Matthew: Honestly, I didn't want to do this either, but a System showed up and said I wouldn't live to see thirty if I didn't work hard! What else could I do? I can only Make Reo Great again! Theme: Devote your life to pursuing your dreams.