Thursday, November 19, 2015

Got to Give the People What They Want: True Stories and Flagrant Opinions from Center Court by Jalen Rose

I finished reading Got to Give the People What They Want: True Stories and Flagrant Opinions from Center Court by Jalen Rose. As well as seeing him on NBA Countdown, I have listened to Jalen over the last couple of years on the Bill Simmons and Grantland Sports podcasts. When I saw on twitter that he had a book out, I ordered it from Amazon.

While I had a good feel for Jalen's outlook on life, the book fills out his philosophy and provides a number of stories to highlight some of the points. I had forgotten that he was on the Pacers team that was beaten by the Laker in the 2000 NBA Finals. Additionally, I was surprised by a couple of the stories in the last section of the book, particularly his interactions with Chris Weber and his current family situation.

I do need to go back and rewatch the Fab Five documentary that Jalen produced for ESPN Films in the near future. I would like to focus on watching Jalen play.

This idea of amateur sports taking place within the confines of a multibillion-dollar business is ludicrous. Those two things don't go together naturally. I understand shoe companies have to make money. I understand television networks have to make money. What I don't understand is why the young athletes who are making every last cent of it possible can't be entitled to any money in return.
I do agree with Jalen's take on the business of college sports. I believe that the athletes are due some compensation beyond a scholarship…

It is an interesting book, but with so many great books in the world, I just don't recommend it. It feels light weight; I think that Jalen excluded more of his life story than he included. I would also acknowledge that I read this book while I was reading Game of Thrones. I never read multiple books at once. As a result, the book ended up feeling a little disjointed.

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