Hoop Dreams

I have only seen about 40 minutes of Hoop Dreams and its theatrical trailer, both on YouTube. From what I have gathered from the footage, the directors aimed to paint a picture of two young men in a dire setting and their quest for success. Instead of taking this route, I think they should have framed the story as one which points out the hardships and difficulties young athletes face-- especially those who come from low-income environments. I think this would be more effective because it is the formula a huge percentage of professional athletes (especially basketball players) have followed and it is interesting to see just what goes into that formula.
I think hooks is a little harsh on the film. In particular, I did not like the part about the "auction block mentality" regarding the try-outs for high school basketball. She has a decent argument in that one side (the coaches) has a distinct advantage over the other (the potential players), and that the players' bodies are indeed "expendable" in comparison to those of the coaches, but I think she is reading a bit too much into the whole concept of an athletic try-out. Plain and simple, if a player is not good enough, regardless of color, height, shape, age, etc., he is told that his services are no longer needed. It is not like he is exiled, whipped, publicly humililiated, told he is good for absolutely nothing else except his sport, or killed, like slaves would have been; he is told (maybe not always in the most polite way) that he is not needed on the team.
One thing I liked about both hooks' piece and the film itself is that it points out the harsh reality every athlete with high aspirations faces: the opportunistic, "ruthless" (as hooks writes) agendas of the patriarchy. Everyone wants a piece of the hot player, whether it is Arthur Agee, William Gates, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, or John Wall. William said that once he gained some local fame, "everybody wants to be my coach," meaning that everybody he comes into contact with has something to say. There is so much to gain for the third-parties, it makes the fortunes made by the gifted individual seem miniscule.