Foul Ball!

Corvette Museum, Bowling Green KY

A Most Shallow Victory: An Introduction to Gamesmanship in the NBA

One does not have to know much about basketball to know who Shaquille O’Neal is. The seven and a half feet tall, three hundred and fifty pound center for the Los Angeles Lakers is so immense that he has spilled over the brim of the National Basketball Association (NBA) into popular culture. His obvious athletic ability and his gentle-giant personality make it easy for the general population to love him just as much as the hard-core Los Angeles Lakers fans do.

The Justification of Game Reasoning in Competitive Sports

A year ago this month (November 2004) Ron Artest introduced the American public to a brand new sport—“basketbrawl”[1]. It is a lot like basketball only without all the rules. In fact, it was basketball until the final seconds of this infamous game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons when all the rules were trashed, along with some of the spectators. Artest, driving to the goal, came from behind and fouled the Pacers’ Ben Wallace. The foul set off a physical confrontation between the two players, not unlike many others seen in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Artest eventually retreated to the side of the court where he was hit with a cup thrown by one of the spectators. In response, Artest charged into the audience throwing indiscriminant punches. Whether it was defensively or offensively, some from the crowd responded to Artest with just as much violence. What began as a well organized and well respected sport now looks more like a bar-room brawl.