First published in 1994, Black Planet is at first glance a reporting of David Shields's journey following his hometown Seattle Supersonics through the 1994-95 NBA season. He went to the team's' home games; watched their away games on TV; listened to interviews and call-in shows; talked, or tried to talk, to players, coaches, and agents; attended charity events; corresponded with members of the Sonics newsgroup on the early internet.
He kept a daily journal which then transformed into an intensely personal diary about that season and the team, and notions about race and sport in America. He started to see a barely concealed views about black men in the NBA, and how, in a predominately black sport, white fans—including especially himself—think about and talk about black athletes and black bodies. And Shields was writing more like a twenty-first century sportswriter and critiquing local sports media in an era when it was rarely, if ever, questioned.
Critically acclaimed and highly controversial, Black Planet was finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and PEN USA Award, and it was named on the Top Ten Nonfiction Books of 1999 by Esquire, Newsday, and LA Weekly.
