The Basketball Subculture free essay sample

In this analysis I will cover the different aspects of sport subculture and what it means to be a recognizable member within a group. 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 wrought these that they identify themselves as being different from other teams along with giving them an identity and a group to belong. Discussion The team I play for is the Douglas College mens basketball team and it would be classified as a subculture within the basketball culture since it is a recognizable team within the sport. We will write a custom essay sample on The Basketball Subculture or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The traits by which my team is identified by are: our name, mascot, team colors, jerseys, level and league in which we play.In a sense there is also an athlete culture at Douglas College. It is possible to identify athletes at the school given evident identifiable heartsickness. Examples of this could include: the Douglas College athletic gear, general athletic wear, as well as the fact that athletes tend to hang out in bigger groups than other students. Much like the windsurfers in Wheatstone article Just Do It, people within the basketball subculture can be easily identified by their style of dress. Brands are an important aspect in basketball subculture and to be recognized as a respected member of the sport subculture the right equipment is critical. This relates closely to the basketball subculture especially on my team because the newest trends in shoes and equipment play a big role on our team. Many players will have multiple pairs of shoes that they II wear within a single season, and with new shoes you always need the matching socks. The most common of these would be Nikkei Elites. New shoes are always one of if not the biggest topic on my team.It is commonly know that in basketball players only wear the brands such as Nikkei, Jordan, and Ideas. Then within these big three brands there are Kabobs, Lebanons, and Tyrants which are all under Nikkei, and D-Rose which is under Ideas. These of course are all big name professional basketball players who UT out their own shoes under the brand they are sponsored by. Other than shoes basketball players also follow those brands for casual and practice wear such as hoodoos, t-shirts, socks, sweats or track pants, and athletic shorts.However, as mentioned in Wheatstone article Just Do It, you could be labeled as a poser if you dont have the credibility of being a part of that subculture. One of the biggest tell tale signs that can distinguish between players and posers is whether or not they only wear their basketball shoes on the court. In this situation posers can be identified when wearing basketball retain shoes outside or casually. Credibility on the court comes a lot with age and experience. In order to gain credibility one either needs to be very skilled or play at an elite level. At the college level everyone is pretty knowledgeable of each other within their league. Even within my own team there is status and credibility, it generally is dependent on seniority and skill level. The older returning players or vets as they are called, will have a higher status and credibility than a first year or rook. My role within the team would definitely be a principal role. Even though am currently out for the rest of he season due to injury I am a constant presence whenever I am in the gym and the rookies constantly seek advise from me.Even though I am unable to play I show up for practice and training early every day in order to set an example for the rest of the team. I also always have something to say in our team meetings. In general, the better you are on the team, the more other players look up to you. As Wheaton described in her article, if they are a good sailor, they are treated with respect (p. 259). This closely relates to my team as I have a large amount of respect for my fellow teammates who are ere skilled. Some of our team norms would be our pre-practices meetings.The team meets outside the gym a twenty minutes before practice starts. During games We will always high-five each other either going onto or coming off the court to show support. Whenever someone is subbed off the court everyone on the bench will stand up and all give them a high-five as a way of encouragement and support for doing their best on the court. If a teammate is taking a free-throw then remaining four players on the court at the time will give the player a high-five after the shot, whether it was made or not to show hat no matter what the outcome we are a team.A common ritual of our team before the start of the game is to get into a circle and have a pre-game talk about what we want to get out of the game as well as some words of encouragement. After each game we will meet in the change room and talk about the good and the bad of the game and what we as a team believe we need to improve on in order to become more successful. Specific drills in practice also have common rituals specific to our team, for example, in specific drills was the last one to complete it so that I can finish it with a dunk n order to try and produce some energy out of the t eam for the next drill.Conclusion A teams culture is what makes them identifiable as a sport subculture. My teams culture refers to the way we dress, the shoes we wear, our team norms, and rituals. Many people dont understand our choices such as, early morning beach workouts, strenuous hill training, and the long tiring practices. It seems crazy to many, but to those who are within our subculture understand why we do those things.