Hoop Dreams (1994) with Samantha N. Sheppard | Field of Scenes
Hoop Dreams (1994) with Samantha N. Sheppard | Field of Scenes  
Podcast: Filmspotting
Published On: Sun Nov 01 2026
Description: Adam and Travis welcome Samantha N. Sheppard, PhD, Associate Professor of Cinema and Media Studies at Cornell University, to discuss Steve James's landmark 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams. Drawing on research from her new book, The Basketball Film: A Cultural and Transmedia History, Sheppard explains why Hoop Dreams stands as the defining work of the basketball film genre. The conversation explores the film's complicated relationship to competition, bell hooks' famous critique, and why the stories of Arthur Agee and William Gates continue to resonate more than three decades later. Along the way, Sheppard reflects on her own path to becoming one of the leading scholars of sports cinema and shares some personal favorites from the basketball movie canon. Next Episode: –The Hurricane with Grant Wiedenfeld, Ph.D., MFA (University of Toronto) Links: –Email the show at fos@filmspotting.net. -Sporting Blackness: Race, Embodiment, and Critical Muscle Memory on Screen Theme Music: –King of the Corpse Flowers by Oxykitten | SpotifySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.