Warriors and Stuff
Warriors and Stuff When I first began brainstorming topics relating the Golden State Warriors and Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff I thought “How are the Warriors part of consumer culture? What do they waste or indulge in when you are at a basketball game?”. Then I sat down and thought about it and all of the components that go into attending a game, the publicity, advertisements and commercials on TV when the next game is or the latest product that Stephen Curry is the spokesperson for. There are many components that break down into what having a basketball game consists of. There is so much time and energy that goes into all of the games through social media, TV commercials, and even those online ads that pop up at the side or bottom of your screen. Other elements that go into games are things such as the merchandise stores, ticket booths, concessions and so much more. There is so much time and effort put into the preparation for a professional basketball game that is often overlooked. Have you ever thought about where all of the last seasons merchandise was goes once it is outdated? What happens to all of the outdated and damaged merchandise, does it get recycled or reused? How many trees did it take to make this box? Or what happens to the leftover food every after game that doesn’t get eaten? Is it kept for the next day given to a shelter or thrown in the garbage? Annie Leonard makes references such as the ones that I listed above how often times majority of people go about their lives consuming items but put no thought as to where they have came from. Generally most people don't know how or where their product was created. Leonard brings this to our attention to point out the externalities in our products and the items that we consume and probably have not given much thought to. The Golden State Warriors have both positive and negative effects when it comes to the way that the team is marketed, or by even having the players themselves represent certain brands or products. This past May the Golden State Warriors, they have just recently created a name for themselves as the Bay’s Team and most importantly as the current reigning NBA champions. Now there are advertisements with players from the Golden State Warriors dealing with all sorts of products. From Stephen Curry creating his own shoe line with Under Armour, or Draymond Green in the New Beats by Dr. Dre commercial. The Dubs (Warriors) especially Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson also known as “The Splash Brothers” have created household names for themselves. Now everywhere you look you see that Warriors players are representing all sorts of things even if they are not having to deal with basketball, such as: deodorant, insurance, cereal, clothing items etc. Basketball is a sport that is not only loved internationally, but it is followed by many. Large corporations are now trying to appeal to existing fans and potential new fans or buyers into buying the latest product by the latest Warriors player. This is what is known as consumerism which is stated by Leonard saying that “consumerism is the particular relationship to consumption in which we seek our emotional and social needs through shopping.. (145).”This is how advertisers have become so successful, and this is what they thrive off of. Once the company is able to get through to an existing or potential consumers emotions then that is when they have them on the hook. I am aware that I am one of these existing customers and I have been hooked many times, buying the latest Warriors gear or apparel. Another example Leonard gives in The Story of Stuff was how people go crazy over the black friday deals. I am one to admit that although I did not go into the stores shopping I did participate in cyber Monday. As soon as I saw that the Golden State Warriors weren't charging any ticket fees to any of their games I thought to myself I had to purchase them. I ended up buying Warriors game tickets for my dad and I for Christmas. This offer was too good to pass up, especially since I was able to purchase tickets at a discounted price. Looking back in hindsight I can admit that I was one who got sucked into shopping on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Leonard also touches base in her book Story of Stuff when she speaks about advertisers. She goes into great detail on how everyday we watch over a hundred ads and are trying to be persuaded that we need a certain product or that we need more stuff that we don't actually need. During Leonards discussion about advertising in Story of Stuff Leonard states that, “Today Advertisers try to figure out how to best reach and influence more shoppers. Their intent is to make us feel bad about what we have or what we lack, and make us want to purchase some specific thing to make us feel better." (164). Often times more than not, advertisers try to creep into our emotions with a luxurious lifestyle, or making us want something that is not necessary just because it is the newest, coolest and most up to date thing. For example I just went to the grocery store