This week on Sports Will Save Us All, Sasha sits down with longtime sportswriter and first-time novelist Steve Hare for a conversation about high school sports, community, loss, and the stories that stay with us long after the final whistle.

As the founder of Ohio Varsity, Steve has spent nearly three decades covering high school athletics across Northeast Ohio. From football fields to wrestling mats to girls flag football sidelines, he has witnessed the evolution of youth sports firsthand — and what he's learned has very little to do with championships.

The conversation also dives into Steve's debut novel, The Turkey Bowl: What We Carried Forward — a thoughtful, emotionally layered story about friendship, grief, memory, and the invisible ways sports shape our lives. What begins as an annual pickup football game becomes something much deeper: a meditation on loss, healing, and the relationships we carry forward.

Steve opens up about writing through cancer treatment, the personal experiences woven into the novel, and why he intentionally leaves space for readers to bring their own stories into the book.

This episode is ultimately about the people behind the games — the teammates, parents, coaches, spectators, and friends who become part of the fabric of our lives.

You can find The Turkey Bowl: What We Carried Forward on Amazon or through the Books on the Show tab at Sports Will Save Us All.