Characteristics of Basketball Team - Assignment Example

Basketball Team Language and Words Very informal language Slangs are used often like “shooting from downtown,” “throwing a brick,” and “wow you shut them down!” usually this happens before and after the game. Language is minimal because you have to communicate fast and be understood so that the play can go as planned. There are a lot of nicknames, mostly taken from famous NBA players. For example, one player is called Shaq because he’s big and slow. These nicknames also show how included you are in the team. Offensive nicknames are used for members of the opposing team, which mostly don’t sound offensive—inside jokes at work. “Hey” is used a lot, as well as “man” or a combination of the two: “Hey man.” This is usually used within the team. There are a lot of expletives going around, especially when an easy shot is not made, a hard foul is committed, and even when good things happen like when a difficult shot is made. Referees get the worst from the audience, the coaches and even some players whenever a really bad call is made. Incoherent shouts are made from those who are watching. Many shout “boos” and just scream and shriek whenever a player commits a mistake or makes a great move. Jeers can also be heard. Some conclusions: Basketball is a vocal game wherein players and even the audience are not afraid to show their excitement, happiness and frustrations over what is happening on the court. It involves a lot of words and phrases that may not be understandable to those who do not know the game. It can be said that it has a language of its own in that players and “fans” of the game understand each other even when it seems that the words do not make sense. Nicknames are very much a part of it and it determines inclusion and exclusion. Gestures and Actions There are many common gestures that can be seen throughout the basketball game that can also be seen in other games and sports, which includes the “T” sign using two hands that signals a time out; placing the hand that looks like it’s holding a glass of water on the mouth that says the player is thirsty and would like a drink; etc. 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 (1=pointguard; 2=shooting guard; 3=small forward; 4=power forward; and 5=center); etc. There are a lot of aggressive action going on like pushing and showing. Players slap each other’s buttocks, which 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…” A lot of touching of hands and high fives for whenever a player does something good or whenever there’s a substitution. Body language shows players’ attitudes—if they think they’re one of the best players or if they think they’re just part of the bench. Players bow their heads when their coaches talk. This seems like them bowing down to a higher authority although I also noticed that maybe it’s because the players are taller than their coaches. Watching just one team, you can see who’s at the top of the hierarchy, with the coaches calling the shots and the players intently listening while the coach is setting the play, with the assistant coaches listening on outside the circle or just hanging around and with the star player being closest to the coach during the huddle, and even with the scurrying of the water boys and ball boys whenever players and coaches signal for water… Some conclusions: There are a lot of basketball-specific gestures and actions, especially between the players and coaches and the referees. Basketball is a very physical game and so it involves a lot of action and physical shows of frustration and even friendship and support. Gestures also show how the team is closely bonded in that even whit’en mistakes are made, players would show their support. Because it’s hard to verbally communicate during a game, watching the signals and activities of the people/team shows you the hierarchy. Of course, the uniforms also help. The audience Very rowdy and noisy. Cheers and boos incessantly throughout the game. Knows how the players, coaches and referees communicate Some conclusions: The outside community here is the audience, who is also very much a part of the game. They can easily affect the players with their shouts and the referees get the worst of it after bad calls. But they are still excluded in a way because they are not part of the team and it seems that they’re happy just watching and not being there to celebrate whenever their team wins. Although because some of the audience are families and friends of the players, you can see how they talk amongst themselves with an air of superiority like they know more than what the others know just by watching. Purpose of Verbal and Body Language To communicate fast and be understood immediately The game is fast-paced and time outs are just short (30 seconds and 1 minute) so coaches have to use direct and short phrases so that the players can get the play right. Confirmations of actions, for example, whenever a player is signaling that he’s already in position or when a player is asking for the ball, usually involve a raising of one hand and a quick shout to get the player’s attention. To establish and maintain friendships. Players say sorry whenever they commit a hard foul. They usually do this through and while patting each other’s back, slapping the buttocks, or helping the one that they foul up on their feet. Some general conclusions Players laugh between themselves during the game and in between time outs. Here’s when you can see who are close and who are not so close. Cliques are formed between players of the same team and sometimes even players from different teams. This can be seen during and usually after the game when the players who lost/won would look like they’re exchanging jokes from a player from another team—even patting their heads as if saying better luck next time. You can even see some signal that they’d meet after the game. Basketball is generally a noisy game. Players are noisy as they laugh out loud or joke among themselves befre and after the game—sometimes even during the game. You can really see who’s not “in” as they’re the ones who are quiet and sit by themselves. Basketball really is about bonding, making every member of the team feel included so that they can play well together. But exclusion cannot be avoided sometimes and there will always be players who keep to themselves or who are not as close to the team—usually they’re one of the bench players. Read More