alamo50
02-27-2005, 04:49 AM
By M. Solis
Link (http://www.sacurrent.com/site/news.cfm?brd=2318&nav_sec=73325&nr=1&nostat=1)
Rhythms of the game
This year's NBA All-Star weekend yielded an array of memorable images. There was fresh-faced Slovenian Beno Udrih sharing the floor with Bron-Bron, Melo, and Dwyane Wade during the Rookie Challenge on Friday, February 18.
The following night, Josh Smith honored the Human Highlight Film, Dominique Wilkins, and the old school by winning the dunk contest in classic fashion. On Sunday, you had Manu Ginobili driving against the East, and Tim Duncan, well, dunking on the East and even stepping back for a three-pointer in what -- under different circumstances -- could have been another MVP performance.
Then there was Big & Rich, the country & western duo that kidnapped the halftime show with livestock, confederate attire, a little person, and a rapping cowboy named Troy.
On Tuesday, February 22, USC professor Dr. Todd Boyd, author of Young, Black, Rich, and Famous: The Rise of the NBA, The Hip Hop Invasion and the Transformation of American Culture, sounded off with H&F on that bizarre halftime spectacle.
"That was wack," Boyd said. "The league certainly has this image of being hip-hop and a lot of people still don't like hip-hop. So I think the choice of the halftime music was probably a marketing ploy to reach out to constituencies that might not be hip-hop, but at the same time try and maintain some connection, because you had that terrible rapping cowboy, whatever his name was."
Bill Briggs, a Denver Post writer who attended the game, supported Boyd's assertions. "Apparently, it's more NBA-driven in that they felt like Denver was a country-music town, so that's why they chose LeAnn Rimes and Big & Rich. I could hear a lot of grumbling from the people. I think most of the fans were reveling in the fact that this was a hip-hop weekend. This was what they want and this is why they love the NBA so that felt a little forced to me and to a lot of people in the arena.
"The weekend in Denver was more about Denver residents and Colorado residents searching out these rappers and just trying to get near them and talk to them then it was about basketball, which was really secondary."
Much like the recent drama over Cuttino Mobley wearing a skullcap in Sacramento and violating the league's no-hat policy, the halftime show in Denver illustrates the NBA's attempt to distance itself from hip-hop while at the same time using it to reach its core audience. "I talked to Stern about this and some other people from the league and those guys embrace hip-hop and rap music completely," Briggs said. "The only line they draw is with arena music. They just ask that the edited versions of the songs be played but that's it. They know they've got a good thing. I sort of have this vision of Stern driving around, listening to Jay-Z in his big ride or whatever it is because I really think he likes this stuff. I think he identifies and he's bought into it completely."
The arena music at the SBC Center often consists of acts such as Snoop Dogg, Lil' Jon, and 50 Cent, although that's the last thing most basketball minds associate with the silver and black.
"Pop [Gregg Popovich] learned under Larry Brown, who was of course the Spurs' coach back in the day," Boyd said. "These are guys who coach defensive-minded teams, who -- as Larry always says -- 'Play the right way.' So I think in that regard, you look at a team like the Spurs and they're not glamorous, they're not cool, they're not fly, they're not even hip-hop. But they've been really consistent and they put a quality product out on the floor and at the end of the day, that's what it's about. It's about winning basketball games."
Briggs had this take on the Spurs: "It's still a pretty button-down team, and that's my perception. Maybe that's just because [David] Robinson still casts such a big shadow and he's still around the game so much, and Duncan is such a non-demonstrative personality, and maybe that's all. I guess when you think of sort of the hip-hop-like teams, they don't pop up in your mind."
Despite the Spurs' lack of street cred, both Boyd and Briggs expect San Antonio to reach the NBA Finals. "You look at them now and what stands out about the Spurs are the great international players," Boyd said. "Ginobili, in my opinion, is probably the most exciting player in the league. Tony Parker has flashes of brilliance. You know Tim's been doing his thing for years now so that's not gonna change. You also get a guy like Udrih coming off the bench playing some quality minutes," which for Boyd helps seal a Pistons vs. Spurs championship matchup.
"I often say that teams tend to fit the image of their cities," Boyd concluded. "So you think about he Lakers with Shaq [Shaquille O'Neal] and Kobe [Bryant], the two superstars in Hollywood. You think about the Pistons and the sort of blue-collar ethic that people have ascribed to their style of play. So when you talk about the Spurs, that sort of conservative, Texas, military, Christian influenced imagery, it probably plays quite well in that city.
