After the book's release, the book slowly made its way through the community of professional sports, after being read by a number of prominent athletes and head coaches including Joe Maddon of the Chicago Cubs, UT basketball coach Shaka Smart, tennis pro James McGee, NFL lineman Garrett Gilkey, Olympic gold medalist Chandra Crawford, and others.[4][14] On the way to their 2014 Super Bowl victory, Michael Lombardi and Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots distributed copies of The Obstacle Is the Way to their staff and players.[4][15][16] In the 2015 season, Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider and Pete Carroll passed the book around the team's locker room.[15][17]