Sreece22's Blog

          Through my research project, I hope to accomplish a couple of things. First, I want to show non-athletic, non-basketball minded people that there is something deeper in the sport of basketball other than just having the talent to play. The largest misconception with basketball players is that they are not smart people who get by on their talents alone. I want to disprove this and show that the mind of a basketball player must be very sharp in order to keep up with the fast pace reading that occurs in the game. I say reading because basketball players must read so many different things at one time—the opponents, their teammates, coach, court, scoreboard, referee. By observing the players of the Commerce men’s basketball team I hope to find the main importance of reading in this sport and be able to express it in an understandable manner. As of now I think I know what the importance is but by observing I look for a greater knowledge and way to express it other than saying, “Reading is important in the sport of basketball” because little beyond that do I know how to tell someone the importance. After finding this comprehensible way of expressing this importance of reading, I hope to allow the coaches and players to see a new way of looking at the game of basketball and maybe helping some of them reach the next level in the game.

            The main reason I chose this research project was because when we began writing about our own literacy history I realized that the sport of basketball was rich in the reading aspect of literacy. I come from a family that is very athletic. I’ve been playing or watching multiple sporting events since I can remember, especially the sport of basketball. When I try and think about reading in basketball the main question that I come up with is, “What are the main objects that players read and how?” because this is the base and without it there is nothing to observe and research. And then when I begin to analyze each of the objects and their functions in the game I come up with the question, “How is reading vital to the game?”

            With my research being on how the basketball players read in the game of basketball, most of my research will be held in the gym during games and practices. I will observe the players as the play to see how they read and what they read. Then I want to interview the players to see if they realize what they are doing and whether or not they believe it is a good knowledge to have while playing the sport. For the benefit of my research audience, I will take pictures and video of practices, games, and interviews so that the audience can see exactly what the player is reading. I believe that it will make the research easier to understand because it is about a basketball player reading what he sees, so if the audience can see what he sees, they will be able to follow the research much easier than by reading about it. I choose to interview the players because personally I don’t know them and for me to be able to read how they read and why they do what they do, I will need a better understanding of them. I’ve already contacted the head basketball coach and told him of my research through email and he said that I was welcomed at practice anytime. However, I would like Andrew and I to sit down with him and discuss exactly what our project will involve and have him sign our permission slip that grants us access to take photos, video, conduct interviews, analyze practices and games and finally asking the players. I believe that since normally what the coach says goes for the entire team, I will only have players sign the permission slip if I actually interview them. I say this because most likely the entire team will know what I’m doing due to the coach telling them or by Andrew telling them when they begin to wonder why I’m at practice. Nonetheless, I will ask the coach if he would like us to get signed permission slips from each of the players individually and if so then I will do that. I don’t believe that I will have a problem with my research not treating the players, coaches, and game with the utmost respect because Andrew and myself hold them in the highest regard. Plus with Andrew being on the team, these players are his friends and the coaches are his mentors, so therefore I know that he has respect for them.

            A big reason for wanting to do this research project besides it being about something that I love and find interesting, is the fact that it is totally different. When you hear people talking about literacy, it’s about literacy as an act such as writing, music, or the reading of books. Not yet have I seen someone discuss in depth literacy pertaining to a sport. This project will hopefully open new doors to the literacy of reading some unusual but important things. Because in this sport, as well as others, I’m sure a player must be able to read certain things whether or not he knows it can be the key to making a good athlete great. With any luck, people will be able to use this study of the Commerce men’s basketball team and learn something important.  Hopefully in five or ten years someone will be discussing the literacy as it relates to Commerce sports.

A Glance, A Conversation… No words

            Literacy has changed over time according to Lauren Resnick’s article “Literacy In Schools and Out” and while she is right, she hasn’t yet seen the bigger picture. She says that “literacy is practiced in any situation in which people engage with written texts”; however, I believe that “literacy is practiced in any situation in which people engage with [reading]” because when “people engage with texts” they are reading and yet people can read something that has no words. Resnick’s idea that literacy is changing over time is becoming even more true now that people can begin to see the different types of literacy other than just textural literacy. It has already started in Eric Pleasant’s essay from the mid-eighties and now I’m beginning to see the diverse types of literacy as I delve deep into the game of basketball. Similar to a story, basketball is structurally formed and has its heart and its story.

             A story in a book is the telling of someone or something’s life. It’s about the actions and moves they make. The events are put into words and then read by the reader. Every word comes from an action that a character in a book makes. Sometimes books include pictures. These pictures are not put into the book as extra, but to tell part of the story. The saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” is an understatement. Some people can look at a picture and know exactly what is going through the mind/minds of the person/people in the image. The picture can be looked at for hours until every ounce of information is read. But to be in the photo and be part of the action causes the person or people to read at an extreme pace. Having the ability of reading actions, people, or situations quickly is essential in the game of basketball. As a player runs down the court guarding his opponent he must read his opponent’s every move… the way his hips are moving (in case he is going to pivot in the opposite direction), the way his eyes are scanning the other players (in case he is going to pass), the way he is dribbling (in case he is going to give the opportunity to steal the ball). Then on top of that the player must read the court because he must notice that his opponent is leading him towards the sideline, reading all of this in a matter of seconds, in a matter of frames capture by a camera. I’m sure that Resnick never thought of reading a person or situation in the same light as reading a written text, but to me they are alike and yet different. Personally, I believe reading in real life takes much more skill than reading words on a page.

