The disgrace of commodification and shameful convenience: a critical race critique of the NBA.

This essay positions sport as a pedagogical social institution from which people learn about race, gender, power, and privilege. The National Basketball Association is examined closely with a critical race lens with regard to the commodification of Black masculinity. A critical race analysis reveals the sharp contradictions between the league's progressive image as an "industry leader" of racial diversity (Lapchick, Bustamante, & Ruiz, 2007, p.1) and the actualization of league discourse, policy, and practice.

Ataque de pánico en un jugador de baloncesto profesional: estudio de caso / Assault of panic in a player of professional basketball: study of case

En el presente artículo se describe el caso de un jugador profesional de baloncesto que ve mermado su rendimiento deportivo tras sufrir un ataque de pánico. El exceso de responsabilidad sobre su salud, su juego y el bienestar del equipo y sus compañeros son variables que pueden estar relacionadas con este ataque. A continuación, se presenta el procedimiento utilizado en donde se evalúa el estado actual del deportista y se trabaja con técnicas de relajación, racionalización de paensamientos irracionales, parada de pensamientos obsesivos, exposición a las sensaciones y situaciones temidas, así como en el fortalecimiento de los puntos fuertes del deportista y focalización en aspectos positivos de su juego(AU)

In the present article there is described the case of a professional player of basketball who sees his sports performance reduced after suffering an assault of panic. The excess of responsibility on his health, his game and the well-being of the equipment and his companions they are variable that can be related to this assault. Later, one presents the procedure used where the current condition of the sportsman is evaluated and one works with technologies of easing, rationalization of paensamientos irrational, stop of obsessive thoughts, exhibition to the sensations and been afraid situations, as well as in the strengthening of the strong points of the sportsman and focusing in positive aspects of his game (AU)

Homonormativity and the politics of race: reading Sheryl Swoopes.

This article analyzes print media coverage of Sheryl Swoopes' October 2005 announcement that she is a lesbian. An examination of five key themes that emerged in the mainstream, lesbian and gay, and Black press reveals that homonormative and White racial discourses were pervasive. Specifically, the erasure of Swoopes' racial identity was enabled by narratives about the coming out process and the lesbian and gay market. Although there were some disruptions to dominant discourses, the coverage overall served to rearticulate Whiteness and economic individualism as queer norms.

The physician who invented basketball.

Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, is discussed.

When a celebrity contracts a disease: the example of Earvin "Magic" Johnson's announcement that he was HIV positive.

This meta-analysis summarizes the available data concerning the impact that the public announcement that Earvin "Magic" Johnson, a National Basketball Association All-Star, had tested positive for HIV. The results demonstrate that the announcement increased the level of accurate knowledge in persons, the number of persons getting tested for HIV, and the desire to obtain more information about HIV and AIDS. For adults the impact of the announcement was to increase the perception of vulnerability while for children/adolescents the announcement diminished the perception of risk.

The later evolution of modern sport in Latin America: the North American influence.

American impact on modern sports in Latin America overlaps geographically and chronologically with the European, especially British, impact. Principally baseball in the Caribbean basin, more recently basketball and volleyball across the hemisphere and occasionally American football in more limited areas illustrate a north-to-south movement executed by businessmen, educators, missionaries, military personnel, returning travelers (often students), sports entrepreneurs and television. Often initially supported by promoters of development within Latin America, this transfer has altered local recreational patterns and attracted Latin athletes to pursue careers in North America, provoking accusations of cultural imperialism and exploitation.

Magic Johnson and children's conceptions of AIDS.

Longitudinal data for a heterogeneous sample of 609 elementary school children are used to assess the long-term effects of Magic Johnson's announcement on children's HIV and AIDS conceptions. Four hypotheses are tested concerning these relationships, and background variables measured prior to Johnson's announcement are controlled. Findings suggest that Johnson's announcement increased children's HIV and AIDS knowledge and reduced their prejudice toward a hypothetical child with AIDS. No relationship is evident between the announcement and perceived vulnerability to HIV and AIDS. Males are more likely to be aware of Johnson's announcement, but its effects are more pronounced among blacks. Findings from the present research affirm the potential for celebrities like Johnson in HIV and AIDS education campaigns directed toward children.

Do you believe in magic? The impact of "Magic" Johnson on adolescents' AIDS knowledge and attitudes.

A group of young people ages 10 to 18, interviewed after basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson announced that he had tested positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), were asked for their reactions to the news. Their knowledge of and attitudes regarding AIDS were also compared to those of similar young people interviewed before the announcement. Reactions to the announcement were varied and were accompanied by only isolated changes in knowledge and attitudes, suggesting that news of this celebrity's HIV infection served primarily to reinforce or make temporarily more salient knowledge and attitudes that predated the announcement.

Pete Maravich's incredible heart.

Postmortem examination of a former professional basketball player revealed an abnormal heart, most notably a single coronary artery. The literature on single coronary arteries is briefly reviewed, and the possible mechanism which caused the patient's condition is considered. This case is particularly unusual because of the patient's profession, which is so physically demanding.