An essential part of any game or tournament is not just about scoring points, it is also about the theatrics of the game expressed in the honest emotions of the players. Now a viral video shows a group of third graders engaged in a game of basketball with over-the-top expressions. The players can be seen expressing victory with raised fists and shouts after netting and catering to cameras with dramatic gestures. This footage was recorded during a match of the 2023 Snowball Classic basketball tournament in the USA that took place between January 12 to 14. The clip was posted online by the basketball-centric Twitter account Courtside Film (@CourtsideFilms) on January 17. So far it has over 7.5 million views. Smh. We need to set a better exemple for this new generation man — Evan Fournier (@EvanFourmizz) January 17, 2023 While many people found the video entertaining, several people argued that such combative body language should not be encouraged as it is antithetical to sportsmanship. Some people also noted that the kids emulate the behaviour of professional basketball players who often stage aggression during televised matches. French professional basketball player Evan Fournier retweeted the video and wrote, “Smh. We need to set a better example for this new generation man”. Another made a similar remark and wrote, “Coached youth basketball for past 5 years, anytime one of my players acted this way I addressed it with them, especially my son. Their coaches can do better. Celebrating and cheering for teammates is great but there is a line.”
