How Does the NBA Relate to American Popular Culture - Essay Example

? How does the NBA Relate to American Popular Culture? The American culture is very rich and diverse and has known various changes throughout the years. However, modernity brings new realities and introduces new elements in what constitutes popular culture. Nowadays American popular culture takes a new form closely related to technology, cable TV, marketing, fast food and other features. In such a context, does NBA reflect American popular culture? Despite its slow and difficult beginning, NBA has grown into a very successful industry very influential in American life. Considering the popularity of NBA, its financial outcome, the marketing and other impact this sport has on American people, there is no doubt that it strongly expresses American popular culture. Besides, the numerous advantages the NBA offers explain why American people embrace the sport and recognize it as part of their popular culture. The National Basketball Association has been around since the 19th century and has undergone different transformations since its creation: “Dr. James A. Naismith invented the game of basketball in 1891” (Staffo). However, the leagues have met various hardships throughout the years since their implementation. The road was difficult and filled with various challenges as people learn their way through, improve and expand the leagues. This critic informs: “Until the recent surge in popularity of the NBA, professional basketball leagues had led tenuous existences. Professional basketball leagues began as early as 1898 only seven years after the invention of the game, but often professional barnstorming teams were more successful” (Nelson). This painful learning process leads to the successful industry we know today. Throughout these years, the organization has known different names, increased the number of teams and even changed the configuration of the leagues. Many of the names of the teams were different from what we know today, and of course some were more successful than others. This statement indicates: “The literature on the history of professional basketball is extremely sparse prior to the emergence of the NBA in 1950. What has been written acknowledges the superiority of the Celtics, but generally recycles the same stories regarding them” (Nelson). This lack of interest reflects the level of the organization during that time, which did not have much popularity. In addition, the differences between the old teams and the current ones are considerably remarkable in almost all aspects. They may even be confusing if we know that the current Celtics are in Boston while the old team was in New York. This significant detail may be hard to understand for those not aware of the NBA history. However, regardless of its location, the team seems to have always been successful. This assertion reveals: “Probably the most famous and, arguably, the most successful was the Original Celtics of New York, a team inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1959” (Nelson). Besides, professional basketball has not always been prominent; it was actually a game for the lower class, especially African Americans. These ethnic groups’ inability to afford college compels them to become professionals with the hope to earn money and improve their living conditions. According to this author: “College basketball was the game of the middle and upper classes, while professional basketball, only recently removed from the settlement houses of ethnic neighborhoods, was the game of the lower class and the "ethnic" middle class” (Nelson). This difference between college basketball and the NBA totally conflicts with what we know today because professional basketball has become more proficiently and successful. This recent success of the NBA comes with much popularity because many people embrace the sport and make it their own. This popularity explains why NBA has become part of American popular culture because numerous people buy expensive tickets to attend games or subscribe to cable TV to follow their favorite teams. This interest in the game has boosted the industry and made it very important in the American society. This critic reflects: “Millions of people throughout the United States and in many other countries now pack gymnasiums and huge arenas to watch basketball games, and millions more worldwide watch basketball games on television. Clearly, the game has come a long way from its early beginnings” (Staffo). This success makes basketball the most popular sport in the U.S., and this status brings more privileges. This critic comments on this progress: “By the early 1990s professional basketball and especially the NBA Playoff Series had become one of the nation's most popular television sports events. An average of almost 18 million TV sets were tuned to each of the six games of the NBA championship final series in 1993 between the Chicago Bulls and the Phoenix Suns” (Staffo). These numbers express the significance of basketball in American people’s lives and explain why the NBA reflects the popular culture. Moreover, the NBA represents a real financial asset for many businesses that make lot of money out of the industry. Because of the notoriety of the sport, companies find various ways to gain profit by putting forward images of star athletes through endorsements and other strategies. They usually sell products through the images of these athletes whose multiple fans rush to buy items in support of their idol. The acceptance and involvement of these consumers lead to the growth of businesses and more enthusiasm for the game. This critic argues: Basketball has also become a central element in other forms of popular culture—in films, television shows, advertising, youth fashion, and popular music. The NBA, Nike, and ESPN are the visible forms of economic forces that pushed basketball to the centre of national consciousness and made the game into an international icon for American youth and prosperity. The ‘character’ that basketball encourages is thus a major factor in the ‘character’ of American culture. (McMaughlin) The NBA’s ability to connect to other forms of popular culture already embraced by Americans makes it join the group and become part of the culture. This relationship and other companies’ effort to promote basketball make it easier for people to accept and embrace the sport as part of the popular culture. The positive image of basketball reflects American culture, which motivates people to buy the products and, thereby, make a financial contribution to the game. Besides, this financial opportunity is the result of a very efficient marketing strategy meant to boost the industry and gain a considerable profit. Even though many people like the game because of the athletes and their ability to express their skills and provide fun, the marketing aspect is also very important. Indeed, professionals work hard to project a positive image of the organization in an attempt to attract more consumers whose financial contribution leads to the growth of the industry. This assertion indicates: “Whereas NBA spokespersons claim that what keeps the NBA brand vibrant is the amazing athletic ability of the players who, for the most part, really are great guys, it is nonetheless true that the NBA is marketed and managed with a specific, if often tacit, goal of making Black men safe for (White) consumers in the interest of profit” (Hughes). This focus on marketing demonstrates the economic orientation of the NBA that targets consumers in order to make