In a book, in a story, there is what they call a main character and this main character is the center of the reader’s attention because he is the most important. Still, there are the minor characters that are just as important, if not more important than the main character. The minor characters help develop the story around the main character. They are his support and sometimes in the middle of a story the main character can change. Just as it is in a story, it is the same in basketball. There is a main character on the court. This character can be the best player or it can just be the player with the ball or guarding the ball depending on which team you’re with. Whether having a bad game or with a pass of the ball, the main character can change. The importance may not lie with the man with the gun in his hand or the player dribbling the ball about to pass, but with the man on his knees begging for life or the player running down court about to get the pass before the last buzzer sounds. The important character in a book can change with a drop of a hat and sometimes there isn’t just one important character, there are many. This is where basketball becomes the most similar. Every player on the court is imperative; all can have a game changing effect on a game. At any moment one player can make a move. The player with the ball can shoot. His defender can block it or the player could pass to his teammate allowing him to shoot or “drive it to the hole” that is if the defender in the paint or behind his teammate doesn’t deflect the pass. But don’t forget there are five other players on the floor and many other possible outcomes for this possession. Given this, the game of basketball is always at its climax. The crowd, the players, the coach, the referees never know what to expect. 

History can lie deep within two people, or two teams and that history can be read in one glance. Glances can tell you everything about a relationship between two people. The way a basketball player looks up to his coach, the way he looks at his opponent before a game, or the way he looks at a ball. Players and coaches form a bond with each other over the years of working together that is like no other. They hold conversations with each other without ever saying a word… a conversation of disappointment, of approval, of anger, of joy. These conversations are being read without words or texts. Before reading Eric Pleasant’s essay over his literacy in punk music I had never thought about reading people in the same way as reading a book, and even now I still don’t see them in the same light; however, I do compare the two. Both are reading just in two totally different ways and contexts. In reading people (in a basketball game for instance), you must be “quick on your feet” as they say. There are no “re-dos”. You can’t go back and re-read a person’s actions like you can a paragraph in a book. It takes skill, and the talented people who are able to bring this ability are so much more valuable to the game than the players with just talent. During a game, a player that is able to read his opponent and react to that reading is the one who is going to win the game, not the one who is able to shoot a three-pointer and then not able to steal the ball or play effective defense or offense. Opponents are a player’s enemy once the whistle blows. The stares between the two teams can be deadly but they are there because of the history between the two. They are called rivals. They are the ones who you get the most pumped up to play, the game that has the best turnout, the same game that you schedule every year. The stares between two players from rival schools can tell you an entire history between two schools. The look from the player that won the year before has a bit of a smirk on his face and the player from the losing team has a little more hatred in his eyes for the other team. It’s the same every year—the looks that is. The players may be different but the stares still tell the same history. Something that has never changed in the game of basketball is the ball. The hoop, backboard, court regulation sizes, number of players has all changed over the years but not the ball. The ball is the center; without it there would be no game. An old basketball is a prized possession of a player. It can hold the fondest of memories inside. It can tell a story itself—the scuffs from the old concrete court and the texture from the years of handling. In every aspect of the game of basketball lies a story within.

                Though times have changed, people having to reading things has not. Whether it is a story from a book or picture or a real life situation, people are constantly reading and looking for the deeper meanings of things. Even though Resnick’s idea of reading literacy was limited to that of texts, so too was the writing utensil limited to a feather and ink at one point. Everything can grow and change and develop into bigger and better concepts. I’m sure our forefathers never thought we would be sending mail by some other form than messenger, but now we send it through email, Facebook, or Myspace. Our ways have changed just as our types of literacy that can be read are changing. People can now look at basketball as a form of literacy that can be read and hopefully see the deeper meanings in the game.

My Realms of Literacy

Throughout my life I have had sponsors in many areas. But the ones that stand out as the most essential in the building of me as a person aren’t my literacy skills in the typical realms of literacy. I’m not an English person—never have been, never will be—so when thinking of literacy sponsors that most stand out in my memory I don’t think of sponsors of reading and writing. Truthfully, I don’t remember them. So telling you some story about how some teacher inspired me to read and write would be a lie because I hate doing both. But I do love basketball and math, and I can say that I’ve had some incredibly great sponsors in these areas.

