Raiders Night

Raiders Night is a 2006 young adult novel by Robert Lipsyte. Though he is better known as a sports journalist, Lipsyte has also written around 25 books, as well as short stories and essays for educators. His has received the ALAN Award for Contributions to Young Adult Literature and the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement, American Library Association.

The main character of Raiders Night is Matt, a talented high school football player and captain of the team. Matt and his fellow players use steroids in order to enhance their performance, which Matt considers a sacrifice he is willing to make in order to win. Matt has several close friends on his team and a developmentally disabled brother named Junie, who he takes care of.

As the book begins, Matt and his teammates are getting ready to go to football camp for the summer. Before they leave, they go to a house party where Matt drinks and takes pain pills for an injury. Matt feels like he is in a fog and gets a mysterious headache. He blacks out and wakes up at home the next morning.



Matt and his friend Brody leave for football camp. Brody tells Matt that Matt slept with a girl named Sarah the night before, and the rumor is that Sarah is stalking him. Matt shrugs this off and the two get on the bus to camp where they meet a strong and confident new player named Chris. At camp, some other veteran players try to pick on Chris, but Matt takes pity on him and intercedes.

The campers begin their difficult training the next day. Ramp, Matt’s co-captain, has it in for Chris, but Chris is able to keep up with the other players easily. That night, Matt’s girlfriend Mandy calls him to ask about Sarah, but Matt hangs up on her, preferring to focus on training.

Matt’s coach insinuates that he needs to take more steroids to get bigger, and Matt makes a note to ask his team doctor. That night, the team captains and senior members induct the new players with humiliating hazing rituals. Ramp crosses a line when hazing Chris, and Chris attacks him. Ramp overpowers Chris and sexually assaults him. The other players intercede to help Chris, who runs off into the woods. The next day, Matt is at the bus ready to go home. He doesn’t speak to anyone and Matt is unsure of what he should do about what he witnessed.



At a barbecue with friends and family, Matt hears a rumor that Chris is gay. He wonders if that is why Ramp abuses him. Chris is withdrawn but doesn’t quit the team. The first game doesn’t go well, and the team wins only because of Matt’s efforts. At a party afterwards, Mandy attacks Matt over his relationship with Sarah. Sarah takes Matt home and the two talk about difficulties in their lives. Sarah tries to initiate sex, but Matt can’t perform which embarrasses him.

At school the next day, the coach asks Matt to take Chris under his wing about find out why he is withdrawn. A reporter also shows up, insinuating that he knows about the hazing at football camp. Matt and Chris go to a baseball game together and talk until Chris seems more like his old self. Matt can see Chris becoming an important part of the team.

Since Matt and Chris have become friends, Matt becomes the target of homophobic bullying, which he does his best to ignore. His friend Tyrell, who intervened to help Chris at camp, is also being bullied. More and more people seem to know that something happened at football camp, and the police have begun questioning players. Matt finds out from the coach that Chris’ mother has hired a lawyer.



Chris begins asking Matt to talk, but Matt ignores him. One evening before practice, Chris threatens Ramp with a gun. Then he turns the gun on himself. Matt tries to stop him, but Chris shoots himself. Chris survives and is rushed to the hospital. People treat Matt like a hero, which he resents, wishing he had spoken up about what happened to Chris earlier.

Matt takes Sarah to visit Chris in the hospital and Matt confesses to Sarah about what happened at camp. Sarah urges Matt to go the police, but Matt decides to talk to Coach Dorman first. Dorman behaves suspiciously, and Matt realizes that he must have known about the assault all along.

Later, at the gym, Matt is confronted by Ramp. Tyrell as well as a number of other players back Matt up, and the group decides that they have to get the story out and protect Chris. Matt goes home and, with Sarah’s help, begins to compose an email to the reporter he met earlier.