I Felt the Cheers : The Remarkable Silent Life of Curtis Pride

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 T‑ball 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.

Curtis Pride is an MLB Ambassador for Inclusion and former Major League Baseball outfielder. In 1993 he became MLB’s first deaf player since Dick Sipek in 1945 and went on to play in more than 420 games over an 11-season career with the Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, and New York Yankees. Prior to his baseball career, he played soccer for the United States at the 1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship in Beijing, China, and was the starting point guard on the basketball team at William & Mary, where he earned a degree in finance. The recipient of the Henry Viscardi Achievement Award and the Tony Conigliaro Award, he lives with his wife and two children in Florida and can be found online at CurtisPride.com.

Doug Ward is a writer who has worked in media relations for the Los Angeles Angels, Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Rams. He received his MFA from UCLA and has contributed to ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com, The Hockey News, and NHL.com.