Basketball in the White Boy Shuffle is a central theme to Gunnar’s development as a character. However, in the book, it doesn’t function in the way that we might expect given his situation and where he lives. In the media and in many stories, basketball is often portrayed as a way out for people who live in tough situations in rough neighborhoods with gang activity and the like. Being a gifted basketball player represents a chance at getting out of the situation that many young black kids are stuck in. NBA stars talk about how basketball helped them avoid the toxic situations they grew up in and succeed in the world despite their surroundings. Both Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose grew up on the south side of Chicago, and they are just two of many who received chances to escape because of basketball.
However, in this book, basketball is portrayed completely differently, especially after Nick and Gunnar reach high school. Nick absolutely hates the attention that he gets, and Gunnar is pretty uncertain about it himself. The public scrutiny on both of them is too much, and Gunnar seems to prefer his reputation as a poet to being cast as a star basketball player. Its almost as if hanging out with Psycho Loco and the gang provides an escape for Gunnar from the scrutiny and attention he receives because of his basketball skills, where Gunnar can just be himself and not worry about pleasing anybody.
When Gunnar goes to basketball camp, the kids he rooms with talk basketball all the time, and seem to truly have a passion for the game. In Gunnar’s case, he is just supremely naturally talented, but never seems to show that much drive to want to get better or desire to play basketball at a high level. His energy goes into being a good poet and writing poems, that is what he seems to be truly passionate about. Being the poet for the gang and defeating other gangs’ poets gives him more pride than anything he achieves on the basketball court. We see his indifference firsthand at the end of his first game at Phillis Wheatley high, he misses one free throw on purpose when he has a chance to win the game, marveling at the power he has to send everyone into frenzied celebration or send everyone home disappointed, before making the second one, he muses that he has hypnotic power over the crowd. I think that the point being made here is that there is more to Gunnar than just being a basketball player; even when he first starts playing ball in the park, when people tell him he is a baller he resents the “pigeonholing” even though he enjoys the fact that he no longer feels so out of place. The book is trying to make clear that Gunnar isn’t just a supremely gifted athlete, and that Nick Scoby isn’t just a guy who never misses a basketball shot, but that they each have their own identity outside of basketball.
Yes, I agree that his life as a poet seems much more important to him than basketball. I think this is interesting because we were pointing out how his being so good at basketball falls into the stereotype of naturally gifted black players. However, his disinterest in the sport on a big stage suggests otherwise (in contrast to Derrick Rose). Beatty shows us a more passionate side of Gunnar in the poetry that is against popular stereotypes. This is the kind of thing he is doing throughout the book.
ReplyDeleteI think Beatty may also be making a point that some NBA players may also feel trapped in their position. They had talent for basketball and kept working at it as their escape route, but once they've made it out they don't know what to make of themselves. Some of these players have lives outside of the game; they have some real intellectual depth that can't be shown. However I think others might not have anything else to them besides their sport. They've sacrificed all other parts of them for what they love or what they need. It can be inspiring for young athletes, but it's also a sad story of the huge limits placed upon poor black men aspiring for greatness.
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