From the deaf baseball legend and MLB Ambassador for Inclusion, a powerful anthem of ability diversity and
overcoming the odds for readers of Nyle DiMarco’s Deaf Utopia and sports memoirs such as Imperfect by Jim
Abbott, Des Linden’s Choosing to Run, and Limitless by Mallory Weggemann.
FOREWORD BY NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME MEMBER CAL RIPKEN, JR.
On a September night in Montreal in 1993, Curtis Pride got his first Major League hit, prompting a long,
emotional standing ovation from the crowd of 45,757 fans. Profoundly deaf since birth, Pride couldn’t hear
their thunderous applause. But as the cheers grew louder and more insistent, he realized he was feeling those
vibrations within his chest—an undeniable acknowledgment of an extraordinary achievement.
Pride went on to play in 420 more major-league games over eleven different seasons with the Montreal Expos,
Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and New York Yankees. He was then hired
as head baseball coach at Gallaudet, the world’s leading university for deaf and hard of hearing students and
was also named Major League Baseball’s Ambassador for Inclusion. Pride has received countless national and
local awards for his achievements and his service in inspiring and educating others.
With candor, warmth, and humor, Pride writes from the heart in I Felt the Cheers. From the first time he played
Tball at age six and got a couple of hits, he dreamed of playing in the major leagues. No matter how unlikely
it seemed, or how much skepticism he faced from teammates or coaches, Pride stayed resolute. Far from it
being a disadvantage, he came to see that his deafness could sometimes be a secret weapon, forcing him to
use senses that other players take for granted.
Curtis’s personal journey is unique, but his message is a powerful, universal one, sure to resonate deeply with
everyone who has faced difficult challenges. I Felt the Cheers is living proof that dreams can come true, no
matter how impossible they seem.
