On the Assist tells profoundly inspiring stories of key people who became significant in Sanneh’s life, as well as stories of some of the youth he has helped elevate in turn. Operation Elevation carries the work forward by both educating adult business professionals and connecting them with under-resourced youth.

MINNEAPOLIS, May 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hall of Fame inductee Tony Sanneh today announced the July 2026 release of his first book, On the Assist: How Significance Finds Us When We Invest Ourselves in Others, alongside the launch of Operation Elevation SBC, a new Minnesota Public Benefit Corporation.

The book tells Sanneh’s story, structured around significant individuals who invested of themselves during each successive season of his life, and how it enabled two MLS Cups, 43 caps for the United States Men’s National Team, a starting role on the 2002 World Cup squad, and induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

The book details the extent to which coaches and mentors went above and beyond the norm, and the character-shaping lesson he learned as a result: that the deepest meaning of life’s journey is found not in trophies and praise but in becoming significant in the lives of others at the most critical stages of their development. The Sanneh Foundation (which he founded in 2003 while still playing professionally) has since elevated the lives of tens of thousands of youth in under-resourced communities. On the Assist is the story of how that happened, and why it matters.

The book is co-written with John Lenker and Kevin deLaplante, PhD., who have partnered with Sanneh through LENKER LLC over the past decade to develop the philosophical framework at the heart of his work. Operation Elevation SBC is the new entity through which the three founders will scale that work beyond the Foundation, through books, curriculum, training, and institutional partnerships. Its purpose is to connect capable adult professionals with under-resourced youth, preparing a new generation for meaningful careers while giving the adults who guide them the structured pathway to significance that achievement alone never delivers.

“Looking back on my life, what I see is ‘the assist’ over and over again. The people who showed up for me made me who I am. This book and this company are about spreading that further.” —Tony Sanneh

Learn more at OperationElevation.us.

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SOURCE Operation Elevation SBC