By Edward Brown

Despite its sobering themes, Hoop Dreams is a deeply inspiring film. The movie is ostensibly a documentary about two young men’s pipe dream to reach the NBA, but it’s really a movie about the importance of perseverance and faith in the face of adversity. Throughout the film these two young men from Chicago demonstrate how their perseverance and faith propels them through the challenges of poverty, discrimination, and happenstance. Hoop Dreams shows William Gates and Arthur Agee struggle to make ends meet. It shows an example of their city’s dilapidated and underfunded schools. It displays the discrimination and racism they face on a daily basis. But what it shows above all else is William and Arthur providing a shining example of persistence. 

Steve James, the film’s director, paints a poignant and thought-provoking picture of the arduous pursuit of success by using sports as a palatable backdrop. Americans have always had an obsession with athletic achievement and that infatuation has been manifesting itself in youth sports since the 1990s. And that reality makes James’ choice of subjects for this documentary brilliant. William and Arthur endure similar plights as poor African-American youths from inner-city Chicago with the common goal of taking their talents to the NBA. However, their paths are just different enough to provide a surprisingly broad perspective on matters that effectively address American sports mania while also delving into important social justice issues.

William Gates’ recruitment to St. Joseph’s High School and Arthur Agee’s enrollment at Marshall Metropolitan High School is a glaring dichotomy that makes Hoops Dreams a powerful indictment of American social priorities. James deftly compares Gates’ luxurious recruitment to St. Joseph’s against Agee’s public-school predicament. By doing so, James effectively sheds light on racial disparities in America’s education and youth sports systems. St. Joseph is a predominantly white (wealthy) school. It is also a school known for a glamourous basketball program built on the efforts of talented black students.

St. Joseph’s and other schools like it have always operated in a grey area that conflates genuine interest in nurturing talent and salivating over the opportunity to exploit kids' athletic abilities. And the fact that William, an African-American student, is scouted and recruited from an underserved neighborhood raises questions about access and opportunities for talented athletes from marginalized communities. One perspective might suggest that Gates should be grateful for the opportunity, shut up and dribble. But another perspective might ask why this opportunity doesn’t exist more ubiquitously for people like Arthur Agee.

James makes a concerted effort to show that Arthur Agee’s Marshall Metropolitan High School is a struggling institution with limited resources and a basketball program that faces dire challenges to provide opportunities for its student athletes. The contrast between Marshall and St. Joseph's High School is stark. While St. Joseph is known for its prestigious program and access to top-notch facilities, Marshall represents the difficulties faced by (public) schools in underprivileged communities: inadequate training facilities, mismatched uniforms, and total apathy from scouts and college recruiters. Who can realistically succeed under these conditions?! 

I know this all makes the movie sound like a grim impeachment of American society, but the movie is much brighter than that. The resilience and determination that William and Arthur display throughout the film can be seen as a testament to the strength that resides within the human spirit. However, the film is careful to present those traits in the context of community-based faith. Despite the many obstacles they face, both William and Arthur find the support and encouragement they need to try to succeed from the people around them. Their families, friends, and coaches imbue them with a Herculean sense of confidence by way of the emotional and spiritual support each group delivers. 

This sense of community helps sustain these two young men through setback after setback and gives them the strength they need to pursue a dream that is statistically almost impossible to achieve. Hoop Dreams makes viewers believe that it is possible to continue to push forward with a sense of purpose and conviction despite living in a grim reality if they can garner similar spiritual support. This message of interconnectedness and the importance of supporting one another is central to many spiritual traditions, and can serve as a reminder of the fundamental unity of all people, regardless of race or class.

Hoop Dreams is currently streaming on most major platforms.