Black Men Can't Shoot by Scott N Brooks

Black Men Can't Shoot by Scott N Brooks

The myth of the natural black athlete is widespread, though it's usually only talked about when a sports commentator or celebrity embarrasses himself by bringing it up in public. Those gaffes are swiftly decried as racist, but apart from their link to the long history of ugly racial stereotypes about black people - especially men - they are also harmful because they obscure very real, hard-fought accomplishments. As "Black Men Can't Shoot" demonstrates, such successes on the basketball court don't just happen because of natural gifts - instead, they grow out of the long, tough, and unpredictable process of becoming a known player. Scott N. Brooks spent four years coaching summer league basketball in Philadelphia. And what he saw, heard, and felt working with the young black men on his team tells us much about how some kids are able to make the extraordinary journey from the ghetto to the NCAA. To show how good players make the transition to greatness, Brooks tells the story of two young men, Jermaine and Ray, following them through their high school years and chronicling their breakthroughs and frustrations on the court as well as their troubles at home. We witness them negotiating the pitfalls of forging a career and a path out of poverty, we see their triumphs and setbacks, and we hear from the network of people - their families, the neighborhood elders, and Coach Brooks himself - invested in their fates. "Black Men Can't Shoot" has all the hallmarks of a classic sports book, with a climactic championship game and a suspenseful ending as we wait to find out if Jermaine and Ray will be recruited. Brooks' moving coming-of-age story counters the belief that basketball only exploits kids and lures them into following empty dreams - and shows us that by playing ball, some of these young black men have already begun their education even before they get to college.

"In this vivid depiction of the urban reality of grassroots basketball, Scott Brooks exhibits an insider's passion for the game, broad and deep knowledge of the local history, and a real feel for the significance of basketball in Philly's black communityAlong with offering important ideas about the relationship between race and sports, Black Men Can't Shoot is packed with genuine drama and intrigue, making it one of those rare books that are both insightful and truly engaging." - Douglas Hartmann, author of Race, Culture, and the Revolt of the Black Athlete: The 1968 Olympic Protests and Their Aftermath"

Scott N. Brooks is assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, Riverside.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9780226076034
ISBN 10	0226076032
Titel	Black Men Can't Shoot
Autor	Scott N Brooks
Serie	Emersion: Emergent Village Resources For Communities Of Faith
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Verlag	The University of Chicago Press
Erscheinungsjahr	2009-06-22
Seitenanzahl	248
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.
Hinweis	Nicht verfügbar