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Play Big:
Lessons in Being Limitless from the First Woman to Coach in
the NFL
by Dr. Jen Welter with Stephanie Krikorian
c.2017, Seal Press
$26.00 / $34.00 Canada
266 pages
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Truth Contributor
That was the lousiest call, ever.
Obviously, the ref wasn’t paying attention. He was looking
the other way, he dropped the flag by accident, he must be
wearing a blindfold. The ref was wrong, but in the new book
Play Big by Dr. Jen Welter (with Stephanie
Krikorian), the game is right.
At first, it was tennis.
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When little Jen Welter’s mother suggested that her daughters
pick just one after-school activity, Welter chose tennis and
became obsessed with it. She practiced non-stop and
ultimately beat players much older than she, but a coach’s
dismissive words caused her to give up the game.
Rugby
stole her heart in college and that led to a try-out for the
Massachusetts Mutiny, a women’s pro football team. Though
Welter was “small,” she used it to her advantage; once on
the team, she knew football was her destiny.
It wasn’t going to make her rich, though: she was paid a
dollar a game her first season, though the situation got
better after she gained a championship ring for the “women’s
football Super Bowl” and she moved to Dallas to play with
the Diamonds. Later, she played in the IFAF Women’s World
Championship. She’d already received her second Team USA
gold medal when she made history by joining the Texas
Revolution, an Indoor Football League team, for training
camp. When the next life-changing phone call came shortly
thereafter, Welter again made history with the Arizona
Diamondbacks by becoming the NFL’s first female coach.
That, her doctorate degree in psychology, and two other
college degrees have given Welter a unique viewpoint on
leadership…
Always be authentic, she says; “Heart can’t be quantified.”
Don’t rush to commit to your dream, if the timing isn’t
exactly right. Look for a mentor and be one. Don’t
“confuse money with security, and comfort with progress.”
Cultivate a feel for when it’s risk-taking time. Know the
character of the people in your life. And finally, harness
“the power of teamwork.” Together, your team can do great
things.
In many ways, Play Big is a book looking for its
niche.
Is it a biography? Yes, mostly. Is it a sports book?
Absolutely, it is. Is it a business book? That, too, and
while it may seem like a mish-mash of subjects, it works
here. Author and speaker Jen Welter (with Stephanie
Krikorian) rolls multiple expertises into a narrative that
can tiresomely brag but, moreover, entertains and instructs
in a tone that pulls rather than pushes. In her book, Welter
wrestles with that style of leadership now and then, but she
explains how it works for her. It works for readers, too, as
she speaks to businesspeople and their teams, both on and
off the field, and to women, with a personal story that’s
timely and powerfully unforgettable.
Overall, this book is a nice surprise and will appeal to
readers of several genres, including those who have no
interest whatsoever in football. If you’re looking for
something that enhances your life and career, Play Big
is a good call.
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For football fans, there’s more: look for My First
Coach by Gary Myers, a book by NFL quarterbacks,
about the inspiration they’ve gotten from their Dads. Hint:
makes a great gift for your Dear Old Pops.
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