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Though it may not be immediately obvious, sports and literature have a lot in common. In both worlds, the infinitesimal has grand consequences. Coming up a yard short in sports has the same implications as being a word off in literature.Yes, the work is different, but the commitments to greatness are indistinguishable from one another.Its important, then, that there are people who dedicate themselves to ensuring that the devotion is valued. The greatness, celebrated.In the same way former NBA commissioner David Stern understood that fans who watched basketball were as important to the games popularity as the athletes who played, National Book Foundation executive director Lisa Lucas is working around the clock so that we understand literature is about more than just the people who write, edit, publish, market and sell books; theyre about us -- the people who are, and should be, reading them.Similar to the excitement and fanfare Stern drummed up for the NBA, Lucas is looking to bring a similar excitement to the world of literature by making noise for the National Book Awards, an annual literary award show that celebrates the best of American literature, where those who spend countless hours honing their skills in the dark can be brought to the spotlight, and where even the biggest skeptics can be converted into believers.Great writing can be subjective, but Lucass objective is clear. Elevating the game means thinking about it differently, reckoning with the potential whats to be gained and expanding the ideas of whats possible. And because the smallest things make a worlds difference, the biggest changes are subtle; creating a gradual influence that eventually changes everything. I think about the 1992 Dream Team when I write this.About how many generations of kids, home and abroad, male and female, were emboldened to give their life to a sport that couldve ultimately been regarded as just a game had Stern not opted to allow NBA players to represent the United States in the Olympics instead of college players, which was standard practice at the time.Sterns decision to showcase athletes at the highest level was him understanding that your best foot forward kept you a step ahead. It also makes people want follow your lead.It is not my or anyone elses place to say, This isnt for you, Lucas tells me at her Wall Street office. The statement had come in the midst of a conversation about the direction of the foundation, where its going, where she plans to take it. Serving as its third president and being the first woman and black woman to head the organization, theres an understandable pressure to say what people may expect, or want to hear. Lucas sidesteps the expectations of others by staying true to what brought her to the foundation in the first place: the experience of the reader.If you think youre going to get a specific answer as to what kind of reader Lucas has in mind, youre not. A deeply cherished conviction of hers is that any and every one is a potential reader. The question then becomes: Well, how do you find them? A question Lucas answers with her and her staffs -- team of eight -- incessant travels around the country, visiting various literary festivals, speaking at libraries, participating in numerous panels; anything that drives the point home that theyre serious in meeting potential readers where they are, letting readers know that, even if they not sure about crossing the threshold, the door is always open.This means finding different ways to engage.Theres a different energy Lisa brings with her, director of programs Benjamin Samuels says, her presence alone gets people excited.By this time, weve moved to the room next door to her office where she and the foundations staff are preparing the invites for this years National Book Awards. Besides the awards being the organizations biggest event, its also one, if not the, most premier event in literature -- and Lucas has treated it as such.To build buzz for the awards, Lucas partnered up with The New Yorker to announce the finalist for each of the awards four categories -- young peoples literature, poetry, non-fiction and fiction -- on Facebook Live. Nearly 60,000 people watched the live broadcast, which is by no means a small number, but to see the moon, like Lucas wants to do, you have to be willing to look beyond the stars. Her unconventional approach is what landed actor and comedian Larry Wilmore as the host for this years award ceremony and dinner.There are plenty people with big voices, talking about books all the time, Lucas says while sorting and signing award invitations, and we want them at the table.I think about Lucass comment about bringing more people to the table in context to a few things: who her favorite athletes are (LeBron James, Serena and Venus Williams -- any athlete thats using their platform to bring awareness to social and political issues), her position as the executive director of National Book Foundation and what it may represent to people beyond the literary world.And the album thats playing in the background, Solanges A Seat at the Table, a record documenting what it means to grapple with your own inner glory even as the world fights you. What Lucas shares with her favorite athletes is the willingness to use her position to fight for a bigger table with more seats, one where everyone can sit.As Solanges album continues to play beneath our conversation, Lucas exclaims that in addition to LeBron, and the Williams sisters, shes also a huge fan of the entire WNBA.When I ask her why, Because were [the foundation] are a lot like them, she says. I remember when the WNBA first started, everyone said they wouldnt last longer than two years. But just like great literature, look: Theyre still here.?Yahdon Israel writes about race, class, gender and culture in American society. He has written for Avidly, The New Inquiry, Guernica and LitHub. He runs a popular Instagram page, which promotes literary culture as style with the hashtag #literaryswag. Steve Grogan Youth Jersey . