Hoops

How to dispel the "Basketball = America" theme?

I know heaps of people who were born in the states who have lived in NZ for 20+ years that cling to their accents which is sweet as I see it as kinda trying to keep theit cultural identity in sum way I suppose but i also know white NZ kids that lived in the states fot 2-3 years 15-20 years ago and still try to talk with an american accent, so so so lame.

Baggy clothes are way way comfortable "eastern lowland gorilla".

Sneakers are a disease "kevy47", I got to 72pairs and just got over it, I must have blown 20k at least (jordan's, flight and forces mostly but a few pairs of reebok pumps and converse aero jams ect).

you guys should spare a thought for us here in Nz where every sports team has to have a crap name like the Nz hocky team are the "blacksticks" and the netballers are the "silverferns" so lets call our basketballers the crappiest name ever in history, the "tallblacks". It makes me cringe everytime I hear it. Pisses me off way more than so called wannabe's @ basketball games.

It's the same here in Wollongong, there would only be a tiny minority of these "Wannabe Americans" at Hawks games, and probably none older than 18.

Sure, there's plenty of people in their retro NBA jerseys, Yankees caps at the like but i'd hardly call any of them "Wannabees"

I've got 30 pairs of Jordans in my cupboard and am hooked on NBA (and NBL) but i've never thought of myself as a wannabee or ever heard anyone even suggest it.

I see far more displaying their coolness in the mall, at the beach (but only as far as the car park not actually on the sand/water) and whatever place they hang out.

Even in mid-week local comp, "wannabees" are few and far between, they are generally not playing comp because you can't travel or carry to get to the basket.

On court, i can only think of a couple of import Hawks in recent memory who played with that wannabee attitude both didn't last more than a handful of games.

I just don't know where a lot of the community gets that perception.

It'd be hard to fix a problem that really doesn't exist but does in the eye of many - generally older - Australians. (does that make sense??)

Carfino's woefully bad "American" accent he puts on sometimes on Fox has to go, but we've been saying that for ages. It's not him, and it's not natural. Just talk normal Steve.
I'm no expert on accents durations, but he's been here 20 years, married a local (ie, no accent).

Same goes for Westover and Goorj, surely an accent doesnt hang around for two decades?

I picked up a Kiwi accent in 6-months and lost it quicker when i returned home.

I've lost where i was going with this... blame the cold-flu tablets i just smashed.

I wear new era caps, air jordans and vintage NBA jerseys, listen to hiphop and drive a cadillac with hydraulics, and play basketball yet I have no desire to be american or come off as an american. Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one, it just depends if you give a shit. We get the same opinions in NZ from the mostly rugby biased public, except when theres a chance that the breakers or tall blacks may do well lol.