Comments on: All girl’s basketball, all the time http://americasfuture.org/conventionalfolly/2009/05/11/all-girls-basketball-all-the-time/ Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:17:16 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: David Adesnik http://americasfuture.org/conventionalfolly/2009/05/11/all-girls-basketball-all-the-time/comment-page-1/#comment-2042 David Adesnik Mon, 11 May 2009 23:38:16 +0000 http://americasfuture.org/conventionalfolly/?p=4530#comment-2042 I think the appeal of the girls basketball story is more than just that it's cute. It hits on a few themes that are Gladwell favorites. For example, the coach is an immigrant entrepreneur who brings a non-American perspective to the table. Being cosmopolitan and entrepreneurial are Gladwell favorites. There is also a double-reverse in terms of racial stereotypes. On the basketball court, black players are the overachievers, not whites. In this story, 12-year-old white girls visibly upset black players and coaches used to dominance on the court. Gladwell happens to be half-black and half-white, and he really likes to wreak havoc on racial stereotypes, especially when he can subvert them with social science. Finally, I think there's a certain appeal to deriving lessons about about (predominantly) adult male professions -- war and basketball -- from the behavior of 12-year-old girls. In this case, it didn't really work out. I think the appeal of the girls basketball story is more than just that it’s cute. It hits on a few themes that are Gladwell favorites. For example, the coach is an immigrant entrepreneur who brings a non-American perspective to the table. Being cosmopolitan and entrepreneurial are Gladwell favorites.

There is also a double-reverse in terms of racial stereotypes. On the basketball court, black players are the overachievers, not whites. In this story, 12-year-old white girls visibly upset black players and coaches used to dominance on the court.

Gladwell happens to be half-black and half-white, and he really likes to wreak havoc on racial stereotypes, especially when he can subvert them with social science.

Finally, I think there’s a certain appeal to deriving lessons about about (predominantly) adult male professions — war and basketball — from the behavior of 12-year-old girls. In this case, it didn’t really work out.

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