Basketball and Philosophy: Thinking Outside the Paint

Tip-Off: Hoops, Pop Culture, and Philosophy

TIP-OFF BASKETBALL HAS PLAYED a long and storied role in American popular culture, and every year it seems to get bigger. Now the most popular team sport in the United States, hoops is high energy, constant motion, spectacular athletic plays, graceful choreography, clutch shots, and dramatic comebacks. Basketball is the big screen and rock and roll rolled into one. The high-energy, high-drama nature of the game no doubt partly explains why basketball has become so intertwined with popular culture. Past and present NBA stars such as Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, and Yao Ming are instantly recognizable pop icons the world over. Celebrities such as Jack Nicholson, Woody Allen, Spike Lee, Ashley Judd, Bob Seger, and Kid Rock are regular courtside attractions at NBA and college games. A number of rap and R & B artists, such as Nelly, Jay-Z, and Usher, are part-owners of NBA teams.1 Popular films such as Hoosiers, Glory Road, Hoop Dreams, Blue Chips, and White Men Can’t Jump offer revealing perspectives on hoops and American culture. And each spring millions of college hoops fans (and office-pool participants) are seized by “March Madness” as colleges from around the country battle their way through a grueling sixty-five-team, single-elimination tournament for the glory of being crowned national champions. The connections between basketball and philosophy may be less obvious but are nonetheless fascinating and significant. How do you measure true greatness in a basketball player or coach? What can basketball teach us about character and success? Can studying Eastern mystical traditions such as Zen Buddhism and Taoism improve your jump shot? Is Hoops, Pop Culture, and Philosophy 2 Basketball and Philosophy intentional fouling unethical, and if so, when? How should you deal with strategic cheaters in pickup basketball? Is women’s basketball, with its emphasis on fundamentals and team-centered play, “better” basketball than the more individualistic, physical, and showboating style often favored in the NBA? If a ref makes a bad call and mistakenly disallows a team’s winning basket, did that team in fact win the game—or can you win a game only if the refs say that you won the game? With constantly changing rosters, what does it mean for a player to play for the “same team”? Is the phenomenon of having a “hot hand” in basketball an illusion , as several prominent scientists and philosophers of sport have argued ? What makes basketball such a beautiful game to watch? What can the film Hoosiers teach us about the meaning of life? All of these philosophical conundrums, and more, are explored in this volume. As Dickie V. notes in his foreword, the inventor of basketball, Dr. James Naismith, was himself a philosophy major as an undergraduate and was also actively involved in debate through a campus literary society . Although basketball is sometimes regarded as less cerebral than sports such as baseball and golf, this philosophical pedigree perhaps gives hoops the rightful claim to being “the thinking person’s game.” Be that as it may, there is no doubt that exploring the philosophical dimensions of the game can make you a more insightful and appreciative fan, a more effective coach, and a better player—not to mention help you win arguments with fellow fans! In fact, as both professional philosophers and avid hoops fans, we’ve found that the quality of argumentation among serious basketball fans is often quite high, and that these arguments frequently take on a distinctively philosophical shape. Assumptions are spelled out, terms are clearly defined—both hallmarks of philosophical debate—and theses are clearly defended. A good example is a recent article by ESPN Magazine columnist Ric Bucher on the issue of who should be MVP in the NBA in the 2005–2006 season.2 As Bucher notes, this question is hard to answer with any sort of definitive clarity because “MVP” can be taken in several ways. He mentions several possibilities: MEP—Most Excellent Player MVPOAWT—Most Valuable Player on a Winning Team MSIPOATTWBTE—Most Statistically Impressive Player on a Team That Was Better Than Expected 3 Tip-off MVPOTBT—Most Valuable Player on the Best Team MDPDTSOATTFS—Most Dominant Player Down the Stretch on a Team That Finishes Strong MIP—Most Indispensable Player While Bucher professes to be tiring of this debate, his terminological precision is admirable. His distinctions remind us of the kinds...