Black Men Can't Shoot
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’s 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.
Association of American Publishers: PROSE Book Award
Honorable Mention
“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 social context, and a real feel for the significance of basketball in Philly’s black community. Along 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.”
“[Brooks] looks at the hopes and dreams of young inner-city black men he coached who aspired to play ball professionally. In true sociological tradition, he presents detailed information on members of the famed Blade Rodgers Neighborhood Development League, based on interviews with these athletes, their families, coaches, and other locals. While focusing on two athletes in particular, Brooks educates readers about a number of ‘street’ realities (e.g., the daily struggle for survival and basketball viewed as a way out of the ghetto). Demystifying certain racial stereotypes, Brooks explains that even God-given skills must be developed through hard work and dedication. His book is a worthy ethnographic text.”
Preface: What’s in a Title—the Origins of This Research
Introduction
1 Jermaine and Ray
2 Becoming a Basketball Player
3 Getting Known through Networks and Exposure
4 Playing School Ball
5 Old Heads and Young Bulls
6 A Saturday Morning at Espy
7 The Heart of the Playground
8 Chuck Breaks Them Down
9 Gotta Want It “Like That”
10 Playing Uptown
11 Some Fall Off
12 Bringing 'Em Back and Putting It All Together
13 The Chip
14 The Glow but Reality of Success
15 Ray vs. Green
16 Playing Everywhere
17 Can’t Look Poor
18 Implosion
19 Moving North
20 Learning Other Stuff
21 A Star Is Born; Another Is Still Waiting
22 Politics and “Pub(licity)”
23 Getting in (School) and Getting out (of the Hood)
24 Being Used
Conclusion
Epilogue
Appendix 1: Methodology
Appendix 2: Settings—Politics of Space
Appendix 3: Jermaine’s Path
Notes
References
Index
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