This is an interschool women basketball match dated on a Saturday – 30 Jan 2016, starting from 1 pm to 3 pm in Pierri Gym, I was sitting on the four lane on the left hand side of the stadium. It is observed that most of the audience are white Americans (the white), aging 30 or above, which I believe could possibly be the parents from both teams. There are some kids aged 9 or 10 and a baby as well, sitting with their parents; most of the audience are sitting in pairs. To the right end of the stadium sat African American (the black), while two-third of the stadium sat the while. The Dean College team (DC) wore white and red suits with grey strips, whereas the Southern Maine Community College team (SMCC) took a mix of navy blue and white as their representation. Before the contest began, both teams clapped in rhythm to embrace the start of the game along with the song of the chants for America. A
As the game started, a lady in grey T-shirt (grey lady) who sat in front of me clapped for the team as the contest began to star; the remaining teammates of both teams called their slogan to boost their confidence. Another lady in red shirt (red lady) cheered, swinging her arms to the air when SMCC took a 3 point shot, shaking her fist as hard as she could. An international student named Clara, who’s sitting beside me shouted “Woooo” while she clapped as DC scored another point. The grey and red lady yelled “blue”, which was the color of SMCC’s suit, were believed to be parents of
I attended the NIU Women’s Basketball game against Ball State. This game was part of the Play 4kay cancer organization game. Kay Yow was created on honor for Coach Yow, who had a “vision to unite a nation of coaches, players, and the women’s basketball community to do something for the greater good that far exceeds wins and losses on the court.”(Womack). During this game everyone had pink on from the players to the coaches. NIU’s full uniform was pick while the opponents had pink shoes, their dancer had multiple pink outfits that they changed into. During the time outs and half times they had a lot of activates, golf putting, kids shooting free throw for money donations, cancer survivors acknowledgements, and the NIU dancer performances.
We do have memories to recall from our past – good and bad. From these memories brings a part of who we are in a diverse nation and a lesson that changes our lives forever. This is evident to Regelio Gomez' article entitled “Foul Shots”, that shares his memorable experience in playing basketball during his teenage years as both being his ghost and his teacher for almost 2 decades. His narration is a consequence of anyone who describes winning in the name of game or losing in the name of race.
When the group of male students are first introduced to their summer training camp, students are roomed with someone of the opposite race, it begins a long and hard road for them to move past some of their preconceptions. At first players are instructed to learn more about every player of both race. But there are major turning points such as when black and white players finally see past differences that are imposed, and they begin to connect and become better athletes and people. I see the camp as an ideal for a movement for the team to get away from the bias of their community and grow together as a team. Most of the young men start to see the bigger picture and that they all want to win. Although this is a gradual process, most of them gain each other’s respect and friendship by the end of the trip.
During the 80’s, the period of which these individuals played, the NBA desperately needed a new spark, and the NBA got just what it needed. Larry Bird’s Celtics during the 1979-80 season made a dramatic improvement “from a 29-53 record the year before to 61-21”(Magic Johnson and). While Bird is making an extraordinary turnaround for his Boston Celtics, Magic Johnson, during his rookie season, won a NBA championship for the Los Angeles Lakers. This was the Los Angeles Lakers seventh NBA championship victory. Their success helped the NBA, but their identities off the court supersedes the game of basketball. The years previous to the Magic-Bird rivalry were ever changing. The NBA changed from a fundamental, half-court game with all-white players, to a quick pace, athletically acrobatic game with mainly black players. Few old-school former white people, such as Jerry West and Pete Maravich, could participate and compete in this new form of basketball. This different style of basketball significantly swayed many viewers, white fans, from attending the NBA games. White fans felt that the game was very egocentric and didn’t involve all the players. Also, the white fans didn’t
The topic of race in sport, particularly African Americans in sport, has long been a controversial yet, widely discussed matter. Human and social issues are never easy subjects to discuss or debate, and racial differences tend to provoke very strong reactions. To begin, we will explore those whom claim that black athletes excel in sports as a result of their biological make up. Of all players in the NBA, more than 75% of them are black; of all players in the WNBA, more than 70% of them are black; of all players in the NFL, more than 65% of them are black (Hoenig, 2014). Evidently, black athletes make up a vast majority of these sports in the United States. Athletes must be of elite caliber to have the ability to play at this level, so this
The setting up of co-ed, or mixed gender, teams in schools has been highly debated by many students, parents, and school staff. Some argue than not allowing girls and boys to play on the same team promotes gender stereotypes among kids, while others claim that because of differences in body size and strength, boys and girls should not be on the same team. Co-Ed teams are in place across the nation with many claiming that they “promote a healthy environment where boys and girls are equal”, but the reality is that the forming of co-ed teams in some sports like football or basketball is not a good idea because boys won’t be able to get as physical with girls as they would with boys, nor would they be able to play by the same rules.
