Basketball Psychological and Sociological Aspects of Basketball

Basketball

Psychological and Sociological Aspects of Basketball

Basketball is not only a sport but a massive cultural institution, both in the United States and abroad. Over the past three decades, the sport has grown exponentially in global popularity, and the representation of basketball players as changed as well. As with any cultural institution of similar influence, it is clear that there are many psychological and sociological effects. Not only is basketball a sport that requires specific psychological traits in order to succeed, but the way in which people perceive the sport and play it is tied to the representations of athletes from the National Basketball Association. This paper examines the psychological traits that are necessary in order to succeed in basketball, and then offers a more specific account of the way in which professional basketball can impact the way people think of basketball as a sport and how they play it.

For years, the field of sports psychology has attempted to arrive at an understanding of exactly what produces optimal in-game performance. A glance at the National Basketball Association reveals that there are a number of different personality types throughout the league. For example, LeBron James has a far more outspoken and, perhaps, arrogant personality than a more soft-spoken player such as Kevin Durant. However, the question arises whether players with different personalities exhibit similar mindsets while on the basketball court. Current and recent research has shown that there are in fact specific qualities that lead to superior success on the basketball court. Specifically, it has been shown that pre-performance routines are integral for success (Lonsdale, Tan, 2006). Pre-performance routines include the rituals that players do between plays, and they can be specific to the individual or include members of the team. Free throw routines are one of the best examples of pre-performance routines, and they usually involve both specific rituals performed by the individual, as well as broader rituals conducted by all of the players on the court who belong to a particular team. For example, the player might spin the basketball or close his eyes before he shoots the ball; this routine is important because it keeps him focused and helps him block out the distractions from the score or crowd. In addition to the player's specific ritual between free throws, it is common for the team to have a collective ritual, such as patting the free throw shooter on the back. It is also important that this ritual is conducted even when the player misses a free throw, as it shows an even-keeled mindset that can withstand momentary disappointment. For these reasons, successful pre-performance routines are one of the most integral components of success in basketball.

Another psychological aspect of basketball involves perfectionism. It would perhaps be logical to assume that all basketball players are perfectionists, because they have achieved such a great deal of success. However, it could also be argued that perfectionism is harmful because it leads to internal pressure to succeed that could make the athlete tense up and actually perform worse. The issue is therefore a sensitive and divisive one. The research has shown that perfectionism generally has two different effects; the first involves striving for perfection, while the other consists of negatively reacting to imperfection (Stoll, Lau, Stoeber, 2008). These are both related to perfectionism because they each see perfection as the ultimate goal, such that they are highly goal-oriented. At the same time, they are different because they involve contrasting viewpoints with regard to how to deal with and process failure. Those who strive for perfection realize that perfection is a goal and accept that there may be moments of imperfection that come up along the way. Meanwhile, those who negatively react to imperfection allow their disappointment to get in the way of their goal and can often get sidetracked by their negative energy. Perhaps surprisingly, it has been shown that both striving for performance and reacting with disappointment toward imperfection both result in higher levels of performance than when athletes do not exhibit perfectionist tendencies (Stoll, Lau, Stauber, 2008). Although those who exhibit negative energy after an instance of imperfection may see a momentary drop in level of performance, their intolerance for imperfection typically propels them to even greater levels of performance over the extended future (Stoll, Lau, Stauber, 2008).

The psychology of basketball is also crucially impacted by sociological factors, including the impact of the National Basketball Association as a cultural institution. The sport does not exist in a vacuum but is instead a multifaceted system that encompasses the games that take place within the league, the marketing of the professional basketball players by different companies, and the marketing of the players by the players themselves.

The success of professional basketball players from poor families, such as Michael Jordan and Isaiah Thomas, has led to the creation of a myth whereby basketball can take black youths from the urban ghetto to the public spotlight (Dubrow, adams, 2010). The National Basketball Association, for example, promoted Michael Jordan as a prime example of the way in which professional sports represented an example of the American Dream, and this has inspired many children to participate in basketball (Dubrow, adams, 2010). Therefore, it is a popular belief that succeeding in basketball does not necessarily involve having large amounts of money, and this is not entirely true. In fact, it has been shown that the majority of those who succeed and make it to the National Basketball Association actually come from affluent families, who have the resources to pay for the highest quality equipment, instruction, etc. (Dubrow, adams, 2010). One area for further research is whether achieving success is due more to the strength of one's competition or to the level of coaching that one receives, although both are likely to be higher in areas that are more affluent.