The NBA Playoffs is one of the favorite sporting events in the US. The NBA Playoffs pits the seven best basketball teams in America against each other in a title run. The viewer rating for the NBA Playoffs shows that this event is one of the biggest sports and entertainment events in the US.
This makes the NBA Playoffs an ideal environment for a cultural study of American values. This paper analyzes the NBA Playoffs from a cultural perspective, with the intention of uncovering the social values of the American people. The game in question was the match pitting Miami Heat against Indiana Pacers.
The most interesting findings from watching the game were as follows. First, the basketball pitch had very few advertisements compared to other sport events such as soccer. This was rather surprising owing to the popularity of the NBA Playoffs. Secondly, the commentators used flattering language, and showered praise on the players.
Thirdly, the NBA fans were indefatigable. They kept cheering on the players despite the unusually high number of scores made by the players. Finally, it was very clear that the players in the NBA teams are superstars. Their fans idolize them.
A critical viewer can learn a lot about the American culture by watching the NBA Playoffs. The games communicate several things about the social realities of the US. The three main social realities that the NBA Playoff pitting Miami Heat against Indiana Pacers are as follows.
First, the commentators said very flattering things about the players. They complimented the players liberally each time they made a successful attempt to score. Some of the statements picked out from the commentary were, “pretty move from Lewis”, “James the floater”, and “nice adjustment, that’s a beautiful move”. These comments reveal one of the social traits of Americans. Americans tend to be liberal with praise. They compliment people whenever they see something well done.
Secondly, it is important to note that the pitch had very few adverts compared to other popular sports. However, there were still signs that the commercial elements of the sport are important to the organizers. An LCD screen on one flank of the basketball court had commercial adverts on display. One of the adverts was about the NBA Store. This is where NBA fans can buy merchandise branded and sold by the NBA. During the breaks, commercials ran on TV. The commercialization of sports and entertainment is a social reality in America.
The third aspect of American social reality that one can glean from watching the NBA Playoffs is America’s obsession with success and its inclination to reward success. The NBA players are celebrities in their own right.
This came out clearly from listening to the commentary and from the treatment that the fans gave the players. Each time the players scored, the fans stood up and cheered. A typical game in the NBA Playoffs can have as many as two hundred points earned by both teams. The fans never get tired of standing to applaud their team each time they earn a point.
Finally, America embraces competitiveness as part of its national values. Being number one in the NBA Playoffs is an important achievement for each team that plays in the NBA. There is a lot of evidence from many sectors that Americans are competitive people, and that they strive to win in all endeavors. America takes pride in its unofficial title as the leader of the free world. This national value comes out very clearly in the NBA Playoffs.
The ideological perspectives that surround the NBA Playoffs include the race and gender ideologies. It is interesting to note that most of the players in the game reviewed in this paper were black. While this was not mentioned anywhere by the commentators, it is a glaring reality of the NBA as a whole. An observer must question this reality in the context of the freedoms of the American society. Are there societal values and attitudes that propagate an NBA made up of majority blacks?
Is there a systematic social process that promotes black talent and discourages white talent from the NBA? This question of race in sports is important because in other sports as ice hockey, the majority of the players are white. Does the US inadvertently condone social segregation in sports? These issues reflect certain realities in the American society that may require decades to resolve.
On the issue of gender, the WNBA playoffs are not as popular as the NBA playoffs. The male version of the sport attracts a larger following and attracts more money for the stakeholders. While women have made great strides in the sports arena, the society still gives more opportunities to men to excel.
In the case of the NBA playoffs, male players receive better pay because of the willingness of sponsors to pay more to advertise in the NBA Playoffs. The gender divide in sports is still part of American society. The society has not yet given women an equal standing with men in the sports arena.