                                When I think about sponsors, I think about someone who has helped me become great. One thing I can say that I was once great at was basketball. I have played basketball since before I can remember. My parents were my coaches; they taught me everything and anything I needed to know about the game. I can tell you anything about the court, the game, or the rules that you want to know. My parents helped me achieve the best literacy knowledge of basketball possible. I learned the basics of basketball such as dribbling, shooting, rebounding, etc; I learned the rules; I learned how many steps backwards it was from the three point line to out of bounds. All of these and so much more is so essential to the game of basketball. My parents had “[helped] to organize and administer [an]… opportunity… for [a] competitive advantage” (27) by getting my friends and I into a league we typically weren’t old enough, but because of this we were able to advance our basketball literacy at a young age. Coming into junior high, it was the first time that my parents weren’t my coach, but this new coach was one of the greatest sponsors I will ever have. Even though I thought I knew everything there was to know about the game, I didn’t know how to best use my knowledge. This coach taught me the mental game of basketball. She taught me to believe in myself and to believe in my teammates. The same four other girls and I were the starting five from 4^th grade until sophomore year. We were bonded to each other. We were literate in each other’s abilities, in the way each other thought, in the sound that the other’s shoes made coming up behind us. We were almost able to play the game blindfold that is how well we knew each other.  There wasn’t a single thing about any of us that the other didn’t know. It was like we were one person. That was the way our coach wanted it. She believed that the better we knew each other, the better we would know ourselves, the better we would know the game.

                I had never thought of it before, but this is a type of literacy. Each of us were able to read what the other person was going to do just by a simple glance or glimmer in her eye, just by the way she bounced the ball; just by the way she was guarding her opponent.  All of this is reading.  Our coach had taught us how to read something much harder than just writing on a page. She had taught us how to read a person or an action. This reading of each other was a way of communicating, a way of bettering our literacy skills. Similar to the students in James Gee’s paper, all of us came from different backgrounds and our literacy skills were very different.  Some of us were smart, some of us came from difficult situations, but somehow when it came to basketball, our literacy abilities were in sync. We used the differences in each other and used it as a strength.  One of us might be able to read one of the opponents better than the rest of us; therefore, she would guard that player. Our differences were our strengths.

As high school came, we all eventually went different ways. One moved, one quit, two moved up to varsity, and I was left on a team of players that I couldn’t read. A team of players I didn’t know. I now had a new coach and being the only one left of the group I felt as if I was back at square one. This coach didn’t care if we could read one another he just wanted us to play. But I couldn’t play if I couldn’t read my teammates, and I couldn’t read my teammates if I didn’t know them. Eventually I quit playing because you don’t keeping reading a book if you can’t read and you don’t keep playing a sport if you can’t play. Most people would say that I shouldn’t have given up, but I had lost my sponsor… my sponsors… because truthfully my teammates were my sponsors. When learned from each other and supported one another. Since I had lost them and hadn’t gained anyone else in return I wasn’t able to continue. I was looking for something new to “read”.

                When Deborah Brandt says “literacy is in pursuit of you”, I know what she means. Coming from a family that loved basketball it was in my genes to play basketball that is why I went to summer camps and played in leagues since I was eight. “Literacy [has been] in pursuit of [me]” from the beginning, I wasn’t even one when I received my first basketball goal and ball. Then when basketball was no longer my literacy passion a new sponsor came into my life. A sponsor that would not only teach me, but show me what I wanted to do in life.

                This sponsor was my math teacher. I had been on the calculator team for two years at this point, but I had never really seen my potential at it. For the past two years my teacher had been pushing me to be the best, but now I realized that it was only to help me become more math literate. She saw something in me. So she pushed me and helped me learn and identify with math as a whole and as individual concepts. I say identify with because she helped me understand where math and its formulas came from. I was able to read a formula and understand directly where every aspect of the formula came from because of her. Sometimes I even put myself in the place of the numbers in problems so that I can better understand the question. She made me realize that learning math wasn’t just learning anymore but it was enjoying it.  I was actually enjoying learning new formulas to go along with the hundreds of other ones that I already knew. Being literate in math has been the best thing that has ever happen to me because it has opened my eyes to a subject that I’m passionate about—more passionate than I’ve ever been about anything else. Being a good student I had always been good at math just like any other subject in school, but I had always looked at it as a school subject. Now that my sponsor had showed me the passion behind math I realized that I no longer want to look at it as just another subject. To the best of her ability she enhanced my math literacy. Now in college I’m looking to further my math literacy.

                Literacy has never been an issue I have thought about. I never thought of how people in my life had influenced me to better myself be it rather through basketball or math. I now can see how reading my teammates is a type of literacy and how fully understanding the depth of math is a type of literacy. All these years of learning these different types of literacy not knowing that I was learning a part of English, a subject I don’t even like. Now realizing that I actually like literacy when it has to do with aspects in my life that I’m passionate about I begin to appreciate some of the fundamentals of English. With literacy finding me in the times in life when I needed it I wonder if it is going to find me again now that I’m on a new journey in life. Will there be new sponsors on my path to bettering my literacy? If so will they be just as inspiring as my sponsor from high school?