Several off Bourdieu's theories can be applied to many crafts and professions. His explanation of how the body can manipulate itself to fit into a certain atmosphere can be applied to several sports. The world of professional sports can be used in correlation with Bourdieu’s theory of habitus, capital, doxa, and field. He defined field as a structure with its own set of rules and habitus as the skills and values involved in a particular field or dispositions. For the purpose of this blog, I will use Bourdieu's theory to create and understanding for the world of professional basketball and why players act as they do and perform certain task they do in order to fit into a particular setting. With his theory, on can understand the demand of intensiveness required in order to fit into a certain context.
Working at the United Center for several years, I have caught firsthand the type of rigmarole involved with the lives of many athletes on and off the court. Coming to work early, I have witnessed several of the Bulls players and opposing team members utilizing the stadium in order to prepare for the nights match. After reading the required scholar for the week, the necessary practices involved with being a professional basketball player and its rationale has become more apparent. These athletes train and manipulate their bodies to become faster and stronger and over all the best at what they do. This training, the world of basketball, and the beliefs associated with them can all be summed up and understood using his theories and explanations.
There are certain behaviors and actions that come along with the contacts they sign. Bourdieu explains these behaviors as habitus. Habitus are the set of disposition one takes on in a certain field. The habitus involved with basketball involves intensive work outs, creating a certain image for youth, and conversing with individuals working their field. Bourdieu's concept of habitus was inspired by the notion of body techniques. The body techniques that I have listed are part of a structure in which people reproduce their dispositions. This structure is called a field. And in order to fit into this particular field one must acquire a certain taste and use this taste to fit into that field. These taste range from choice of standards, clothing, and sponsorship. The taste of the agents make them stand out among society and differentiates them from the rest of the fields.
The field of basketball has many individuals that all train to do the same thing and compete against each other for the same goal. The use of their body can be defined as capital. Bourdieu describes many capitals throughout his work. He speaks of social, cultural, and economic. He defines cultural capital as a means for a non-economic form of hierarchy distinguish through skill. It is also said that it is important for societal power relations. Depending on the skills that basketball player has acquired, their status might go up or decline. The social capital involved has to do more with what people they chose to associate with. Often we see basketball players conversing with their families and teammates within the field of the basketball setting. Outside of that particular network, conversation of any kind from the player with individuals that don't fit into this field created some unbalancing. The impacts are often negative and it deflates the value of their capital because it goes against the beliefs of their network. The use of their body is more of an economic asset because their uses their bodies to produce cash and other assets.
Bourdieu also describes doxa in relations to the habitus of certain feuds. He classifies doxa as the taken for granted beliefs that shaped an agents actions to perform and fit into a particular field. Some of the doxas that are involved with basketball include the rituals that they take on to prepare for their habitus. For instance, the unconscious behavior that is involved with free throws and warm ups can be classified a doxa for they are things that are produced unconsciously for the sake of a particular field.
Overall, the social practices that are involved with the world of basketball can be further elaborated on using Bourdieu's theories. The field of basketball is a structured structure that involves many dispositions or habitus. The habitus involves in basketball can create several forms of capital that benefits on both an individual level and economic level.
Working at the United Center for several years, I have caught firsthand the type of rigmarole involved with the lives of many athletes on and off the court. Coming to work early, I have witnessed several of the Bulls players and opposing team members utilizing the stadium in order to prepare for the nights match. After reading the required scholar for the week, the necessary practices involved with being a professional basketball player and its rationale has become more apparent. These athletes train and manipulate their bodies to become faster and stronger and over all the best at what they do. This training, the world of basketball, and the beliefs associated with them can all be summed up and understood using his theories and explanations.
There are certain behaviors and actions that come along with the contacts they sign. Bourdieu explains these behaviors as habitus. Habitus are the set of disposition one takes on in a certain field. The habitus involved with basketball involves intensive work outs, creating a certain image for youth, and conversing with individuals working their field. Bourdieu's concept of habitus was inspired by the notion of body techniques. The body techniques that I have listed are part of a structure in which people reproduce their dispositions. This structure is called a field. And in order to fit into this particular field one must acquire a certain taste and use this taste to fit into that field. These taste range from choice of standards, clothing, and sponsorship. The taste of the agents make them stand out among society and differentiates them from the rest of the fields.
The field of basketball has many individuals that all train to do the same thing and compete against each other for the same goal. The use of their body can be defined as capital. Bourdieu describes many capitals throughout his work. He speaks of social, cultural, and economic. He defines cultural capital as a means for a non-economic form of hierarchy distinguish through skill. It is also said that it is important for societal power relations. Depending on the skills that basketball player has acquired, their status might go up or decline. The social capital involved has to do more with what people they chose to associate with. Often we see basketball players conversing with their families and teammates within the field of the basketball setting. Outside of that particular network, conversation of any kind from the player with individuals that don't fit into this field created some unbalancing. The impacts are often negative and it deflates the value of their capital because it goes against the beliefs of their network. The use of their body is more of an economic asset because their uses their bodies to produce cash and other assets.
Bourdieu also describes doxa in relations to the habitus of certain feuds. He classifies doxa as the taken for granted beliefs that shaped an agents actions to perform and fit into a particular field. Some of the doxas that are involved with basketball include the rituals that they take on to prepare for their habitus. For instance, the unconscious behavior that is involved with free throws and warm ups can be classified a doxa for they are things that are produced unconsciously for the sake of a particular field.
Overall, the social practices that are involved with the world of basketball can be further elaborated on using Bourdieu's theories. The field of basketball is a structured structure that involves many dispositions or habitus. The habitus involves in basketball can create several forms of capital that benefits on both an individual level and economic level.