Older and Weiser

It was a call from my friend Michael Gould about three years ago that first alerted me to a book called The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game.  It was, he said, a love story about football.

Blind Side tells the true story of Michael Oher, a giant fifteen year old (six foot five, three hundred and fifty pounds) from the slums of Memphis, Tennessee and the wealthy family who takes him off the street and away from his crack addicted mother, educates him, nourishes him, and ultimately adopts him.

In particular, it is the story of Oher’s relationship with Leigh Anne Tuohy, his adopted mother and fiercest advocate. Leigh Anne commits herself to filling the monumental education gap that years of neglect produced and helps Oher realize his potential as an offensive left tackle (LT) in football. The left tackle position is responsible for protecting a right-handed quarterback’s “blind” side. After a star-career with the University of Mississippi Rebels, Oher went on to be drafted by the Baltimore Ravens.

Two weekends ago, Blind Side debuted as a major motion picture, starring Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne. It has grossed over one hundred million dollars at the domestic box office and has a 73% “fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes. The movie is funny, touching and worth seeing, but no substitute for reading the excellent book.

Two years ago, I had the chance to meet Blind Side’s author, Michael Lewis, who also wrote the runaway bestsellers Liar’s Poker and Moneyball. I had encouraged a client to book him for their annual conference and I was able to spend a morning chatting with Mr. Lewis.

I discovered that day that Lewis was more than just a great storyteller. When I asked him about how Michael Oher was doing at the University of Mississippi, he didn’t address Oher’s football exploits or his stats as an NFL draft prospect. He told me about the person he himself had come to love.

“Michael,” he said with pride, “is on the Dean’s List at Ole Miss.”

Blog Editor

Here is an interview with the remarkable Leigh Anne Tuohy who briefly discusses the role faith plays in her life and how it influenced their family’s decision to take in Michael Oher.

Filed under: Uncategorized by Michael Weiser