Major League Sports: What to Expect When the Unexpected Happens. Novelist Ravi Rao Explores the Reactions of Fans and Players Alike to Unforeseen Events in Sports

What happens when some of the highest profile, most highly paid athletes in the world go on strike? Is the loyalty of sports fans easily swayed? Novelist Ravi Rao explores these questions in "Seven Lives, Seven Games".

(San Francisco, CA) What happens when some of the highest profile, most highly paid athletes in the world go on strike? Beyond the grumblings from all sides about right and wrong, principles and ethics, how do people really react to such an unusual event? Is the loyalty of sports fans easily swayed? How about the attitudes of the players themselves? What happens to the lives of people who are involved in other, related industries? Novelist Ravi Rao explores these questions in Seven Lives, Seven Games (Robert D. Reed Publishers, Oct 2001, ISBN 1-1885003927).
     Seven Lives, Seven Games is a story about seven individuals whose lives intertwine and converge around the biggest crisis ever to hit baseball – a players strike and the subsequent resumption of major league play. Closely mirroring the infamous major league baseball strike of 1994-95, Raos novel examines the fictional event as it unfolds from every angle: the financial hardship on owners, players and others involved in the sport; the morale of players, the disillusionment of fans, and the toll that this type of strike takes on the personal relationships of everyone involved.
     A long-time sports fan and baseball expert, Rao has a unique perspective on unforeseen events in sports. As a guest on your show, he can discuss:
·The impact of such an event on the players, owners and other individuals directly involved,
·The range of fans reactions, including why some fans remain loyal throughout the crisis while others turn away from the sport,
·The cascading waterfall effect that such an event has on related industries, and
·Ways in which a sport can redeem itself with its fans after an event such as a players strike.
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For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Ravi Rao at 216-274-4563 or ravi_rao@mckinsey.com.