"San Antonio is not, again, the biggest city in the NBA and not necessarily a city known for its sports teams because the only professional team there is the Spurs. In a way, that team fits in perfectly with the image of the city." •
Link (http://www.sacurrent.com/site/news.cfm?brd=2318&nav_sec=73325&nr=1&nostat=1)
Rhythms of the game
This year's NBA All-Star weekend yielded an array of memorable images. There was fresh-faced Slovenian Beno Udrih sharing the floor with Bron-Bron, Melo, and Dwyane Wade during the Rookie Challenge on Friday, February 18.
The following night, Josh Smith honored the Human Highlight Film, Dominique Wilkins, and the old school by winning the dunk contest in classic fashion. On Sunday, you had Manu Ginobili driving against the East, and Tim Duncan, well, dunking on the East and even stepping back for a three-pointer in what -- under different circumstances -- could have been another MVP performance.
Then there was Big & Rich, the country & western duo that kidnapped the halftime show with livestock, confederate attire, a little person, and a rapping cowboy named Troy.
On Tuesday, February 22, USC professor Dr. Todd Boyd, author of Young, Black, Rich, and Famous: The Rise of the NBA, The Hip Hop Invasion and the Transformation of American Culture, sounded off with H&F on that bizarre halftime spectacle.
"That was wack," Boyd said. "The league certainly has this image of being hip-hop and a lot of people still don't like hip-hop. So I think the choice of the halftime music was probably a marketing ploy to reach out to constituencies that might not be hip-hop, but at the same time try and maintain some connection, because you had that terrible rapping cowboy, whatever his name was."
Bill Briggs, a Denver Post writer who attended the game, supported Boyd's assertions. "Apparently, it's more NBA-driven in that they felt like Denver was a country-music town, so that's why they chose LeAnn Rimes and Big & Rich. I could hear a lot of grumbling from the people. I think most of the fans were reveling in the fact that this was a hip-hop weekend. This was what they want and this is why they love the NBA so that felt a little forced to me and to a lot of people in the arena.
"The weekend in Denver was more about Denver residents and Colorado residents searching out these rappers and just trying to get near them and talk to them then it was about basketball, which was really secondary."
Much like the recent drama over Cuttino Mobley wearing a skullcap in Sacramento and violating the league's no-hat policy, the halftime show in Denver illustrates the NBA's attempt to distance itself from hip-hop while at the same time using it to reach its core audience. "I talked to Stern about this and some other people from the league and those guys embrace hip-hop and rap music completely," Briggs said. "The only line they draw is with arena music. They just ask that the edited versions of the songs be played but that's it. They know they've got a good thing. I sort of have this vision of Stern driving around, listening to Jay-Z in his big ride or whatever it is because I really think he likes this stuff. I think he identifies and he's bought into it completely."
The arena music at the SBC Center often consists of acts such as Snoop Dogg, Lil' Jon, and 50 Cent, although that's the last thing most basketball minds associate with the silver and black.
"Pop [Gregg Popovich] learned under Larry Brown, who was of course the Spurs' coach back in the day," Boyd said. "These are guys who coach defensive-minded teams, who -- as Larry always says -- 'Play the right way.' So I think in that regard, you look at a team like the Spurs and they're not glamorous, they're not cool, they're not fly, they're not even hip-hop. But they've been really consistent and they put a quality product out on the floor and at the end of the day, that's what it's about. It's about winning basketball games."
Briggs had this take on the Spurs: "It's still a pretty button-down team, and that's my perception. Maybe that's just because [David] Robinson still casts such a big shadow and he's still around the game so much, and Duncan is such a non-demonstrative personality, and maybe that's all. I guess when you think of sort of the hip-hop-like teams, they don't pop up in your mind."
Despite the Spurs' lack of street cred, both Boyd and Briggs expect San Antonio to reach the NBA Finals. "You look at them now and what stands out about the Spurs are the great international players," Boyd said. "Ginobili, in my opinion, is probably the most exciting player in the league. Tony Parker has flashes of brilliance. You know Tim's been doing his thing for years now so that's not gonna change. You also get a guy like Udrih coming off the bench playing some quality minutes," which for Boyd helps seal a Pistons vs. Spurs championship matchup.
"I often say that teams tend to fit the image of their cities," Boyd concluded. "So you think about he Lakers with Shaq [Shaquille O'Neal] and Kobe [Bryant], the two superstars in Hollywood. You think about the Pistons and the sort of blue-collar ethic that people have ascribed to their style of play. So when you talk about the Spurs, that sort of conservative, Texas, military, Christian influenced imagery, it probably plays quite well in that city.
"San Antonio is not, again, the biggest city in the NBA and not necessarily a city known for its sports teams because the only professional team there is the Spurs. In a way, that team fits in perfectly with the image of the city." •