For athletes, identity can easily become tied to numbers: wins, statistics, playing time, rankings, scholarships and roster spots. But what happens when the game changes – or disappears altogether?
That question is at the center of “True Identity: An Athlete’s Guide to Finding Peace in All Circumstances,” a new 31-day devotional by Zach Vogel, executive director of Scottsdale-based nonprofit Identity Sports. The book brings together stories from professional and collegiate athletes across baseball, football, golf and other sports, examining the pressures that can come with competition and the challenge of separating personal worth from performance.
Among the athletes featured are PGA TOUR golfer and multiple major champion Scottie Scheffler, World Series champions Clayton Kershaw and Dansby Swanson, Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little, seven-time LPGA Tour winner Angela Stanford, Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray and former NFL linebacker and two-time Pro Bowler Lorenzo Alexander.
Their stories span nearly every stage of an athletic career, from chasing success and managing expectations to dealing with injuries, slumps, setbacks and the transition that comes when competition is no longer part of everyday life. At its core, the book asks a question that applies well beyond sports: What happens when the thing you do becomes the way you define yourself?
For Vogel, the question is personal. When he was 8 years old, he experienced a frightening medical event on the baseball field. He was initially misdiagnosed and continued playing, but two years later, at age 10, he was told he could no longer participate in sports. Baseball had been more than a pastime. It was the future he had envisioned for himself, and suddenly that future looked very different.
The years that followed brought anxiety, depression and isolation, experiences that eventually influenced Vogel’s work with Identity Sports and the message behind “True Identity.”
“When baseball was taken away, it felt like my identity was taken away with it,” Vogel said. “I had built everything around what I did and who I thought I was going to become. When that disappeared, I didn’t know who I was anymore.”
The devotional is divided into four themes (foundation, pressure, adversity, and purpose) and looks at how athletes can navigate perfectionism, comparison, competition, injuries, unexpected endings, and the pressure to constantly prove themselves.
Each day pairs an athlete’s story with a principle, reflection questions, and prayer. While faith is an important part of the book, the broader message centers on finding perspective when circumstances change and recognizing that achievement is only one part of a much larger life.
That idea can resonate with people who have never stepped onto a professional playing field. Careers, accomplishments, social status and outside approval can all become measures of self-worth, making the transition away from a particular role or achievement difficult.
“I pictured myself sitting down with that 10-year-old kid in the darkness and pain and being able to tell him that he wasn’t alone,” Vogel said. “Every athlete and every person goes through hard things. There is power in talking about it and understanding that it is okay to not be okay.”
“True Identity: An Athlete’s Guide to Finding Peace in All Circumstances” is available on Amazon. For more information, visit identitysports.com.
