Book details

  • Genre:sports & recreation
  • Sub-genre:Cultural & Social Aspects
  • Language:English
  • Pages:96
  • Paperback ISBN:9798317837020

Cheated

By Dr. Malcolm Jones, II

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Overview

They told them to chase the dream.
They never told them the odds.

Cheated: How American Athletics Profits from Performance While Failing to Protect Those Inside of It exposes a system where student-athletes are celebrated for what they produce, but often neglected in who they become.

From youth sports to college athletics, young athletes are labeled early, pushed to perform, and praised for results while critical gaps in education, identity, and life preparation go unaddressed.

This is not just a sports story.
It is a truth about identity, opportunity, and what happens when performance is valued more than protection.

If you care about athletes, education, and what happens after the game ends, this book will challenge what you believe and what you have been told.

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Description

Every year, millions of student-athletes dedicate their lives to the pursuit of a dream that only a small percentage will ever achieve. Along the way, they are celebrated for performance, given visibility, and pushed to compete at higher levels.

But what happens when the game ends?

In Cheated, Dr. Malcolm Jones II draws from his experience as an athlete, coach, and educational leader to expose the hidden realities of American athletics. This book challenges the systems, structures, and cultural beliefs that prioritize performance while often neglecting long-term development, education, and identity.

In today’s evolving landscape, where NIL opportunities and the transfer portal have reshaped college athletics, the stakes have never been higher. While these changes promise access and financial opportunity, they also introduce instability, pressure, and complex decisions that many young athletes are not equipped to navigate.

Through real stories, research, and practical insight, this book explores:

  • The illusion of exposure and recruiting pipelines
  • The early labeling of athletes and its long-term impact
  • How systems reward performance but overlook preparation for life
  • The growing pressure created by NIL opportunities and constant movement through the transfer portal
  • The gap between athletic success and real-world readiness

More importantly, Cheated presents a different path forward. One that challenges athletes to pursue their dreams while also building the knowledge, skills, and identity necessary for life beyond the game.

This book is for athletes, parents, coaches, educators, and leaders who are ready to stop accepting the system as it is and start demanding something better.

Because every athlete gets one life.
And too many are not prepared to win it.

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About The Author

Dr. Malcolm Jones II is the author of CHEATED: How American Athletics Profits From Performance While Failing to Protect the People Inside It and the founder of the Dual Threat Framework and LifeShip Institute.

A former college athlete, Dr. Jones has spent more than two decades at the intersection of athletics, education, and identity development. He has lived inside the system as an athlete, coached within it, and led at every level, serving as a teacher, athletic director, principal, and K–12 assistant superintendent.

With nearly 20 years of coaching experience, he has worked with thousands of student-athletes, coaches, and families navigating the gap between athletic promise and life preparation.

CHEATED is built on decades of firsthand experience and research, exposing how athletic systems prioritize performance while often neglecting long-term development. From this work, Dr. Jones developed the concept of Duality, the standard that athletes must invest equally in their education, identity, and future as they do in their sport.

This philosophy led to the creation of the Dual Threat Framework, a comprehensive athlete development system focused on education, skills, character, and identity.

Dr. Jones holds a doctorate in educational leadership and speaks nationally to athletic programs, coaching organizations, and educational institutions. His message is clear: every athlete gets one life, and they must be prepared to win it beyond the game.

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