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about robert
Robert W. Turner II is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Research and Leadership at The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Science. He earned his Ph.D. in sociology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He also holds a position as a Research Scientist in the Center for Biobehavioral Health Disparities Research at Duke University. After attending James Madison University on an athletic scholarship, Dr. Turner played football professionally in the now defunct United States Football League, the Canadian Football League, and briefly in the National Football League. Dr. Turner is an active member of his local church and serves on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, D.C.
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book publication
Publication Date:
July 2018 | ISBN: 9780199892907 | Edition 1
Not For Long: The Life and Career of the NFL Athlete
Drawing on personal experience as a former pro football player and interactions with over 140 current and former NFL athletes, Dr. Robert W. Turner II reveals what it means to be a high school and college athlete pursuing the dream of playing in the NFL, and why so many players struggle with life after football.
"Robert Turner's ethnography of athletes' journeys to and through the NFL is provocative and deeply discerning. He draws on life course, developmental, and sociological theories to unveil what the NFL and its patrons turn a blind eye too because they assume the lives of professional football players are much more glorious and desirable than the reality. By sharing his own football trajectory and those of others, Turner skillfully awakens readers to how professional football players imagined lives become in short order, unimaginable." -Linda Burton, PhD, James B. Duke Professor of Sociology, Duke University
Purchase THIS BOOK:
Oxford University Press
Amazon
“Robert Turner has the rarest of insights into what it means to be an NFL player. His time in the game combined with Turner’s scholarly expertise illuminate every issue facing the men who have played in the league. Not For Long is a gift to us all.”
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BOOK RELEASE / Appearances / Upcoming Events
upcoming events
aug.29
Sport and The Body: Theme Launch Luncheon
Memorial Union - Ventana Room 241
301 E. Orange StreetTempe, AZ 85281
August 29, 2019 11:45am - 1:30pm
Sep. 12
CBCF annual legislative conference
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mt Vernon Pl NW, Washington, DC 20001
September 12, 2019 1:30pm - 3:30pm
sep. 25
8th opening lecture for the center african american studies
E.H. Hereford University Center, Bluebonnet Ballroom
300 W 1st St. Arlington, TX 76010
September 25, 2019 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Past Appearances / Prior Events
Apr. 2nd
AFTER THE FINAL BUZZER: PANEL DISCUSSION & STUDENT ATHLETE MOVIE SCREENING
U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
First Street NE / Washington, DC 20515
April 2, 2019 6:00pm - 9:00pm
MAR. 28th
2019 Global Sport Summit
Arizona State University, Global Sport Institute
2 E Jefferson St / Phoenix, AZ 85004
March 28, 2019
Oct. 1st
Student Athlete Screening and Panel Discussion - IFC Center - New York, New York
323 6th Ave / New York, NY 10014
October 1, 2018
Sep. 26th
Cocktails and Screening Party for HBO Documentary “Student Athlete” - New Museum - New York, New York
235 Bowery / New York, NY 10002
September 26, 2018
SEP. 6th
University of Michigan - College of Literature, Science, and the Arts - ann arbor, michigan
4154 LSA Building, Arbor, Michigan 48104
September 6, 2018 5:45pm - 7:30pm
SEP. 5th
literati bookstore - ann arbor, michigan
124 E Washington, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
September 5, 2018 6:00pm - 7:30pm
AUG. 6TH
Politics & prose bookstore - WASHington, D.C.
Featured Books & Brunch Book Club Event
Washington, D.C. Launch Event / Politics & Prose Bookstore / 5015 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20008
August 6, 2018 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Press
“Our college sports system is broken. Do we have the guts to fix it?”
Neil Swidey, The Boston Globe
May 15, 2019
Dealing with racism and pain: two constants for African-American NFL players
Alberto Ramirez, GlobalSport Matters
April 18, 2019
Robert Turner II challenges foundations of college athletics in MU visit
Joe Noser, The Columbia Missourian
February 19, 2019
Former pro football player turned sociologist takes a look at the NFL
WCAI 90.1 FM, Local NPR for the Cape, Coast & Islands, Living Lab Radio
September 11, 2018
What Happens to Football Players after They Quit the Game?
Kristen Mitchell, GW Today
September 10, 2018
The LeBron James-Produced Documentary 'Student Athlete' Releases Its First Trailer
Mallory Chin, Hypebeast
September 7, 2018
9 football books to kick off the 2018 season
Ross Atkin, The Christian Science Monitor
September 5, 2018
How NFL players approach their short shelf lives: 'You’re investing in your body. Sometimes those things are priceless.'
Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune
September 1, 2018
New book examines NFL careers and retirement from a sociological point of view
Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune
August 30, 2018
To Do Today: Special Olympics at 50, De Lux, and Robert W. Turner II
Kayla Randall, Washington City Paper
August 6, 2018
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Documentary film
"Student Athlete"
Dr. Robert W. Turner II: Technical Advisor - Consultant - On screen appearance
LeBron James to co-produce HBO documentary on ‘exploitative world’ of NCAA sports
Unpaid college athletes generate billions of dollars for their institutions every year. Student Athlete unveils the exploitative world of high-revenue college sports through the stories of four young men at different stages of their athletic careers, as well as a coach-turned-advocate and a whistle-blowing shoe rep who exposes the money trail. The documentary spotlights: former college and NFL coach John Shoop; New Jersey high school basketball phenom Nick Richards, now at the University of Kentucky; Mike Shaw, who played at the University of Illinois and Bradley University; Shamar Graves, a former wide receiver at Rutgers University; and Silas Nacita, a walk-on who played at Baylor University.
Student Athlete is an HBO Sports presentation in association with LeBron James, Maverick Carter and Jamal Henderson at SpringHill Entertainment, and Steve Stoute at United Masters; directors, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton; technical advisor/consultant, Dr. Robert W. Turner II; executive producer, Rick Bernstein; supervising producer, Joe Perskie.
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Recent Projects & WorkS
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let's connect / booking information
For Speaking Engagements:
Amanda Dissinger, Publicist
Email: Amanda.Dissinger@oup.com
Phone: 212-726-6495
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Literary Agent:
Neeti Madan
Phone: 646-652-3274
Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc.
115 Broadway
New York, NY 10006