High School Basketball and Race in America

"The Hustle" to be released on December 21st, available for pre-order on Amazon.com

A sociological experiment dreamed up by two Seattle fathers takes place on a High School basketball team and is deemed a success, but 20 years later would the conclusion be the same? Back in1986 the two fathers wondered, what would happen if we mixed inner city black kids with white kids from an elite Seattle private school, on one High School team. In “The Hustle: One Team and Ten Lives in Black and White” author Doug Merlino, who played on the team, returned to find his teammates and tell the stories of where their lives had gone from that experimental season in 1986.

Despite a league championship and a bounty of friendships formed, the questions remained: would exposure to prosperity give the black athletes hope for a life they never thought could be theirs? Would it give the white kids perspective into a different side of life? Would it change them for the long term or just for a season on the court?

“Mindful of the lessons of Du Bois, Dr. King, and others, Doug Merlino shatters post-race fantasies and bears witness to immigrant and African-American struggles, past and present, and weaves them into a captivating, unsentimental and sometimes tragic story of dreams realized, deferred and/or destroyed.”—Nigel Hatton, University of California, Merced

More than just a story about basketball, “The Hustle” takes a look at what happens after the Hollywood ending, deep into issues that continue to plague America.

The Hustle will be released on hardcover December 21st, and is currently available for pre-sale at Amazon.com.




List Price: $26.00 USD
New From: $17.16 In Stock

This title will be released on December 21, 2010.

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Article by Brian

I am a 12-year veteran of the Sports TV industry with experience as a Writer, Producer, Video Editor and News Director. I’ve held stints at both CNN/Sports Illustrated and Fox Sports Net Northwest. I was destined for a career in sports ever since I started sneaking out of bed at age seven to watch Celtics games on Channel 38 in Boston. My Sophomore year at the University of Delaware, I declared my major in Communication/TV Production and the rest is history. I’m an avid sports fan, husband, father of two and I currently live in the Pacific Northwest. Read 22 articles by Brian
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