First published 1992
The championship banners hang in the rafters, but the real game happens in the boardroom. The team's latest victory celebration masks a deeper conflict as management pushes marketing campaigns that exploit racial stereotypes to sell tickets. Players who dominate on the court find themselves reduced to caricatures in advertisements and promotional materials. The star athlete watches his image twisted to appeal to fan prejudices he thought the sport had moved beyond. Team executives justify their strategy as good business while the locker room tensions mount. The dynasty's success becomes tainted by the very methods used to promote it. Each win on the court feels hollow when measured against the losses in dignity and respect.
Genres: american-fiction, business, contemporary, sports, 21st-century, sports-romance
Vibes: emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: exploitation, sports-drama
271 pages · Hardcover · Harpercollins
Content warnings: racism, sexism