I'm not going to sugarcoat my review; I thought Rhoden's work was simply awful. From a literary standpoint, I found his style of writing to be overly simplistic, giving off a tone of superiority that irked me right off the bat. I'm only slightly familiar with Rhoden's writing in the New York Times, but reading this book definitely made me glad that I didn't waste more of my time following his journalitic pursuits. The book was filled with odd and disjointed one-sentence paragraphs, long phrases that seemed to be repeated word-for-word in every chapter, and rhetorical questions that, to use a sports expression, came completely out of left field. Given that I was reading this book for my bookclub - where we normally make excellent suggestions and had just come off reading Kevin Baker's Dreamland which, while not a sports book, was fantastic - I was especially disappointed.
That being said, I've read enough sports books to know that the writing's not always strong (though Rhoden's supposed to be some sort of award winning journalist, so I expected a lot more . . .). What really upset me with Forty Million Dollar Slaves were the arguments, or lack thereoff, that the author made in favor of better treatment of black athletes in modern sports. Rhoden essentially asserts that, although black athletes are extremely well paid, the lack of a strong African American presence in management and ownership shows that blacks are still being exploited by their rich white "masters" and are really nothing more than well-paid slaves. At the same time, Rhoden argues that blacks have a social responsibility to give back to their community, and that an African American who makes something of himself as a professional athlete is worth nothing to the black community unless he gives most of it back to the neighborhood from which he came.
Looking for an awful book? Check out William C. Rhoden's Forty Million Dollar Slaves.
What is the main point of Rhoden's book, you ask? You've got me - I have absolutely no idea, even though I spent a fews days and a long flight reading through this thing. Rhoden comes off as angry; angry at white ownership and management for playing black athletes but not giving them teams to run and own, angry at black athletes for being successful and living out the American dream of earning a lavish lifestyle, and angry at black athletic icons such as Jackie Robinson and Michael Jordan for acting as mere pawns in white-owned sports and refusing to rebel against the teams that gave them their opportunities to become stars. Basically the only character praised is Rube Foster, the founder of the Negro Leagues, which lead me to wonder if Rhoden is suggesting the re-segregation of professional sports.
Overall, it seems like Rhoden's frustration with sports got in the way of clear and concise arguments; Rhoden frequently mentions his time as a football player at Morgan State, a Historically Black University whose athletic program was stripped bare when larger universities began to integrate, so perhaps he's bitter that his alma mater can no longer compete with other national football powerhouses. As a sports fan who roots for white and black athletes equally, the book came off as petty, like the rants of a child who may know what he wants but can't articulate his desires because they're masked by his frustration. If you're ever looking for a great sports book to read, let me know; I've got tons of good recommendations. Whatever you do, though, don't read Forty Million Dollar Slaves.
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