Kids These Days

I think it's hilarious, in a very geeky sort of way, that you'd have to use politics to explain sports to someone. "You see, Ezra, the point guard is like a committee chairman..."

Alternating-possession rule:

According to the old theory propounded by historians Arthur Schlesinger Sr. and Jr., every 30 years or so the nation turns, after a respite of conservative retrenchment, to a new era of active government, public purpose and liberal idealism.
( http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101921116-158350,00.html )

at one point he queries about the constant jawboning with the officials -- wondering if this ever works

It works every once in a while, sometimes in a roundabout way, if the ref is a complete jackass:

NBA Referee Crawford Suspended for Actions Toward Tim Duncan

I'm frankly amazed that ANYONE familiar with Alterman's "working the refs" metaphor didn't realize it was basketball slang.

"Full-court press" also turns up in political jargon.

Isn't 'working the refs' equally apropos to any sport? Why would it be considered specifically a basketball reference?

I nominate "tweener" as in "Bill Richardson is an attractive politician but where can he play? The guy's a bit of a tweener."

There aren't more NBA metaphores because the NBA is a minor sport. Check the TV ratings sometime.

Isn't 'working the refs' equally apropos to any sport?

Not baseball.

Isn't 'working the refs' equally apropos to any sport?

In baseball, the officials are "umps", not "refs." It's possible to "work the refs" during a football game, but the players wear helmets and the coaches and fans are much farther from the action. There isn't nearly as much "jawboning," as Matt put it.

The only sport where I've heard the term used frequently is basketball.

Does it have to be basketball specifically? Don't they work the refs in other sports too?

I hear about this or that political party or movement having a "deep bench" from time to time.

inapt hoops metaphor: slam dunk

I see it going on all the time in football. You think the coaches are walking up and down the sideline yelling at the ref for the exercise? It happens in pretty much every sport--yes, even baseball with their umps.

I always assumed it was a reference to soccer, where the phenomenon is well-known and where, with much lower scores than basketball, one foul called by a successfully browbeaten referee can be decisive in a game. Upon reflection, though, I realize it was stupid to think that. This is 'Murrika.

Remind me, I only watch baseball in October. Isn't there a two-tier system of "working the umps" in baseball. You can complain about a base running call, but if you dispute balls and strikes you're out of there? Is this metaphor useful elsewhere?

As proof, the Rockets encourage Yao to work the refs more because they suspect he doesn't get enough calls due to his go-along personality.

I would point out two phrases that have current meaning in politics:

1. No harm no foul
2. "Slam Dunk!"

Both of which, by the way, were coined by legendary Lakers broadcaster, Chick Hearn.

I think you'll find that NBA metaphors aren't nearly as exciting as NCAA metaphors.

That's because NBA metaphors are lazy; sure, they're objectively superior as metaphors, but they just don't try very hard until its Pulitzer season.

Why can't Dems just accept that NBA basketball is Our Game, and all of our sports metaphor should root themselves in that fertile ground?

I think you stole that from Eric Alterman (who, I think, stole it from an unusually frank Bill Kristol).

Matthew, you've really hit a home run with this post. I'm glad to see you kicking off this era of basketball awareness.

Matt's insistence that "working the refs" is an NBA specific metaphor is more evidence of his gross NBA-centric bias.

OT: I just saw some cool Obama/Arenas '08 t-shirts online.

http://www.motheringhut.com/obama_arenas.html

They are pretty cool but they should have integrated the Obama 'O' with the Agent Zero idea in the graphic.

That's because NBA metaphors are lazy; sure, they're objectively superior as metaphors, but they just don't try very hard until its Pulitzer season.

Q wins the thread.

Pooh, on any other blog I'd lose for fouling up "its" vs. "it's", but under the Yglesias banner all manner of spelling errors are forgiven.

I think I've heard "buzzer beater" in non-basketball contexts.

"people don't even recognize a hoops reference when it's sitting right there in front of them."

You mean, when it's sitting right there in the slot ready to be jammed home.

Here's a 2008 ticket I know you can get behind Matt:
Obama & Arenas!
http://motheringhut.com/obama_arenas.html

Show your support for the only campaign that promises to:

-Legislate the No Snub Left Behind Act.
-Promote universal health care.
-Pardon Chico DeBarge
-Pursue alternative energies incentives by providing bacon grease subsidies.
-Offer comprehensive immigration reform: illegal immigrants can fast-track their citizenship by defeating Homeland Security Czar DeShawn Stevenson in a 3-point shooting competition, an initiative that will be dubbed: "I Want To Feel The Face of Freedom."
-Redecorate the Oval Office as an exact replica of the Lt. Castillo office set from Miami Vice.
-Annex Wheaton Plaza. Crush the resistance movement by cutting off edible underpants supply to Spencer Gifts.

Ezra is only, like, 3 years younger, right? Must be the beard.

