Description
This guide covers essential topics like asking the right questions during recruitment, evaluating programs during official visits, teaching self-advocacy and financial literacy, and addressing mental health and injury prevention.
A must-read for every parent of a high school student-athlete, this book equips families with the tools to help their children succeed both on and off the field.
Marty McNair is a thought leader, advocate, and author of Can My Child Play? The Questions We Should Have Asked. Following the tragic loss of his son, Jordan, to a preventable heat-related injury during collegiate athletics, Marty has become a leading voice for player safety, parental advocacy, and student-athlete well-being.
Through his work, Marty has appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, ESPN, SportsCenter, and HBO’s Real Sports, sharing his mission to keep athletes safe and empower parents to protect their children’s futures.
The Jordan McNair Foundation –
Reading The 5th Quarter changed my entire perspective. This book isn’t just about sports—it’s about preparing our kids for life. Marty McNair’s personal experiences make this book deeply powerful and painfully real. He speaks from a place no parent ever wants to be, and because of that, every lesson hits harder.
If your child is dreaming of playing at the next level, you owe it to them—and yourself—to read this book. Don’t wait until it’s too late to start asking the right questions.
The Jordan McNair Foundation –
“I thought I had everything covered—grades, training, recruitment—but after reading The 5th Quarter, I realized how much I didn’t know.”
Marty McNair opens parents’ eyes to the hidden realities of college athletics—the tough questions we never think to ask about injuries, mental health, scholarship security, and life beyond sports. His personal experience makes every lesson real and urgent.
We celebrate scholarships, but do we ask:
What happens if my child gets injured?
Who is protecting their mental health?
How will they transition when the game ends?
This book isn’t just about sports—it’s about preparing our kids for life. If your child is playing at the next level, you need to read this book. Don’t wait until it’s too late.