Thoughts on my second observation...

What surprised me most about the basketball game was the amount of students present. The students and organizations were incredibly supportive and I wasn’t expecting that at such a small school. I was intrigued by the many organizations that came out to support the basketball team. I was wondering how many of them would have been there if there wasn’t a cash prize for the group they were involved in. I found the opposing team’s fans to be a little disturbing. There were mothers screaming unnecessarily during the game which I had never seen happen. This was not a boring event to attend. There were raffle tickets for sale and many things to observe taking place at all times. Sporting events are generally upbeat and exciting.
This observation was different from my first observation because it was less personal. I was only able to observe the game from a fans perspective but for my last observation I was able to interact with the athletes and ask some questions. To expand on my observation I would like to interview a player to get their perspective on the game and the preparations that took place.

Second Observation

For my second observation I went to the Nova basketball game on Wednesday night at 7 pm. The boys’ basketball team played Florida Southern, the defending champions of the SSC. The event took place at Nova’s home court located in the University Center. Everyone on the team had matching white uniforms and plenty of equipment for the game. Fans came prepared to cheer on their peers; many student organizations came out to support their team and had a chance to win 100 dollars for their group if they had the most team spirit, this helps motivate the basketball team to do well to impress their peers. The basketball team worked very hard to defeat their opponent but unfortunately after a hard fight they lost. The basketball players have to work hard to try to win so they will get a fan base that returns to every game.
Another group of athletes at this game were cheerleaders. They stay the whole game to support and motivate the team. They performed some cheers during timeouts and halftime. The cheerleaders are just as important as the basketball players because they can cause distraction to the other team and support for their own team. They must practice just as hard to make sure they don’t injure themselves during stunts and cheers. Being a cheerleader is just as important as playing the sport.
Overall, the game was a success even though they lost. The fans enjoyed the game and the players are able to see where they went wrong and have the next week of practice to improve for the next game. The players were certainly disappointed but they are focused to beat the next team.

First Observation!

I chose the subculture of being a student athlete at Nova Southeastern University. I spent my observational time at the gym on Nova’s campus. Many athletes along with other students spend time at the fitness center to get into shape or prepare for a season. I’m going to take this time to tell you what I observed while at the gym. Students come to the gym wearing fitness clothes and carrying towels with them, they don’t have to wear a uniform but everyone must be appropriately dressed to workout. The gym is located in the University Center on Nova’s campus. The location is key for athletes who are trying to fit working out into their busy school schedules. Athletes are offered a roped off area to guarantee them the workout time they need each week. The male athletes generally came in pairs to allow them to have someone to spot them while they lifted weights, while the females came in to do more cardio. Everyone seemed to have a specific routine that they stuck to that day. The athletes are given goals to achieve throughout the season and are at the gym to work towards that goal. I stopped to ask a few soccer players about their routines during the off season and they gave me some insight. These soccer players said they still go to the gym weekly to stay in shape for their season and remain motivated to achieve their goals. I asked them if they enjoyed playing a sport while going to school and they responded by saying, it is very difficult sometimes to balance the work but they love the sports they play, so it’s worth the time.
In the future I hope to find out more information on students that play sports in college and how it affects their lives. Are athletes more successful than other students after graduation? How does playing a sport affect grades? What do student athletes have to say about time management?

Welcome!!

Welcome to my subculture blog for Composition 2000. During this semester I will post my observations on the subculture I choose to observe and write about.