The concept of "working the refs" was perfected by the late Red Auerbach when he coached the Boston Celtics. His players were encouraged to complain about every call, especially when the game was played in the Boston Gardens which had one of the loudest crowds in the league.

One more blog referring to your youth, and you will lose the senior citizens.

"Why can't Dems just accept that NBA basketball is Our Game, and all of our sports metaphor should root themselves in that fertile ground?"

Yuperoo.

The NBA championship trophy is named for a former DNC chair, fergawdsakes.

And FWIW, I tuned in the last couple of minutes of that 'zards game because I saw it was close, and because Jamison had 48 points. And thus I saw the 'zards guards refuse to give Jamison the ball on every possession down the stretch.

How complicated is it to feed the hot hand?

Other sports don't matter during the NHL playoffs.

Vince Carter @ Toronto.

Need I say anymore?

-----

The LeBrons just made the conference finals.

And Chicago/Miami should be worth the price of admission.

I nominate "flopping" as the new sports metaphor for politics. Its what the media or rival candidates do when they generate disproportionate outrage at some minor gaffe, pecadillo, or triviality.

"I nominate "flopping" as the new sports metaphor for politics."

Bill Donohue is the Manu Ginobili of politics.

It would be awesome if flopping gained wide metaphorical currency.

Matt Taibbi's political column in the Rolling Stone is called "The Low Post", and Matt used to play pro ball in some obscure ex-Soviet republic. Basketball is the sport of up-and-coming liberal pundits!

For someone with such sound political judgment, I find it hard to believe anyone could prefer the NBA to all other sporting leagues, not to mention the specific defense-oriented 90s era Knicks style of the NBA that effectively killed the league.

Showtime made the NBA bearable. Now, not so much.

"For someone with such sound political judgment, I find it hard to believe anyone could prefer the NBA to all other sporting leagues"

A two-fer in the Big Bowl of Wrong department.

Matt most certainly does not have sound political judgement. He actually has semi-atrocious political judgement, though he does get points for at least trying to think things through.

But he has excellent taste in sporting leagues.

As everyone knows:

NBA = Democrats
NFL = Republicans
MLB = Old people
NHL = Canadians

MLS = Hyper-internationalist freaks
College sports = Bleeding heart idealists / people who live in states with nothing else to do

MLB = real conservatives, cautious 'social democrat' technocrats in the Brad DeLong mold.

"College sports = Bleeding heart idealists"

College sports = Folks who don't mind seeing labor get massively exploited. In other words, all Republicans plus those non-Republicans who have an extremely low political consciousness.

NLL = Greens

Vince Carter @ Toronto.

Need I say anymore?

Yeah baby. Nets really screwed Matthew's pick of the Bulls, didn't they?

"Nets really screwed Matthew's pick of the Bulls, didn't they?"

That's kinda why I didn't buy the Bulls as Eastern champs even if they'd gotten the #2 seed.

If you can't win a must-win game like that against a mediocre team like NJ, how the hell are you going to win a whole series against Detroit, or against a Miami team that has its shit together enough to have beaten Detroit?

"Yeah baby."

Mediocre or not, my first thought is that you guys should be able to take Toronto.

And that's not even figuring into the equation that Vince's great weakness - his inconsistent motivation - shouldn't be a problem in this series.

Sometimes we refer to something easy as a "layup." Of course, I often had a problem finishing my layups. They're not as easy as you think.

All I have to say here is: Go Warriors! The last time my guys made the playoffs, I was in high school. This is going to be awesome, even if they get their asses kicked. I just want to see Biedrins dunk on Tim Duncan's ugly mug, just once, and Baron put Mr. Longoria on his ass. Woo-hoo!

"I just want to see Biedrins dunk on Tim Duncan's ugly mug, just once, and Baron put Mr. Longoria on his ass. Woo-hoo!"

You are deeply confused, too many steves.

Petey,

Actually I agree with you, but they're two sides of the same coin. College sports exists around the myth that these are somehow larger than life "student-athletes" who are content to just go about their business getting a bit of recreation while pursuing their first love, a good education. The whole thing is just so anachronistic, I hate myself for caring about it.

I do hope that my school is one of the less exploitative ones (in that it is graduating players and giving them a six-figure education), although I still think the market should determine the price of labor. I really wish the NFL and NBA both had viable developmental leagues that absorbed 90% of the serious pro prospects, and that they'd put teams in places like Tuscaloosa, Austin, and Westwood to replace what might as well be semipro teams now. (I'm not making explicit accusations of paying players here, but I don't think the bulk of "college" sports fans care whether their players go to class.)

I should also mention that I love soccer, albeit less the domestic than the international variety.

Also, i guess it's not too self-promoting to add this link to my sports blog: http://godblessthefreaks.org/sport. (The prior link is to my "general" blog.) I want to foster conversation about sports-in-society issues such as the proper role of amateur versus shamateur sports.

Good comment.Thanks admin.

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