Sole Influence: Basketball, Corporate Greed, and the Corruption of America's Youth

One hot basketball player. One cool new sneaker. For a company like Nike, the combination can equal millions of dollars in profits. That's why the shoe companies are engaged in a frantic full-court press to find and sign the next generation of hoop stars-before the competition does. The result: America's playgrounds, high schools, and junior high schools have become corporate battlegrounds for the hearts, minds, and feet of young athletes. This shocking expose shows how money is driving the amateur basketball world, even attempting to control coaches, teams, and whole universities -- and how young men and women with a little talent and a dream are being tempted to sacrifice their future for glittering promises and a new pair of shoes.

Author: Dan Wetzel, Don Yaeger
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 01/11/2000
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.20w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9780446524506

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 09/01/1999 pg. 168
Kirkus Reviews 11/15/1999 pg. 1798
Booklist 12/01/1999 pg. 669
Publishers Weekly 12/20/1999 pg. 70
Library Journal 01/01/2000 pg. 125
Booklist 09/01/2000 pg. 52
Library Journal 09/01/1999