A League of Super Stars, But What Does That Say About our Society?

When the Bulls Celtics series ended I was a little disheartened. I sat there thinking, “well, this was an amazing series. There is no way the rest of the playoffs will come close to this series.”

Boy was I wrong. Watching Lebron’s game winning shot on Saturday night, I officially decided that this year’s post-season was something special. Lebron’s shot is one of those sports moments that are forever seared into your memory–you will always remember where you were when you watched that shot go in. 

40,000 lucky fans got to watch it in person. Even at a sports bar that shot was breath-taking, although the girls in ridiculous sparkling shirts and 6 inch heels made me wish I was watching it somewhere else. But, I digress.

Beyond great shots and exciting games, this years playoffs have been amazing for a specific reason. The NBA markets itself as a league of stars, and in the post-season, their stars have shined like supernovas. 

In the Conference Finals, you have Kobe versus Carmelo, and Lebron versus  a great, but unexpected star who has risen to the challenge, Hedo Turkoglu. When the game is on the line, the ball is always in one of these four guys hands. While basketball is a team sport, in crunch time, your superstar player gets the ball. 

This happens for a myriad of reasons. Most importantly, a player who views himself as a superstar will have the confidence necessary to hit that big shot. If you think you’re unstoppable and that you have ice in your veins, you have a much better chance of hitting that huge shot than the a player who thinks of themselves as a role player or defensive specialist. 

The NBA and sports companies, from Gatorade to Under Armour, market this idea of individual sacrifice and coolness under pressure. These are both qualities that are central to society’s ideals of masculinity and they are on display, in full force, when Lebron hits an impossible shot at the last second, or when you see how badly Kobe wants the ball in the final seconds of a close game. 

We live in a society where we praise individualism,” finding oneself”, and specialization. We watch in awe of these NBA superstars because they have succeeded at all of these things– they are successful individuals, understand their place in the word, and are talented at a specific skill beyond belief.

Many people lament the fact that sports stars are role models, but when you watch the NBA playoffs, it is inevitable that these individuals are role models. Not only because of exposure, and marketability, but because they fully represent socially ascribed ideals of masculinity that praise individualism and specialization. 

In all honesty, I am rooting for a Kobe versus Lebron finals showdown, and so is society. 

EMBED-LeBrons Miracle Shot saves Cleveland Cavaliers - 05-22-09