Maurice Troy

March 30, 2014

Drew Peterson
ENGL 1101
Mini Ethnography
UNC Charlotte Basketball team

When the following assignment was assigned to us for English class, I didnt
know what to write about this time or what the hell was a mini ethnography. As our
teacher Drew explain more about our task in writing this mini ethnography by
incorporating 2 weeks of readings that we did during class. Those two readings were
about John Swales and Sean Branick with their meanings of what is the true meaning of
what a Discourse community truly is. A discourse community is a group of people who
share a set of discourses, understood as basic values and assumptions, and ways of
communicating about those goals (Oxford Dictionary). Swales explains a discourse as
"groups that have goals or purposes, and use communication to achieve these goals."
I chose to do my ethnography about the UNC Charlotte basketball team since I
have been to majority of their games this year than any other team (more than football
too!!). I strongly believe that the basketball team for UNC Charlotte is a discourse
community because of what the team believes in, the players/ students that are a part of
the team, the fans, and for the 49er pride that live by each and every day.
To be recognize as a discourse community by others, especially John Swales,
the discourse community that you are arguing for must follow Swales six defining
characteristics of a discourse community. These characteristics are:
A discourse community:
1. Has a broadly agreed set of common public goals.
2. Has mechanisms of intercommunication among its members.
3. Uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback.
4. Utilizes and hence possesses one or more genres in the communicative
furtherance of its aims.
5. In addition to owning genres, it has acquired some specific lexis.
6. Has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and
discoursal expertise.
Lets see if the UNC Charlotte is a discourse community according to John Swales
arguments.
First, let argue that UNC Charlotte basketball share common goals that they probably
set individually or as a team pre and post basketball season. Each day the basketball
team workout in the Student Activities Center (SAC) to ensure they are keeping healthy
enough for practice every day. As I watch some of the players from the team work on
some drills on the court, other key players like Pierria Henry, Ben Cherry, Mike Thorne,
and Shawn Lester, etc. just shooting around the court; helping each other to perfect
small key aspects in their offensive arsenal. Mike and Henry were working on their post
move drives and working on drills to score around the paint area of the court. Lester
and Cherry were working on their perimeter offense shooting 3s like no other. I never
seen any of them miss any shots from downtown for a short while. I notice that they
were pushing each other in practice like they were actually were playing the game right
now. I listed some Lexis that I would say about the overall team and they were uniforms
and that they were part of the 49er community. Even if they did not have a game at that
time, each player had some Charlotte uniform apparel on from the shorts to the shirts
that they were wearing. And even though they were athletes, they were still students.
Like everyday students, like you and me, that take different or similar classes to earn
some type of degree. I would list the overall teams genres as green, white, and gold to
represent the school colors. Also I would list the cheerleaders and the Gold Dusters as
a genre for the team because they are a main support group for the team that helps
pump up the players and the fans in the crowd as well.
To be more specifically about calling our basketball team a discourse community,
I broke my ethnography into 3 main parts/ components to further support my ideas. By
stating that the UNC Charlotte basketball team is a discourse community, I saying that
it take a village to raise a child. In other words, it takes multiple sources of support to
acknowledge and help grow this program to where it is right now. I say that the coach,
Alan Major, the players themselves, and the fans/ students help make the Charlotte
basketball team a discourse community.
Starting with Coach Alan Major, his main priority is to make sure his players and
staff is ready mentally and physically ready for game day. Some of goals that I listed for
Coach Major would be preparing himself and his players, coaching effective plays for
his team to perform and execute well. Some of his Lexis were 42 which is their man to
man defense, timeout, 23 which was their 2-3 zone defense, Lets go boys, etc. I
would say that some of his genres could be say by anybody who was observing him
would say that they would be his suit, his assistants, and his receded hairline of what is
left of his hair.
Also the players are individually responsible of becoming a discourse community
by others by doing well for the team during practice before games, and preforming on
the next level during game time to ensure a win for UNCC. That was one of my goals
that I would list for all the players that were associated with the team. Also that and to
win for the Niner community. If this could be achieve the fan base and the players are
on a new level because the fans get the players hype and excited which help enhance
the performances in their game. Some of their Lexis that I listed for them were Pick n
Roll, 42, 23, AND1, etc. I would characterize their genre as having the same
uniform and apparel on during practice and game day. Shoes were the same colors of
their uniforms, and some worn sleeves to help warm up their shooting arm.
Primarily, I would say that the fans help support the team the most by showing up
on game and giving their all in screams and shows to help their fellow Niners win the
basketball game. Some of the goals that I listed for them were to help motivate the team
by cheering and getting loud each and every play. Some of their Lexis were
FORTY.NINERS, LETS GO CHARLOTTE, etc. As I went to majority of the games
this season, I noticed that most of the crowd were wearing either green or white on
game days. Face paint, UNC Charlotte apparel, and they were very loud when we did
something good or score some crucial points.
Throughout many observations during practice, pre-game workouts, and during
game time, I would strongly say that the UNC Charlotte basketball team is a discourse
community share the same interests and passions of doing well for themselves and for
their school as well. All of the players and staff have common set goals that they set in
the beginning of the season before any games were near, that they were going to be
something by the end of the season. That they would change before of the end of the
season whether its in the game or as a person/ student. Through my evidence, I would
strongly say that UNC Charlotte basketball team IS a discourse community.