Rodney Jones' The End of Practice was a recalling of the hardship and bittersweet meaning of youth, competition, and struggle. This poem speaks of the strength of the male dream and it is written that "if I did not rise above the field, I would be eaten." This line stopped me in my reading-tracks. I asked myself what this could mean. Was it symbolic or literal? Was this piece written for a specific culture and race or was it a universal message? This poem continuously makes comparisons throughout. The author touches on many different aspects of this "male dream" and speaks through different sporting events, as well.
Klosterman's 33 suggests among other things that "for at least one decade, God was obsessed with pro basketball." This seemed silly to me at first, but the author goes on to describe how all things in life can essentially be explained by the pro basketball era of the 1980s. The relationship between races of the NBA, specifically among the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers served as a central theme throughout the essay. Klosterman, without hesitance, directly compares a 76ers vs. Raptors game to abortion and suicide; it is clear this man is passionate about this subject. Again, the author claims through quote that, "Life is rarely about what happened; it's mostly about what we think happened." Essentially, this essay claims that the Lakers and the Celtics represent everything in life because of the "psychological war between black and white."
It is my personal opinion that cultural influences have large impacts on our lives and who we become as individuals of this world. I also believe that culture serves the purpose of helping us identify ourselves, along with serving others a way to identify us. In the world of sports, teams, coaches, players, and even mascots can define a fan alone. With one glimpse of a person's favorite team jersey, judgement and ridicule are cast almost subconsciously and helplessly. The author of 33 clearly defines himself as a Celtics fan, to every extent of tits nature, yet identifies that the team and the sport symbolize far more than statistics and sweat. I believe that one can define themselves and others by classifications of race, social class, heritage, sport loyalty, experience, and religion. "Culture" boils down to how we define ourselves and each other, not which classifications fit under which titles. Personally, I accept my culture and the different cultures around me with which I define myself by and associate with.
In my life, the culture of basketball is one in and of itself and can not be defined by any person who has not played him/her self. It is throbbing passion that resonates in your veins even after being off the court for years. The memories of games, memorization of plays, and statistics are implanted in your mind forever. The basketball culture, much like team loyalty, national patriotism, and homeland honor, is invaluable and irreplaceable.
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