Making a play for ‘The Other Playbook’

Amit Chitre describes himself as a stereotypical overscheduled parent when it comes to youth sports, which led him to attend many introductory sessions at the beginning of the season.

At those sessions, he observed that, apart from reviewing administrative details like the code of conduct, there was very little guidance given to student-athletes on developing the necessary skills outside of their athletic endeavors.

“I joked with the Victor athletic director, ‘I could probably do your presentation in my sleep, I’ve heard it so many times now,’” Chitre says. “I told him, ‘It’s great that you talk to the parents about the values of the district and how to behave, and I imagine you have a similar conversation with your coaches. But I don’t know how that message trickles down to the students.’”

“When you register your child to play for a sport, you have to go through the code of conduct and acknowledge that by signing it, which families do, but there’s no process in getting the student involved and asking them, ‘Well what do I want to stand for?’” he continues. “(The code of conduct) is like the terms of agreement on your cell phone contract. You scroll through it and click agree at the bottom. Does that message really resonate with the kids?”

These experiences and Chitre’s background in marketing, branding, and development led him to write “The Other Playbook,” an instructional work that covers that very gap. Chitre says the book presents an approach that involves student-athletes and their families in the process.

“It gives students ownership in this process,” he says. “Because determining who you want to be, you have to be intentional in that process to be effective in it.”

Chitre says that his target audience is athletic directors or coaches seeking to build a positive culture, families wanting to support their children, and student-athletes looking to develop their brand.

And Chitre is clear in his philosophy; as a student-athlete, you are a brand. As tough a pill as that might be for some to swallow, he says it is about being aware of how people perceive you. This can be your own coach, people in the crowd, referees, college recruiters, or anyone on social media.

“It can seem cynical to say ‘Everything is a product,’ but it’s not cynical, it’s being aware,” he says, relating this to a story about viewing a Rochester New York Football Club game, a youth soccer club that plays in the MLS Next division.

“I remember one game specifically, where they were absolutely blowing another team out of the water; it was not competitive. Their coach pulled them aside and basically said, ‘We know we can score, let’s work on some other things,’” Chitre recalls. “There was one player on the team who was a very good scorer but just had not happened to score in that game. After the coach gave those directions, he was still looking to score.” 

The player, later in the game, which was up by several points, scored another goal and celebrated it.

“His teammates just looked at him, like ‘What are you doing?’ He didn’t recognize in the moment how his behavior impacted his brand and how his coaches and teammates viewed him,” Chitre says. “He may have been talented, but he showed he didn’t take direction well; he wouldn’t always listen to the coach.”

His own sons, who played a multitude of youth sports, were his first test audience. Their interest and understanding of the core concept convinced Chitre that it had important information to share. When writing the book, he spoke with many people in the sports industry, including Fairport boys’ varsity basketball coach Scott Fitch and former McQuaid basketball team coach Jack Leasure.

Chapters in “The Other Playbook” are concise, easy to read, and include questions and exercises related to the discussed topic. This makes for an interactive experience with actionable items, which is helpful when seeking guidance on next steps in a sports career, especially for families navigating the college recruitment process.

“My middle son plays soccer at Case Western University, and it was a very interesting recruiting process. There are a lot of ups and downs to it,” Chitre says. “You want to be able to provide your child with as many resources as you can and give them guidance and support. I’ve heard of many parents going through this book with their kids and discussing it with them.”

While it is also true that many student-athletes will not play professionally, Chitre sees a lot of value in “The Other Playbook” beyond athletics alone.

“The overwhelming majority of students aren’t going to play beyond high school, but you still need to figure out what do you want to stand for?” he says. “A lot of these lessons are not just ‘Who do you want to be in your sport?’ It’s ‘What is the best version of yourself you want to build across all aspects of life?’”

Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and data journalist.

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