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The Basketball Subculture Essay example

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Introduction 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 …show more content…

It is commonly know that in basketball players only wear the brands such as Nike, Jordan, and Adidas. Then within these big three brands there are Kobe’s, LeBron’s, and Durant’s which are all under Nike, and D-Rose which is under Adidas. These of course are all big name professional basketball players who put 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 hoodies, t-shirts, socks, sweats or track pants, and athletic shorts.
However, as mentioned in Wheaton’s article “Just Do It,” you could be labeled as a poser if you don’t 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 certain 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 dependant 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

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