But seriously, folks, I wrote THE ROOKIE series because I feel that sports gets zero respect as the primary racially integrative force in American culture. People may think we have racial unity issues now, but they are nothing compared to the America of fifty and sixty years ago. We can thank Jackie Robinson, Fritz Pollard, Bobby Marshall, Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton for the society we have today. Maybe these guys just wanted to ball, maybe they wanted to change the world, but regardless of their reasons they helped made our nation a better place. 

So, THE ROOKIE is an analogy for the fact that sports changes your outlook on race. You don't really give a fuck about a guy's color, background or religion if he can block for you, if he can drain a jumper or hit a curveball. Team becomes tribe, and humans are hard-wired to accept those in our tribe.

I go more into depth about it in an interview I did with Dr. Ginger Campbell on her "Books & Ideas" podcast: Click here to check it out. 

And that is definitely a pro of it. I just wish the NFL didn't (for the most part) further promote sexism and homo/transphobia. But that's a rant for another day. :)

I do love how The Rookie handles the racism and discrimination. Brilliantly thrown in amongst all the awesome action and whatnot. Genius book!

"Urban legends go well with parmesan and horror. In fact their name is conveniently one and the same: Stevie." {UNdead GirlCo Knight for Sigler}

In team sports when you're playing, the main goal is to win. You use the talents of the players no matter their physical/ideological traits. Sigler proves it to the extreme with completely different life forms. I kinda thought there was an underlying theme.

To quote the great Francis Sawyer a.k.a. Psycho "Any of you homos touch me, and I'll kill you." He learned his lesson in the end and accepted everyone. Ain't life grand?

Someday kids willl be reading The Rookie instead of To Kill A Mockingbird in english lit classes.

**All this plan is missing is a giant freaking laser in space."**

"Lighten up, Francis."

Stripes is still one of my all-time faves.

**All this plan is missing is a giant freaking laser in space."**

I watch it a few times a year.