Covering Super Bowl XLIX in Phoenix a few years ago, New York Times journalist Michael Powell, disheartened by the commercialism of the big game, drove north into Navajo country to spend time with a community known for its love of basketball. He ultimately spent six months with the Chinle High School Wildcats as they pursued a state championship. The result is his book, Canyon Dreams:A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation. "Basketball is a passion play there. In a town of 3,000," Powell told KUNM, "5,000 will show up on the night of a big game."
Powell talks in greater detail about his time in Navajo country in this more complete version of the interview.
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This excerpt from Canyon Dreams appeared in the New York Times in December 2019.