TWIN CITIES

Engaging account of grappling with inequities as a Black police officer and football coach.

In his debut, Adams raises awareness about the conflicting linkages among policing, athletics, and ideals of manhood in Black communities. “Gun violence is common in my neighborhood, the Northside of Minneapolis….but for me it was home.” As a longtime coach at North Community High School, “the city’s poorest school in the city’s poorest neighborhood,” the author documents striving to field championship teams through increasingly dispiriting circumstances, with the 2020 murder of George Floyd as an unavoidable flashpoint. “I will never stop being an advocate,” he writes, “yet my working for an employer known for killing Black people became a massive issue.” His examination of the Minneapolis police department is unsparing; he portrays an organization hobbled by structural racism and bureaucratic malaise. Regarding his policing career, he concludes, “I want a force that prioritizes effective communication with people over gunning those same people down.” Following tours as a school resource officer, he became head football coach at North High, in part because the school was nearly defunded. “We started to win games,” writes Adams, “and we became a beacon to others around the area.” While his unsettling experiences as a police officer are revelatory—particularly the Floyd killing’s grim aftermath, including riots and an exodus of Black officers—the heart of the narrative lies in the author’s exploration of the holistic and communication aspects of building championship teams: “Success is watching your players move on in their post-football lives, continuing to use the lessons you taught them on the field.” Adams conveys a strong understanding of the cultural resilience of Black communities. The writing style is approachable, mordant, and sometimes funny or profane, although the increasing focus on his coaching experiences may dilute a broader social urgency.

A valuable perspective on the challenges facing both police and ordinary citizens in places like Minneapolis.