Basketball as the Most Popular Team Sports - Essay Example

A Discourse Community Analysis of a Basketball Team Introduction Basketball is probably the most popular team sports. It mainly involves a team of twelve players, a head coach, and an assistant coach. This team is situated within a basketball community, wherein a certain culture has already been formed. This is due to the written rules and regulations that players, coaches and fans have to know, the language and motions used by referees, and the speech patterns of the players, among other things. However, it can be said that each team, through the longevity of the members’ relationship, can also create their own culture via their use of specific language that is familiar only to them—much like friends do when they want to communicate information verbally that others will hear but will not understand. Thus, it can be said that a basketball team, although not too large a group, is a discourse community in that the members have developed a specific institutionalized way of thinking through the use of all forms of communication, be it through speech, actions or text. The very specific language used to communicate between players, between coaches and players, between the referees and players, between the referees and coaches, and between the players and fans contributes positively to the whole experience and excitement of the game. In fact, it is inevitable as is a game that has very specific rules. This perpetrates the creation of phrases, words, signals and actions that are exclusive to the game. Furthermore, because the game is fast-paced, effective communication is necessary in order to be able to play and win the game. It contributes to the enjoyment of fans, as they are able to follow and understand the game and experience a sense of belonging. This paper aims to argue the point that the establishment of a discourse community in basketball positively affects the perception, experience and enjoyment of the game and is inevitable through a discourse community analysis based on the observations of this author of several basketball games. Discourse Community Analysis Discourse is a concept that pertains to “all forms of communication,” which means that language as used here denotes spoken language, sign language, and even written language (El Hadi 1). However, because written language is not used much in basketball—unless printed commentaries are analyzed, which is not a part of the observable factors in the game—the word language when used generally here will mean words and actions. When discourse is combined with the word community, it now points to how language has been used by groups with the same social characteristics. This is a testament to the progressive notion that discourse functions within standards and practices that are defined by communities. Thus, it can be said that discourse communities, like the basketball community and other athletic communities, have a form of communication that is specific only to them in that people who do not know the game will not be able to understand what is happening or which team is winning or losing. Because the author of this paper has once been a basketball player and is a fan of the game, he was able to observe the discourse going on during the game while simultaneously understanding, and even enjoying, what is happening. And so, in this way, a discourse community analysis can be done more effectively. It is because of this that the argument was made that the specific language used by the basketball community is something that positively influences both the players and the audience. The succeeding sections will present analyses that support this premise through a critical look on the forms of language used—speech and actions—and the concepts of the power of language. Verbal Communication As the author of this paper watches a particular game, very specific verbal communication was observed. The informal language used signifies the specificity of its use and how it breeds familiarity within the players, coaches, referees, commentators and the audience. For instance the commentators would excitedly shout out “and a block! A huge block from [name of player] shut down [name of team]’s offense!” or “and [name of player] takes a basket from downtown!” These statements refer to a player successfully blocking the ball held by the opponent as the player is about to shoot and a player shooting from the three-point range, respectively. Another good example can be seen in how coaches shout out short phrases and words to players on the floor. “Run the play;” “sub, sub;” “screen;” and even the phrase that was used just now, “on the floor” are words and phrases that coaches use to communicate to the players. This shows how phrases and statements used in basketball are so specific that those who know the game, but are unfamiliar with the rules cannot understand what is happening. It can even be said that this generates a certain air of exclusivity in that there are outsiders as opposed to the insiders—those who understand and participate in the game. This concept of inclusion cannot be avoided as the creation of a discourse community is inevitable when it comes to basketball as the specificity of verbal communication in basketball is demanded by the fast-paced nature of the game. Because of this fast-paced nature of basketball, those who are involved need to minimize what they say so that they will be promptly and correctly understood. Thus, when the coach shouts “sub,” meaning substitute, the player understands that he needs to get out of the court because he is being substituted by another player. It was also observed that although basketball may not encourage the use of lengthy statements, it is still a vocal game wherein players and even the audience are not afraid to show their excitement, happiness and frustrations over what is happening inside the court. Members of a team show their exclusion of members from the opposing team when nicknames that seem normal, when in truth they are really offensive, are used