Chinese Americans often stayed in Chinatown in San Francisco and while it was a cultural center that provided a strong community, racism and gentrification were inescapable. As Kathleen Yep analyzes in her article about this pastime, “basketball was used to carve out an empowering space against the context of poverty, racism, and the multiple forms of patriarchies in their lives.” Informal pickup games between a few women turned into an organized pastime where they trained to become better than any other women’s team, and even some men’s teams, in the city. Basketball was also used as a tool to combat racism. The Chinese women would consistently win over white women even without their privilege. They broke norms in the name of winning and bringing success to the ‘ghetto’ of Chinatown. Yep writes, “the Playground players defined themselves as Chinese American women through their strength, stamina, and toughness,” which is the complete opposite of the popular image of the small, frail, and timid Chinese
In this analysis I will cover the different aspects of sport subculture and what it means to be a recognizable member within a group. I will give examples of what it means to be a part of such subcultures. For example, shared ways of dressing, group status and credibility, as well as some of the groups norms and rituals. The specific group I will discuss will be my basketball team and the role I play within it. Because my team is at highly competitive level, our norms may be unlike to other teams’ especially those of less competitive teams. Each and every team has their own culture and practices, and it is through these that they identify themselves as being different from other teams along with giving them an identity and a
I would like to discuss the issue of race and ethnicity in sports. We will also explore the bigger questions. How much does race and ethnicity matter in the sports world? Are certain races dominant in certain sports? Is there a difference in how we treat players based on race and ethnicity? Does it matter? I would like to answer some of these questions and gain a better understanding of how much of a part they play.
Once I saw all of those pizza boxes, I assumed that this was the free food they were referring to in the advertisement for the tailgate. A few minutes went by and more people started to come and join, once more people began showing up the Cheer Nation cheerleading team came to entertain the crowd by taking pictures with students and fans as well as doing some cheers. It felt as if they wanted everyone to get excited for the game against Florida Atlantic University despite the basketball team having an 11-11 record at the time, the cheerleaders helped boost the confidence of the students and fans. As an hour went by I noticed the attitude for the game shifted from mild to high as far as the ambition and competitiveness amongst males and females. I noticed majority of the females were less aggressive and competitive at the event versus the males. I ran into a cohort of mine Rajah Flood. I asked her if she was enjoying the event and I asked her what was her attitude towards school pride and did her gender play a role in competitiveness. She said she was not enjoying the tailgate at first but then once more people came she had fun and she also felt that gender does have a role in competitiveness and that males were more
I walk into the auditorium and the stands are packed. Bright fluorescent lights shine onto the players decked out in their national team uniforms and gloves and there is a perceptible atmosphere of intensity. It smells like rubber and sweat. Reverberating in the open space are the sounds of the intercom, coins clinking and indistinct conversations in Hungarian, French, Italian, German and the occasional celebration of someone who has just won. You’re probably imagining a game of basketball or even handball, but this sport comes with a table and a 22 tiny men.
The themes of age stratification, clothing, and language were evident among audience members at a recent Flagler College men’s soccer game. At the game, there were four main age groups, the most abundant of which was young adults. The young adults age class was dominated by college students, and between the two sports teams, there seemed to be more Flagler College students than the alternant. Among all age classes, attire was generally the same; casual clothing, mostly shorts, and generic t-shirts or team related t-shirts. The majority of team related t-shirts represented the FL Elite Soccer Club. The club shirts were royal blue and fluorescent yellow which made it easier to identify those individuals. The last of the
American society has many different types’ sports from all around the world. For example, the main two contemporary sports are basketball and football. Both sports require people, a ball, and open area to play in. However, these two sports are played differently. By comparing and contrasting basketball and football, we can examine them in terms of how they’re played, the amount of people in each teams, and the location the sports are being played in.
For my observation I decided to go to University of South Carolina Aiken. There I observed the men and women’s teams straight for two hours each, for five days long. While at the basketball game I observed the women first. The first thing I notice was the amount of people that were in the
The event started at nine o’clock, and I needed to be there by seven o’clock in order to set up the goalies in the three different fields. Right at this moment I began a meticulous observation of the staff and the volunteers. The staff was enthusiastic and glee, willing to give aid to any and all volunteers, and mainly composed of women. This curious observation bewildered me; not because women do not have the ability to organize, recruit, or lead three different soccer teams, not at all, instead, my perception of their role was automatically altered. I was not accustomed to watching strong, decisive women take control of a situation while being surrounded by hundreds of sweaty, shirtless men. Now, in Cuba this would have been a scandal. The patriarchal society dictates the manner in which things are done and the person who does such things. Furthermore, women disapprove of a man who cannot provide for the family and is unable to lead always, no matter the circumstances. Here, at this remote place (Lynchburg), were the women leading with firmness and precisely organizing an entire event, while the men sprinted from one location to the other trying to set everything in its proper place. The men, on the other hand, were very