Essay Example on the Artistry of Basketball: Lebron James & Kobe Bryant

Introduction

An athlete is an artist since artistry involves problem-solving that includes them. Basketball is a game that involves highly-calculated moves and making decisions based on the external stimuli as it is the case for art. Basketball makes use of elements of art such as colors and designs, making the entire game a collection of the most significant things that have pushed art. This essay will describe how art is well represented with NBA players such as Lebron James and the late Kobe Bryant.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Art in the form of sportswear

Art in basketball is revealed through outfits that the players wear in the field as they compete against others. The sportswear is a form of art that represents the NBA team as they wear tons of accessories during their games (Manner 31). There are various ways that the NBA players use to protect different parts of their bodies as well as improve their abilities to reach the maximum.

NBA players wear leg sleeves or tights beneath their shorts. The importance of these quality tights is that they have the power of support bones and muscles hence allows the player to achieve a maximum during the game. Any fan of basketball can confirm that the game is quite demanding, and there are serious injuries that are quite frequent.

Similarly, the pain of the injury can last a long time; hence the tights will warm the injured places, and the legs become heated. The tights are perfect for the players that frequently run. They are essential in protecting the ligaments as well as joints; hence the player has high capabilities to work under strong force and pressure. It is the same case for arm sleeves as they function in the same manner.

There are different colors for all the NBA teams during their competitions. The color codes are updated as they change since they are digital print. As it is the case of art, colors are used to represent emotions that include swaying the thinking of the audience and causing reactions (Manner, 32). Basketball game uses these colors to appeal to the audience to identify their ways of playing.

Playing Basketball Skill as a Form of Art

Basketball players are demanded to make highly-calculated decisions when playing so that they are ahead of their opponents by far, and they can score better compared to the others. There are specific movements that the basketball players do that qualify to be artistic movements. An example of such moments includes throwing a high-pressure 3-2 fastball on the black for a strikeout. Basketball is played where the two teams try to score by shooting a ball through a hoop that is elevated 10 feet above the ground. It takes keen art to know how to make the ball go through the loop.

Another artistic moment is where a basketball player maneuvers their way through the other opponents in the game and nailing a 3-pointer from a distance of 35 feet away from the loop (Franks et al., 1). In most cases, players try to get close to the loop and shoot the ball close to it hence more chances of the ball going through. However, it takes a different level of skill to shoot the ball from a long distance away from the loop. That kind of nailing and maneuvering through the opponents can be regarded as art since it is a tactic that one can learn and master to give their maximum in the game. It is fascinating to watch how players try to maneuver through the opponents since it is quite tricky as every individual is trying to gain access to the ball and reach their end of the loop to score.

Another skill that can be considered as art during basketball games is the moment of dishing out no-look passes during the games. It is challenging to maintain such a tactic especially because there are also rules following the game such as ensuring that the ball stays in bounds and that the player has to bounce or dribble the ball with only one hand as they move with both feet (Franks et al., 2). If both hands touch the ball or the player stops dribbling, they should only move one foot. Not following such rules means that the team with a foul has to hand the ball to the opponents since they need not have an unfair advantage. The game is quite an art since it follows rules that each player is subject to, as it is the case of art that needs people to follow guidelines to come up with exceptional work.

Generally, basketball game means that the players are continually solving interesting problems that are all about how to get to the loop and score. They are to deal with a rapidly changing environment, such as better tactics from the opponents hence need to have creative solutions that they showcase while everyone is watching.

Art of the Basketball Court

A closer look at the basketball court of NBA shows that it is not only wood and paint as there is much more to the designs that they display on it. The players refer to the NBA court as the "NBA team stage" because they resemble a Broadway stage in size and also material. Besides the cutting of the grass patter by the grounds crew, the majority of the baseball diamonds are almost the same (Sonnenschein & Scott, 164). Initially, the design of the NBA courts only used red, white, and blue colors only then advanced to using the host team's colors and their brands.

The present trends in the NBA include the use of lighter and darker stains for the courts in mapping out the court geometry. The court is significant in terms of gaining meaning, energy, and force. In an effort, players seek to apply every drill, practice, and time. The efforts elevate those who watch them, and it is contagious to the team (Sonnenschein & Scott, 165). Proper designs of the courts are ideal in creating the force and energy that they need for the competition.

The design of the basketball is a significant moment of art as it requires a flip of winning that is beautiful and has a clear sense of identity. The art designs make the players learn to think and act like the artists hence calculated decisions. Players tend to work more creatively and intelligently if the court design appeals to them, and they can relate effectively (Sonnenschein & Scott, 168). NBA teams have a long history of sustained success and do not tend to take risks with the use of outlandish courts. It is because their records are ample evidence that they have a clear sense of self. Their designs are simple in color and wood treatment, unlike teams that are looking for an identity that crank up their courts' volume because they have little brand equity to tarnish.

Players as Artists

Players are regarded as artists by their personal skills and identity. Many people are aware of famous basketball players such as Lebron James and the late Kobe Bryant. Their fans in the field identify these players according to how they score for their teams and what they do while in the court. These players are seen to appreciate art by having tattoos on their bodies. Tattoos are a form of expression of an individual's inner self, such as the things they like or the things they would want to get identified with along their journey (Franks et al., 4). Tattoos suggest an individual's life, their interests, and also beliefs even without having an actual conversation with that person.

Players who recognize that they are artists turn to be pros in the games. Understanding the need for quick solutions to problems helps to differentiate the amateurs who give excuses for why they cannot do something and the professionals who look past such excuses and forge ahead. When players turn pro, they change the way they approach problems and have a better idea of working their issues. Their habits become like those of professionals as well as the mindset. The days of players are designed around training because they want to be better and win for the team in the coming games. It is the case of art where the designers act like pros and have to think of the elements that are set to appeal to the audience of their choice. They determine how different designs are likely to win the hearts of a particular group and how they can change their preferences to be meaningful.

Works cited

Franks, Alexander, et al. "Counterpoints: Advanced defensive metrics for NBA basketball." 9th Annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Boston, MA. 2015. 1-8

Manner, Hans. "Modeling and forecasting the outcomes of NBA basketball games." Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports 12.1 (2016): 31-41.

Sonnenschein, Robin E., and Lynsey Scott. "Basketball court label." U.S. Patent Application No. 29/539,164.