Under the Boards: The Cultural Revolution in Basketball [Paperback]

Jeffrey Lane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 2007

The true story of basketball lives as much off the court as on the hardwood; it is about politics and race and cultural clashes as heated as a final-four buzzer-beater. This story unfolds in all its gritty and colorful detail in Under the Boards. From the birth of the Larry Bird legend to the ascendancy of a hip-hop-infused NBA to the backlash against bling and the contemporary American game, Jeffrey Lane traces the emergence of a new culture of basketball, complete with competing values, attitudes, aesthetics, and racial and economic tensions.

 

The revolution Lane describes resonates in the way Latrell Sprewell’s assault on his coach forever changed NBA power relations; in legendary coach Bob Knight’s entanglement in high school basketball history; in the dramatic shift in attitude toward European players; in the impact of the deaths of two rappers on rookie Allen Iverson’s career; and in conflicting cultural models rooted in ideals of black masculinity and white nostalgia. In these moments Lane’s book documents a profound change in basketball and in American culture over the last thirty years.

(20061004)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Lane’s personal dialogue complements his rich account of the history of modern hoops. When examining the relationships that exist between the NBA and hip-hop, big sneaker companies and high school studs, Lane’s gatherings register dead-on and true.”—Matt Caputo, SLAM

(SLAM 20060920)

“Lane [has] developed a keen eye for the racial, generational and power dynamics at play in his favorite pastime, which is evident in his new book. . . . Lane proves that the culture of basketball not only influences American life but accurately reflects wider social patterns and what transpires in the locker room, the press box or the owner’s office is worth as much examination as the action on the hardwood.”—WireTap

(WireTap 20060717)

“Under the Boards is the best account of race and basketball I know of. Written by a brilliant new author, this book will change how we understand the role of sport and very much more about American culture.”—Charles Lemert, author of Muhammad Ali: Trickster in the Culture of Irony

(Charles Lemert )

“Basketball offers a rich resource for those trying to understand not only the world of sports but the current political pulse in this country. Jeffrey Lane breaks new ground, and challenges us to raise our understanding of the game. A must read—whether you''ve ever laced up hightops or not.”—Dave Zirin, author of What’s My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States

(Dave Zirin )

“Burrowing skillfully and deeply into the important discussion of culture and race within the sport of basketball, Jeffrey Lane positions himself in Under the Boards as a young and forceful commentator on the American-game-gone-global. This intelligent and comprehensive work is the literary equivalent of the complete player: it not only energizes and enlightens, it defies conventionality.”—Harvey Araton, New York Times columnist and author of Crashing the Borders: How Basketball Won the World and Lost Its Soul at Home

(Harvey Araton )

About the Author

Jeffrey Lane is the founder and director of Schoolhouse Tutors, a mentoring program for middle and high school students in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (May 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080328053X
• ISBN-13: 978-0803280533
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,069,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars a great young author, May 12, 2007

By 

Hector Martorell (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Under the Boards: The Cultural Revolution in Basketball (Paperback)

Jeffrey Lane scores big with this riveting look at how the sport of basketball has evolved into something many of us do not recognize from it's heyday of the 1980's. It is a fascinating read that will enlighten even the non-basketball fan amongst us.