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Play Their Hearts Out: A Coach, His Star Recruit, and the Youth Basketball Machine Audiobook
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(4.00) - 968 listener ratings
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Eight years of unfettered access and a keen sense of a story's deepest truths allow Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist George Dohrmann to take readers inside the machine that produces America's basketball stars. Drawing on eight years of reporting and telling the very specific tale of one talented young recruit, his coach, and his teammates, Dohrmann immerses listeners in the world of grassroots basketball, where men hunt for future NBA stars and young boys and their parents navigate a tumultuous course in pursuit of basketball glory.
At the book's heart are the personal stories of two compelling figures: Joe Keller, an ambitious coach with a master plan to find and promote "the next LeBron," and Demetrius Walker, a fatherless latchkey kid who falls under Keller's sway and struggles to live up to unrealistic expectations. In Play Their Hearts Out, Dohrmann presents a thoroughly compelling narrative, exposing the gritty reality beneath so many dreams of fame and glory.
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"A very revealing book about the world of amateur basketball in Los Angeles. Assuming this is accurate, it is kind of stomach-turning to read about the sleazy characters and dirty tricks that exist in this world, and to see how young kids are used and taken advantage of by so-called grown-ups. "
— doug (5 out of 5 stars)
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“[A] tour de force of reporting, filled with deft storytelling and vivid character studies…”
— Washington Post (editorial review) -
“A wonderful and immaculately reported first book…It’s a brilliant and heart-wrenching journey, and a cautionary tale to any basketball player who thinks the path to the NBA is a slam dunk.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“What Alexander Wolff and Armen Keteyian and Dan Wetzel and Don Yaeger did for college basketball recruiting, Pulitzer Prize–winning sportswriter Dohrmann does for grassroots basketball in this memorable book…His insights into the seamy side of youth basketball are investigative journalism at its best. An easy Verdict: this is one of the best sports books of recent years. Highly recommended.”
— Library Journal -
“Basketball fans frequently hear references to AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) summer leagues, in which young players have a chance to hone their games. The AAU leagues are often criticized for exploiting young kids, but most of these charges have been based on rumor or hearsay. Until now. Dohrmann, the last sportswriter to win a Pulitzer Prize, spent approximately nine years researching this book…In Dohrmann’s portrayal, Keller emerges as a shameless promoter of himself and his players, a poor coach, and a man for whom ethics are always relative. Money, of course, is key…In fact, as Dohrmann shows, everyone makes money in this ‘amateur’ enterprise except the kids. An eye-opening look at the underbelly of modern American sports.”
— Booklist -
“Sit down and read the Friday Night Lights of youth basketball. Except the landscape is even darker here, greed and blind ambition stirred together in a toxic stew, the perversions of the modern American athletic dream even more perverted. This is nothing less than Dickens brought up to date, the characters in Oliver Twist dressed in Adidas warm-up suits. Amazing stuff. You’ll never watch basketball the same again.”
— Leigh Montville, author of The Big Bam -
“Like a versatile baller, George Dohrmann swings seamlessly from position to position: investigative journalist, social critic, gifted storyteller. The result, Play Their Hearts Out is a gem of a book that addresses THE question central to contemporary basketball: how does such an unseemly culture spring from such an essentially beautiful game? You’ll come away rooting harder than ever for the kids and harder than ever against the basketball profiteers.”
— L. Jon Wertheim, author of Strokes of Genius
Awards
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Kirkus Reviews Top 25 Book • Nonfiction
Play Their Hearts Out Listener Reviews
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" This is a sad and maddening tale of how young kids are exploited in youth basketball. It gave me a lot to think about while watching college basketball since almost all big-time players come up through this system. "
— Mark, 1/15/2014 -
" Great book about grassroots/AAU basketball and how the coaches care only about themselves and how the kids are not actually coached, but instead it exposes the sense of entitlement prevalent in amatewur basketball "
— Brad, 12/20/2013 -
" This book was both sad, interesting, and depressing. If you play competitive sports, especially basketball, you might be interested in reading this. (I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 for some swearing, though. Definite downside.) "
— Mariah, 10/3/2013 -
" Phenomenal read on the state (rife with greed, particularly at the higher levels) of grassroots basketball, using the story of a team, its coach, and the "star" player as the foundation. "
— Adam, 9/17/2013 -
" Super interesting. Un-put-downable. About real kids that are now mostly Juniors in highschool. Hoop Dreams in a book. Amazing investigative reporting by George Dohrmann. A stunning and revealing project. "
— RB, 4/20/2012 -
" A tutorial for every parent of a basketball-playing child...before they learn to read or do multiplication tables. By then, it may be too late. "
— Patriciaw, 1/13/2012 -
" The author is a very competent writer, but somehow he doesn't bring out the boys' real being in the story. It is totally interesting, however, but I would have liked to empathize more with the children being exploited. You are not really involved as a reader, but just gathering information. "
— Srfotog, 1/5/2012 -
" Great book about grassroots/AAU basketball and how the coaches care only about themselves and how the kids are not actually coached, but instead it exposes the sense of entitlement prevalent in amatewur basketball "
— Brad, 3/23/2011 -
" Super interesting. Un-put-downable. About real kids that are now mostly Juniors in highschool. Hoop Dreams in a book. Amazing investigative reporting by George Dohrmann. A stunning and revealing project. "
— RB, 3/22/2011 -
" What a well-written interesting book on a topic I knew nothing about! Great to read during the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament a/k/a March Madness. "
— Amy, 3/19/2011 -
" It's a fascinating look into youth, elite basketball. I'd like it even better if I really understood basketball. "
— Lizzy, 3/12/2011 -
" This was a suggested title to read, so I'm going on faith, given I have a son playing basketball. Here goes..... "
— Shurronne, 3/7/2011 -
" The author is a very competent writer, but somehow he doesn't bring out the boys' real being in the story. It is totally interesting, however, but I would have liked to empathize more with the children being exploited. You are not really involved as a reader, but just gathering information. "
— Srfotog, 2/14/2011 -
" I know little about AAU basketball and this book was an eye opener as to just how scummy it is and how many vultures are out their making money from these kids talents and how many of the kids get used up and thrown away once the adults are done with them. "
— Jay, 2/14/2011
About George Dohrmann
George Dohrmann is a senior writer at Sports Illustrated. He is the magazine's sole investigative reporter and has covered topics ranging from steroid use in baseball, to dog fighting, to cheating in college sports. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 2000 as a staff writer at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and sports editors for the Associated Press formally honored him for his investigative reporting, enterprise reporting, and feature writing prior to his joining Sports Illustrated. He lives in San Francisco with his family. This is his first book.
About Emily Rose Speer
Emily Rose Speer has been a vocal performer for nearly fifteen years and currently performs with the Canticum Novum Singers, a chorus conducted by Harold Rosenbaum in New York City. She has performed off Broadway and in regional and local theater productions around the country. She received her certificate in musical theater from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York in 2004.