profit. Understanding how American popular culture works, these marketers put in practice techniques that promote basketball through the athletes and the different products. Moreover, the marketing programs mainly focus on the youth that idolizes the NBA athletes and their products. These young people identify themselves with the stars and yearn to become professionals. This connection explains why these youngsters and their parents embrace the NBA values and their products. These products are very diverse and consist of shoes, drink, jerseys or even food that attract these young people who strive to get them. This critic informs: “Basketball is now marketed as an aspect of youth culture, and the NBA along with the shoe companies and the soft drink companies and the fast-food companies have learned that what sells in youth culture is flamboyance, hyper masculinity” (McMaughlin). This target on the youth reflects NBA and its partners’ desire to make profit and the understanding that youngsters are more easily influenced and more importantly the future of the American popular culture. Therefore, these companies try to match the need of these young people in order to make them consumers of their products. These marketing strategies lead to the connection between businesses and popular culture because NBA reflects the American popular culture and represents a true financial asset. This critic exposes: “The NBA is but one prominent site for exploring the relation between corporate and popular culture, one in which a particular racial project combines with a constellation of corporate-managerial projects to articulate a new variation on the relationship between racialized representations and social structures” (Hughes). The author foregrounds the racial aspect of the NBA made of mainly African American players while the corporate members are mainly White. This intra-racial relationship itself is meant to express American culture but also boost the basketball industry. In addition, cable TV plays a key role in the marketing process because products are shown on television to provide more visibility. Even though many people buy tickets to attend the games, more people stay home and watch it on television. Therefore, companies take advantage of this opportunity to advertise their product in order to gain more consumers. These live broadcasts allow people to experience the fun of the game but also discover products likely to interest them. This assertion reveals: “Forty-five million people play basketball, making it the most popular team sport in the country. Millions more are avid fans who follow the game through media coverage which often focuses on its ethical dimension” (McMaughlin). These big figures demonstrate the importance of the sport, its popularity and the role it plays in people’s lives and culture. Indeed, television greatly contributes to the NBA visibility and to its relation with American popular culture. According to this observation: “In contemporary medias culture, sports is the major field of the spectacle” (Kellner 145). Thus, the media is part of the culture and sports constitute an important aspect of that culture; therefore, there is a strong connection between these elements because the news media provides the visibility. This critic reflects about this visibility: “Basketball now has tremendous visibility in corporate culture, both because of the corporate presence at NBA and big-time college games and because of the usefulness of basketball in advertising and marketing” (McMaughlin). The popularity of basketball and its significance in people’s lives demonstrate the interest corporate culture has for the sport and its contribution to American popular culture. In addition, NBA athletes participate considerably in the role basketball plays in American popular cultural. Many famous stars from Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabber, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan to Kobe Brian and LeBron James have used their names and skills to promote that culture. Many of them receive important endorsements that attract more consumers and spread the culture even further. This writer refers to Michael Jordan’s impact on the culture: “Michael Jordan represents a highly successful marketing phenomenon and calls attention to the construction of the media spectacle by corporations, public relations, and the techniques of advertising” (Kellner 147). These NBA stars sell their own images and the products they agree to promote; in so doing, they draw the attention of more consumers and, thereby, boost the industry. This growth explains NBA’s connection to the American popular culture. This assertion informs: “I know Miami Heat because of LeBron James. I heard his name in past years a lot. People compare him with Micheal Jordan as I searched on Internet but I think nobody can be Micheal Jordan” (Unsur). This statement indicates the influence of these NBA stars that draw the attention of many people and attract them to the game and its various assets. This example and many others demonstrate how the NBA reflects American popular culture. This growth of the NBA will increase in the future and make the organization even more prominent. The financial and marketing opportunities the NBA generates will boost the industry and take a more important part of the American popular culture. The NBA has come a long way from the origin of the organization when it met various hardships to its present status when it has become a very influential industry. However, this painful learning process resulted in the present association that has become a key component of the American society. Indeed, NBA has turned out to be the most popular sport in the U.S. in which star athletes and managers strive to convey a positive image of the game and those around it. This popularity draws the attention of various companies that implement efficient marketing strategies in order to attract consumers. Therefore, these businesses endorse the most successful athletes who help them promote their products and reach more consumers. Moreover, cable television plays an important role in the process because it provides visibility to both the athletes and the products. Thus, these marketing and financial opportunities generated through the NBA boost the industry and make it an important part of the American popular culture. This critic confirms: “The NBA stands as a disturbing and prominent example of management becoming consumable as popular culture” (Hughes). Considering the popularity, the financial and marketing opportunities, the NBA will grow further, become more successful, and play a more important role in American popular culture. Works Cited Hughes, Glyn. “Managing Black Guys: Representation, Corporate Culture, and the NBA.” Sociology of Sport Journal 21(2004): 163-84. Print. Kellner, Douglas. “Sports, Media Culture, and Race: Some Reflections on Michael Jordan.” McMaughlin, Thomas. “The Ethics of Basketball.” Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies 13.1 (1999): 13-30. Print. Nelson, Murry. “The Original Celtics and the 1926-27 American Basketball League." Journal Of Popular Culture 30.2 (1996): 87-100. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Apr. 2013. Staffo, Donald F. "The Development of Professional Basketball in the United States, with an Emphasis on the History of the NBA to its 50th Anniversary Season in 1996-97." Physical Educator 55.1 (1998): 9. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Apr. 2013. Unsur, Ramis. Personal Interview. 1 Apr. 2013. Read More