to refer to an opponent. For instance, a player shouted “guard the post” and it was expected for him to guard the center (a position in basketball that usually denotes the tallest one who can block and dunk the most), but then the player went to another player who was tall and lean. It can then be said that the “post” means the one who looked like a post—tall and thin. This shows a funny side of team camaraderie wherein the close reationship of the members are seen as they use inside jokes. Nicknames are also used within the team to denote hierarchy such as, “cap,” a nickname sometimes used for the team captain. They do not really intend to exclude the audience—seen here as the ousiders—but instead, they are just protecting their play as it would not work if the opposing team has already read it. The crowd would cheer and chant words and phrases that they know the players, coaches and referees would understand. Examples are “boo,” “shoot,” “not counted,” “bad call,” and “foul!” Furthermore, they would sing and chant songs that are composed solely for a particular team. They cheers could also be used to taunt the opponent. This is how the audience communicates their displeasure, excitement and enjoyment over what is happening in the game. Although “boo” is something that is generally known, for an audience member to boo means that he understands what is happening in the court and that he or she is not happy about it. Others may understand what booing means, but they still would not know why the crowd is doing so. All of these examples contribute to the total experience of the game in that they add to the excitement of it all. These also symbolize how there is a sense of exclusivity to this particular discourse community and how it is inevitable given the very particular rules of the game. However, this sense of exclusion that others may feel are not negative as it only means that ousiders are not that interested in basketball so much so that they never bothered to learn the rules of the game. Hence, exclusion is not generally intended, unless the intention is for a team to exclude the opposing team from knowing about what their play is. Actions and Sign Language Because basketball is fast-paced and plays are dependent on it being exclusive to the team, sign language is used a lot. There are many basketball-specific hand gestures like a fisted hand raised by the referee means a foul; the referee’s hands slapping his hips indicate a body check foul; two open hands with palms down swinging over each other means the shot is not counted; players raising their hands with numbers between one to five and then pointing to a teammate signals a change in position. The audience will be able to understand this although teams oftentimes create variations in hand signals in order to be secretive about their plays. For instance, there was this funny thing that happened during one fo the games wherein one of the top players of the winning team was holding his shirt within the upper chest area. While doing this, he pointed to the bench signalling the coach, asking the coach if he can change the play—the specific play’s code is the shirt. But one of the girls in the audience, who must be a die hard fan of this player thought she was the one that the player was pointing at. She was so excited that she thought it meant for her to take her shirt off so that she can inspire him. She started raising her shirt until her stomach was showing. It was a good thing that her friend caight her before she took her shirt off or she would have been in big trouble. This shows how basketball uses specific non-verbal communication that even basketball fans cannot understand them sometimes. Basketball is also a very physical game and there are a lot of pushing and shoving to establish supremacy. It involves a lot of action and physical shows of frustration and even friendship and support. Players also use actions as forms of affection like slapping each other’s buttocks says “good job” or “it’s ok” whenever one commits a mistake. They also do this with players from another team as a form of apology when a foul is committed as if saying “nothing personal, we’re still friends after this.” The latter is a manifestation that the basketball community is still tightly knit amidst rivalry and antagonism. Hence, it can be said that although exclusion is a result of the eclusive discourse community of basketball, it is a part of the game and it is something that is necessary for the game to be enjoyed and experienced to the fullest. Conclusion The power of language can be seen here as both verbal and non-verbal forms of language are used in order to be able to effectively communicate. This then perpetrates the creation of a discourse community. Yes, it also breeds exclusion; however, it is inevitable when people with the same interests get together to form a community, especially when it comes to basketball, which has very specific rules and regulations. A discourse community is then inevitably formed; although, exclusion is generally not intended, except when it is used as a strategy during plays. More importantly, the specific language used within the basketball community only serves to enhance the total experience of the game. Outsiders or those who do not have an interest in the sport will certainly feel left out. It can be said, however, that this should not bother them that much because they are the ones who chose not to understand the game. They are excluded because they want to be as even those who cannot play can be considered a part of the group—the audience and fans. Hence, the specific discourse within the basketball community is something that contributes positively to the game and those involved. Imagine basketball without the noise of the crowd cheering, the shouts of the players, coaches and referees and the voice of the commentator. Will it still feel the same? Will the excitement still be there? Probably not. This is the power and importance of language as it has the capacity to create and influence a specific way of life. Read More