A New York Times journalist visited the California School for the Deaf this week. He was there to discuss his book which details the school’s all-deaf football team.
Thomas Fuller’s new book, the Boys of Riverside, details the underdog story of the Riverside Cubs.
He says he was drawn to the question of deafness and disability.
"I was really struck that this is a team that is all deaf coaches and players, and they use their deafness as an advantage, as an edge," Fuller said.
Fuller says the players are more focused on the ball since they can’t hear the crowd or the other team.
In fact, he says that’s why they beat every hearing team during the 2022 season. Fuller says these boys have grit.
"One of the players had walking pneumonia, and he was like, ‘I'm playing through it.’ Another player had a broken leg, he was like, 'I'm playing through it.'"
The team and their coach Keith Adams thanked Fuller, through an ASL interpreter, for telling their story.
Next year, the Riverside Public Library plans to host reading events for the book.
