The Game They Played: The True Story of the Point-Shaving Scandal That Destroyed One of College Basketball's Greatest Teams

by Stanley Cohen

One of Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 Sports Books of All The riveting story of the point-shaving scandal that shook college basketball to its core It was the ultimate Cinderella sports story. Unranked heading into the 1949–50 season, the City College basketball team delighted their hometown of New York City and shocked the rest of America by winning both the NCAA and NIT tournaments. An unprecedented feat that would never be duplicated, City College’s postseason grand slam was made all the more remarkable by the fact that, in an era when many premier teams were segregated, its starting lineup consisted of 3 Jewish and 2 African American athletes.   With Hall of Fame coach Nat Holman and 4 of the starting 5 returning for the 1950–51 campaign, the stage was set for a thrilling title defense. Alas, it was not to be. City College’s season came to an abrupt end when 3 of its star players were arrested on charges of conspiring to fix games. The ensuing scandal, which would engulf 6 other schools and lead to the indictments of 20 players and 14 fixers, cast New York City sports under a dark cloud, derailed the careers of some of the game’s most promising young talents, and forever altered the landscape of college basketball. The basis for the award-winning HBO documentary City Dump, The Game They Played is a poignant portrait of the unforgettable moment when an unheralded team of local boys united New York City in both triumph and disgrace.

Genres: Sports, Basketball, Nonfiction, History

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

There are more than one Stanley Cohen author.

*Stanley Cohen (1922-): USA biochemist
*Stanley Cohen (1928–2010): USA crime novelist
*Stanley Cohen (1934-): USA sport writer
*Stanley Cohen (1937-): USA biologist
*Stanley Cohen (1942–2013): South Africa-British sociologist

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but the events are told better in City Game or Scandals of 51

[Dylan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not an awful book. In fact, I'd mark it as a good look into basketball in the 40's and early 50's, a sport and institution so different from modern CBB that makes it interesting. But I couldn't connect to the prose at any point which drug it down. It's not bad per se, I wouldn't begrudge someone who enjoyed it even if I don't think it's special, but it made this relatively small book a trudge to get through.

In a similar vein, the basketball and point shaving scandal often feels like it takes a back seat, used a vessel for the authors tangents. Some of those are insightful, most are just kinda boring or uninteresting. And then there's the frequent feeling of needing to defend NYC from the Midwest and South? The reverse moralizing of the moralizing of small city and rural America does toward cities?Not enough basketball, too much rote faux romantic imagery, to surface level a "crime" drama. It all just makes for a mostly unfulfilling and grinding read but not one I'd necessarily say has no value or can't be enjoyed by someone who connects better with the style.

Except for the author using second person, there's no forgiveness for that.

[Matt Bernhardt · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Dad bought (or gave?) me this book, I swear like 20+ years ago. It's moved around house to house, state to state, and I finally went for it since I don't want to have a physical bookshelf and didn't want to get rid of it before reading it.

That has nothing to do with the book itself, of course. I liked that it was a sports story I didn't know much about, and to me is a bit inconceivable considering modern times: late 1940s, when college basketball was more popular than the pros, and centered around the NIT and New York City

but the story was told with too many romantic digressions, and yet also too much rote recitation. Like there'd be entire pages where it was detailing out the box scores of certain games.

[Matt Moran · Rating 2 out of 5]

A weak entry on the SI Top 100 list. Overwritten and melodramatic about an obscure period in college basketball history.
This could have been a long essay not a full length book and the author has an insufferable habit of referring to himself in the second person.

[Stephen Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting historic recount of a College Basketball scandal

Found the narrative style a little strange but otherwise a fairly decent read about a basketball scandal I knew nothing about.

[Kevin Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

takes a while to get into the meat of everything but halfway through the book until the end is riveting.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The story of the only team ever to win the NIT and NCAA tournaments in the same year. ..." Worth reading, but the title and cover blurb led me to expect lots more basketball. The book focuses on gambling, game-fixing scandals that involved this City College team and many others nationwide. Those descriptions are interesting and thorough. I just expected an entirely different kind of read.