The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory

Compare and contrast The Boys of Riverside with other nonfiction works in the inspirational sports genre, such as The Boys in the Boat (2013) or The Blind Side (2006). What common themes emerge?

What structural obstacles do the California School for the Deaf, Riverside student-athletes face? Craft an argument outlining practical solutions to these obstacles at both the interpersonal and systemic levels.

Analyze the reaction of the opposing teams and coaches to the CSDR Cubs performance. How do their expectations and responses reflect their unconscious biases?

Choose one player on the Cubs team and explore their personal story with regard to the text’s thematic interest in the Value of Team Sports for Identity Formation. How does being on the football team impact their ability to navigate the structural obstacles they face?

How did CSDR head coach Keith Adams’s childhood prepare him for the challenges of coaching a Deaf team and parenting Deaf children?

Explore the technological advances that allowed Trevin and Kaden Adams, both Deaf, to live an easier life than their Deaf father Keith.

Why did media attention for the Cubs fall off during their championship season? How does this relate to the book’s discussion of anti-deaf prejudice?

What literary devices does Fuller use to build suspense in his depiction of the Cubs’ championship game in the final chapters? In what ways does he utilize or subvert the tropes of a classic inspirational sports narrative?