Ball Don't Lie

Yago ColÁs teaches in the Department of Comparative Literature and in the Residential College at the University of Michigan and is the author of Postmodernity in Latin America: The Argentine Paradigm.

“In this compelling critical dissection of a truly fascinating sport, Yago ColÁs effectively breaks down the game of basketball in ways social, cultural, and political. As Rasheed Wallace said, ‘Ball don’t lie!’ Neither does this book.”-Todd Boyd, author of Young, Black, Rich and Famous: The Rise of the NBA, the Hip Hop Invasion and the Transformation of American Culture“Ball Don’t Lie! is an original, unique, well-conceived, and well-executed work on the history and culture of basketball. In an accessible and engaging writing style, ColÁs tackles basketball from the perspective of a literary critic. He cleverly sets up each chapter with a myth and then he goes about deconstructing it from a variety of angles. This book can help change how we teach and write about sport.”-Aram Goudsouzian, author of King of the Court: Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution

• Preface: In Praise of Heresy Acknowledgments Introduction: "Ball Don't Lie!" December 2, 2012I Myths of the Basketball Republic (1891–1949) 1. The Myth of Creation, December 21, 1891 2. The Myth of Foundation, June 6, 1946II Myths of the Modern Basketball State (1949–1991) 3. The Myth of the Rivalry, November 7, 1959 4. The Myth of the Garden, May 8, 1970 5. The Myth of the Amateurs, March 26, 1979III Myths of the Basketball Empire (1991–Present) 6. The Myth of the Greatest of All Time, June 13, 19917. The Myth of Blackness, March 12, 19978. The Myth of the Right Way, June 15, 20049. The Myth of the Man, July 8, 2010Notes Index