a few days ago and went to go buy cereal. As I walked down the aisle I saw the new cover of the Wheaties box and that was 2015 NBA All-Star, and 2015 NBA Champion, Stephen Curry. If you didn't know, for the last 80 years wheaties has been featuring famous athletes on the front of their cereal boxes. Wheaties slogan is “The breakfast of champions”, with a slogan like that it is simple that the target for this cereal are children and adults. Wheaties features the most elite players, which will then create a sense of accomplishment, that if the consumer buys the cereal that they will be able to be as good as their favorite athlete. This is very strategic for advertisers, because professional athletes are often looked up to as role models for many children and young adults, which makes them more easily to persuade. Not all advertising that comes with the Golden State Warriors is bad. Just this past January the NBA, WWNBA, NBA D-League, and USA Basketball teamed up with Kaiser Permanente to focus on building healthier communities. According to the Official release of NBA Partners with Kaiser Permanente this partnership “encourages fans to ‘Be Active, Eat Healthy, Play Together’ with Kaiser Permanente's Thrive campaign focused on empowering people to maximize their health in mind, body, and spirit”. Since January 29th of this year this plan has already fallen into pace, Kaiser has been improving the health and wellness of the fans in the areas that they live in through NBA Fit and NBA Cares. This campaign will consist of the NBA as well as the other associations using social media to promote and encourage fans to make the steps towards living a healthier lifestyle. This example shows that not all advertising is bad advertising. It’s great to read and find out about how professional athletes such as Stephen Curry encouraging people not only around the community but around the nation to maintain a healthier life. Having the NBA and Kaiser pair up is amazing to see that these companies can come together for the greater good of the community. Its great that this campaign is not all solely driven by money or profit. By having the NBA and Kaiser pair up to promote the “Thrive” campaign it not only benefits the local communities but it also helps a good maintain a favorable public image by a company. Another topic that correlates with the Golden State Warriors that Leonard touches on in The Story of Stuff is the work-watch-spend treadmill. The Warriors can relate to this, because everyday there are commercials that you see saying how great your life would be if you bought the next Curry One shoe how your basketball game would improve. In many aspects this can be looked at as a negative thing, because advertisers are targeting hoopers, specifically young kids to purchase the shoes. I happen to look at this in a different way. Often times young children and teens tend to look at professional athletes as role models. When children see these advertisements it makes them want to go out and be like their idol and be there best. These commercials encourage kids of all ages to purchase these items (i.e. curry ones) and be the best athlete that they can be. According to the article Psychological Effects of Sports on Children and Youth from the livestrong website it states that “getting involved (in sports) provide valuable exercise and reduce the risk of chronic diseases; in addition, engaging in organized sports can have profound positive psychological effects on kids”. So I think that these types of commercials and ads are motivating to kids and make them want to go out and try there best. That is what it all comes down to, kids wanting to strive for me. In addition sports provide many physical and social benefits. A 2006 report shows that when adolescents participate in sports that it can lead them to a higher self esteem/ self confidence which also tends to help them do well academically. There are so many benefits that a simple shoe commercial or an ad can do for you. Slogans such as Nike's “Just Do It” or Under Armours “Protect this House” help encourage these positive outcomes. Overall Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff and the Golden State Warriors there are many things that are overlooked, whether it may be the advertisement or the overconsumption clearly there are parallels between the two subjects. Whether it is seeing advertisement for the latest Curry One shoe, Kaiser Permanente promoting living a healthy lifestyle or even shopping on Black Friday/Cyber Monday the Warriors are able to relate to consumer culture in our everyday life. Although I know the companies are profit driven they always seem to get me to keep buying products that support my team or players, I am okay with that because I love the Warriors and will always bleed blue and gold. Works Cited Leonard, Annie. The Story of Stuff. N.p.: Free, 2010. Print. "NBA Partners with Kaiser Permanente." NBA.com. NBA, 22 Jan. 2015. Web. 29 Sept. 2015. Paula, Elle. "Psychological Effects of Sports on Children and Youth."LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 14 Aug. 2015. Web. 29 Sept. 2015. |