Type of bind: Paperback
Format: Bargain Price
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 304
Printing Date: June 01, 2005
Sale Popularity Level: 1019474
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Out of Bounds: Inside the NBA's Culture of Rape, Violence, and Crime is a searing indictment of professional basketball players who live in a world where criminal laws and social norms don't exist, a world where they are given license to act above the law.
On the court, they dazzle us with their spectacular physical feats. They generate millions of dollars of revenue for the NBA and their teams. They inspire adulation. But underneath all the glitz, the money, and alley-oops is a seamy underbelly, a rash of lawlessness that is gripping the NBA.
Based on a first-of-its-kind investigation into the criminal histories of 177 NBA players from the 2001#150;2002 season, Out of Bounds shows that an alarming four out of every ten NBA players have a police record involving a serious crime. They are All-Stars and they are journeymen, involved in crimes ranging from armed robbery to domestic violence to gun possession to rape.
Out of Bounds takes a hard look at shocking cases, with graphic accounts of physical and sexual violence and other outrageous conduct by players. In all, more than 250 people are named, including many prominent NBA players. It exposes the environment and culture that encourages such criminal behavior. It also explains the unique challenges these cases pose for law-enforcement agencies and prosecutors. And Out of Bounds takes readers inside the hidden yet critically vital role that lawyers, agents, and fame play in insulating criminally accused players from accountability.
Author Jeff Benedict, an expert on athletes and crime, draws his conclusions from exhaustive research. In addition to his criminal-background checks, the author retrieved documents from law-enforcement agencies, courts, and private attorneys. He conducted more than 400 interviews with police officers, prosecutors, defense lawyers, players, agents, victims, witnesses, and coaches. What emerges is a disturbing and appalling picture of men who live above the law.
A seminal and important work, Out of Bounds will forever change how we look at the NBA and its stars' lives of excess and privilege.
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Rated by buyers 
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This was a fantastic book! It really makes you think. I am a female who loves basketball and this book made reality set in! It makes you realize that you have to separate what a player does on the court from who he is. He may be a great player, but that doesn't mean he is that great off the court as well! Benedict makes some great points about the lifestyle of an NBA player!
Rated by buyers -
I enjoyed reading this book it tells the truth about the thugs that many Americans have idiolized simply because they play basketball.
The days of Larry Bird and Michael Jordan are long gone. Todays players are a bunch of immature perverts. Read this book if you want to know about the people you let your children idiolize.
Rated by buyers 
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One of the consistent trends in modern American history is the progressive shrinking of the number of occupations in which those employed are exempt from public scrutiny. Used to be the President was above the fray, but Nixon and Watergate changed all that. Likewise, the fatherhood got tainted by the sex-abuse scandals starting in the 1980's. The occupation of NBA player has now succumbed to this trend, as books like these examine the seedy side of NBA life and its players.
Written by a veteran observer of the American professional sports scene, this book goes into gory detail to show how a very large number of current NBA athletes are out and out felons; rapists, shoplifters, wife-beaters, etc, etc... Names are named, along with details of various crimes committed by players at all positions on numerous NBA teams. As such, the book is quite-opening to the casual sports fan and to the American public at large. However, the book is lacking some ingredients. First, the style and substance of the book seems to indicate that this lawlessness has grown over time. Maybe it has, but a more likely explanation is that the press has gotten more agressive over time. Second, the book should have included something on treatment plans the NBA offers its players for various problems such as marriage counseling, substance abuse rehab, etc, etc... Third, it would have been nice for the book to not focus on such a small number of players: i.e. Ruben Patterson and Sam Mack. A lot of players have done illegal things, or even legal things that are not so nice; Wilt Chamberlain's 20,000 bedscores is not something a gentleman or civil society in general should be proud of. But overall, this is a good book. I recommend every parent to give this book to their son when he asks for the latest $100+ NBA jersey or b-ball shoes!
Rated by buyers -
This book flows in an easy reading style, but the book apparently wasn't carefully proofread, because there are a number of misspellings and incorrect wordings. That sends a message that if you don't care, why should I. As for the complaint that professional athletes are getting the primadonna treatment without accountability for bad behavior, I can only withhold my payment for a ticket to the game as punishment. Another book I read points out: have you ever noticed that people often complain to the wrong person or persons about something they have the power to change or resolve. Only the industry can really do something to change the problem.
Rated by buyers 
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This is a actual excerpt from the book "... there is nothing admirable or beautiful about today's NBA player: diamond studded ears, flesh plastered with offensive body tattoos, and nicknames like 'The Answer' and 'Big Dog.'"
Are you serious? Personal appearance is now a problem in the NBA as well? Bring back the white guys with the crew cuts!
Benedict has a agenda, and even went as far to exaggerate the skills of certain players that committed a crime. A whole two chapters were devoted to Sam Mack... who I forgot existed until I vaguely remembered a shooter that played for the Rockets. Noting that players like Jerry Stackhouse, Damon Stoudamire and Jason Richardson were all-stars when in fact none of them have ever made the team. Should I trust the rest of his facts he presents?
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