A coach is a social worker, a teacher, a parent, a big brother, a security guard, so many jobs wrapped up into one. And they're with these young people for six, seven, eight hours a day, sometimes, at least in the edna carr programme in new orleans, i don't think there's anybody more influential than the high school football coaches.

So i walked into a bookstore recently, right ahead of my end of year a trip hen my family, when we go to jamaica every year. And i pick up a bunch of books ind one of the books i picked up hatd caught my eye, was a book called across the river, life, death and football in an american city. It looked like a sports book, but i quickly learned when i read the jacket, this made me more excited that it was a book about a lot more than just a game. Kent bact sports writer for the washin post, is the author, is also our next guest. You also might know kent from his last book, not again, the incredible rise and unthinkable fall of allan iverson. His writing examines the intersection of sports and culture. The associated press sports editors have three times honored his features as the nation's best. Its not a game with short listed for the pen e s piano or or literary sports writing. I knew kent, and i was excited about reading the book. It made a profound impact on me, not only because i played football and i coached football in a community very similar to the one that kent talks about. Kent explored and rode along with a highschol football team called edna carr in the algiers section of new orleans. And his book explores the team across the season as they pursue the state championship. But across that journey, texplores a lot more challenges in america and inher cities, around the things our young people face every day, the challenges of coaches who play such an important role an impacting and leading our young people. And as he says here, in a second you'll hear, he says, the book, in many ways, is a management book. Kent even says the head h bryce brown, is the best people manager he has ever been around. This is a high school football coach. I was excited for this conversation. I'm excited for you to hear it.