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. Andre Tippett Womens Jersey . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. http://www.patriotsjerseysauthentic.com/Tedy-Bruschi-Super-Bowl-Jersey/ .Y. -- Syracuse has turned up the defence at the right time all season, and when High Point threatened to pull off a monumental upset the second-ranked Orange did what they do best with their quick hands and savvy play. John Hannah Youth Jersey . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Kevin Faulk Patriots Jersey .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. RIO DE JANEIRO -- With their ponytails flapping and their American flag spinnaker billowing in the breeze, Paris Henken and Helena Scutt sped across Guanabara Bay and became the first U.S. crew to win a race at the Rio Olympics regatta.Henken, of Coronado, California, and Scutt, of Kirkland, Washington, jumped into the lead at the start and flawlessly sailed their 49erFX skiff around the course to win the fifth race of the series Saturday.It was definitely something that we wanted to do, and was in the back of our minds, like, `Oh, we should win a race in the Olympics, Henken said. When it was actually happening, it was very exciting and were just very happy.Henken and Scutt are in their first Olympics, as is the 49erFX, which is similar to the mens 49er.The Americans are ninth overall with six races to sail before the medals race, 18 points out of podium position.The United States is trying to avoid a second straight Olympic sailing whitewash. The Americans failed to medal at London in 2012, the first time that happened since 1936.Until Saturday, the best finish for the United States in any class in Rio was second.The 49erFX is as wild as the 49er, with the crews sailing them hiked out in trapezes, their feet on the edge of the windward wing.Race 5 was restarted after a general recall. Right before the recall, the American boat capsized after it was hit by British boats sail. The Americans quickly righted it.Its a very fast boat compared to a lot of the other Olympic boats, Henken said. Its just a lot of fun how fast it goes, and you have to be on your toes all the time.There were big developments in several classes on a gorgeous day far below Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain.Tonci Stipanovic secured Croatias first medal in Olympic sailing, with at least a silver guaranteed in the Laser class. He finished seventh and third to take a 10-point lead over Australias Tom Burton going into Mondays medals race. Burton is guaranteed at least a bronze.While Stipanovic had a good day, Brazilian star Robert Scheidt had a mediocre one and sailed himself out of a chance for a gold medal. Scheidt, 43, is trying to become the first sailor and first Brazilian to win six Olympic medals. He finished 28th and 11th overall to drop to fifth with 87 points, meaning he can only win a bronze if things fall his way in thee medals race.ddddddddddddThere was good news for Evi Van Acker, the first competitor to report falling ill during the games from sailing on polluted Guanabara Bay. The defending bronze medalist in the Laser Radial, she had her best day so far, with finishes of first and fifth to jump into fourth. Shes nine points out of podium position going into Mondays medals race.Tomorrow Im going to rest all day, she said with a laugh.Van Acker struggled the first three days. Her coach said he believed she contracted a severe intestinal infection while training in Rio de Janeiro last month.Im fighting for every point because Im behind and I know every point counts, she said. But Im happy with my day. Im happy with the way I recovered after the bad three days.The Laser Radials were off Thursday, giving her a chance to rest.My body was really exhausted. I really had no energy. So I needed to rest and eat well and try to do everything to have more energy and be able to keep fighting.What was the miracle cure?A lot of rest, a lot of food and a lot of smiling, I guess, she said. That helps.In the mens 49er, New Zealanders Peter Burling and Blair Tuke maintained their lead but didnt win any of the four races. The defending silver medalists, they finished fifth, second, eighth and sixth. Theyre favored for gold after winning 27 straight regattas from 2012 until losing in the South American Championships here last month.The German crew of Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel won the first of Saturdays four races and are second, three points behind the Kiwis.Defending gold medalists Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen of Australia jumped from 11th to sixth. They had finishes of second and fifth before faltering and going 11-12. Outteridge said the Aussies are making too many mistakes and have no excuses. With six races to go before the medals race, theyre five points out of bronze medal position.Also Saturday, American Caleb Paine of San Diego got a boost when his Race 6 disqualification was overturned. That means he jumps from 15th to seventh with two races to go before the medals race. Britains Giles Scott continues to lead the Finn fleet.---Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson ' ' '