The Locker Room

Integrity. Vision. Respect. For the most successful and unified teams, organizations, and families, core values like these are more than words--they are a way of living. But what happens when unforeseen conflict causes you to abandon the ideals you hold most tightly to? How do you find your way again? What does it take to restore trust, faith, and productivity?

In The Locker Room: How Great Teams Heal Hurt, Overcome Adversity, and Build Unity, Damon West and Stephen Mackey deliver an insightful and practical exploration of this kind of situation. The book tells the story of four characters--two coaches and two players--two of whom are Black and two of whom are white, who must deal with the fallout of an offensive comment made by one of the white student athletes.

After the comment destroys the unity of their previously productive locker room, the young athletes and their coaches must navigate the difficult realities of prejudice and privilege that affect the lives of people today. As they move forward in an attempt to heal the damage, the players and coaches discover strategies for gracefully communicating about--and dealing with--these difficult issues in ways that acknowledge the equal personhood of everyone in the conversation.

The Locker Room seeks to provide athletes, employees, managers, coaches, and leaders from all backgrounds the tools and techniques they need to give everyone an equal voice and an equal chance at success. It is an indispensable resource for those who seek to have the difficult conversations that lie at the heart of modern life.