This who-dun-it tracts the development of a high school basketball player, and the corrupt and greed of the adults surround him.
Advantage Disadvantage is a nail-biting, behind-the-scenes pass into the world of high school sports and the people who make and break it. Set in Chicago, its innately urban backdrop is full of distinctly Windy City landmarks. This is the perfect read for sports fans that love an insider's view...an insightful and deliciously-sinful plot full of twists and turns. You'll find the perfect blend of bravery, betrayal and who-done-it adventure in this vividly penned thriller.
Those immersed in the basketball community will read "Advantage Disadvantage" and recognize many of the "usual suspects" and familiar situations that will make you chuckle... or bring your emotions to anger, disgust, sadness, excitement, and joy. Readers foreign to the world of hoops will gain some insight into the machinations of prep basketball, recruiting, officiating, and the cracks in the system that allows the slime to sometimes find it's way into our beautiful game.
"Advantage Disadvantage" is a fictional tale with high school basketball as the backdrop for an intriguing story of a cast of characters that challenges you to examine the purity of amateur sports. We get to know some individuals who are faced with some very real life temptations and we follow them while they try to reconcile right from wrong - all while wondering whether their decisions will prove to be an Advantage or a Disadvantage.
Professional Reviews
Advantage Disadvantage - A Sports Who-Dun-It
Advantage Disadvantage is a nail-biting, behind-the-scenes pass into the world of high school sports and the people who make and break it. Set in Chicago, its innately urban backdrop is full of distinctly Windy City landmarks. This is the perfect read for sports fans that love an insider's view...an insightful and deliciously-sinful plot full of twists and turns. You'll find the perfect blend of bravery, betrayal and who-done-it adventure in this vividly penned thriller.
Riveting Tale of Dreams and Deceit
Advantage / Disadvantage is a cleverly interwoven tale of High School athletes who are unwittingly taken in by the sleezy characters that cling to the periphery of organized sports, and profit from them by means of greed and deception.
This book was eye - opening and shocking, and at other times touching and surprising - but never was it boring. The characters inspired hope as well as loathing, and made me think that High School athletics might not be as simple and innocent as we are led to believe. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. I can't wait for the sequel. Well done, Mr. Jaffe!
Greed and Corruption
Yale R. Jaffe brings to life the world of high school basketball. The author has a vast knowledge of the subject and uses a number of viewpoints to tell the story. There are parents, players, coaches, referees, gamblers, gang members, and a newspaper reporter. Players are unknowingly exploited by greedy and corrupt adults. Along the way we also get an insider's look at some unorthodox coaching methods, basketball officiating, and the world of sports gear advertising and how it impacts players.
When a high stakes gambler decides to make a killing, he uses an acquaintance involved in sports to help rig things his way. The suspense mounts as the team this gambler is using gets closer to the big game he is hoping will make his fortune. Then comes the day of the game. The author does a great job of taking us right to the court as two top teams battle for a championship. Meanwhile, the gambler and his helper sweat things out on the sidelines.
You'll have to read the book to find out who wins and who loses. But if you like basketball and high school sports you'll want to read Advantage Disadvantage.
If Money Is The Root of All Evil, Then Greed Must Come in a Close Second!!!
Perhaps this novel should have been called “Taking Advantage.” It seems that it would be closer to what is actually going on out there. Mr. Jaffe’s novel allows us to glimpse the seedy side of sports and learn things that we would never otherwise know. It does so in the framework of a story about compelling people that are caught up in their everyday lives, but on a course to collide.
Advantage Disadvantage is the name of a brilliant plan conceived by a one-time member of the disadvantaged and disenfranchised. The self-christened Bobby G was born into poverty, but was determined not to stay that way. He’s pulled himself up by using tricks, illegal activities and street smarts to get his. These have allowed him to escape what traps most in its malaise, but it’s not enough. He realizes that through tampering with statistics, he stands to make a killing – literally. Bobby G has cultivated all he thinks it takes to succeed, but what he’s left out are a sense of ethics and compassion. Without these components being alive and well in an individual, you have the makings of a ruthless, merciless individual that will do anything to get what they want. They don’t have the inner wherewithal to impose limits or tell themselves when it’s time to stop. Instead they tick away like a timer on a bomb set to go off. It’s this plan that ignites the fuse.
It’s Bobby G’s plan that intersects with the lives of seemingly disparate individuals and brings them into the realm of murky dealings, self-centered decisions and corruption of young dreams. The book works on many levels, but one of the most compelling is watching this evil spread like some sort of malignant virus. A gritty sense of reality runs throughout the heart of the story and because it’s not a fairy tale, we become involved – in the story and the outcome. While the novel focuses on the game of basketball, it reminds us that every game has rules. Abiding by rules is what helps define and make the game what it is. These rules also make the game fair – for everyone. When someone starts thinking they’re above the rules and breaks them for personal gain –the game starts taking on new and disturbing aspects.
Mr. Jaffe’s novel Advantage Disadvantage is a fascinating read! The author’s own experience and knowledge shine through and gives us a true insider’s view that allows us to see basketball for what it is – a game that is what we make it.
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