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slamdunkhcs · 21 days

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This is something I’ve thought about for a hot minute and i wanted to make an essay on it :))

socioeconomics in slam dunk

Like many things in life, basketball is a money sport. While inherent talent and skill is incredibly important, without the resources and opportunities to succeed, you can only get so far.

Throughout Slam Dunk, the importance of money and how it has a massive role in the world of basketball is not explicitly stated, but through the depictions of different teams in the series, it is prevalent.

We are first introduced to Shohoku High, a public school in Kanagawa. Shohoku is not a “poor” or “ghetto” school, but it is by no means a prestigious school either. Shohoku is initially depicted to be an ordinary school, but we are also shown how it has delinquency and school fights — especially among its protagonist and his “gang”

Shohoku’s normalcy is extended into its clubs, in particular, its basketball club. This club isn’t necessarily “run down” or “at risk of not existing anymore”, but aside from its coach (Coach Anzai, a man who used to coach the Japanese national team) and Akagi, their star center, Shohoku’s basketball team doesn’t have much going for it. Due to being a public school, Shohoku doesn’t have the money incentive to recruit star players (like some other schools I will mention soon), and most stars (besides Rukawa LOLLL) won’t go to an ordinary school “on a whim”

Moreover, the financial disparities become even more personal through the experiences of the characters themselves.

Sakuragi is hinted at to be poor, and the notion that basketball is “pay to play” is first explored through him in volume three, where Hikoichi (a player from Ryonan who “scouts” their competition) points out that it is strange Sakuragi doesn’t have basketball shoes, but he is quick to tell himself that it is likely because Sakuragi can’t afford them. Many basketball shoes, especially the Jordans that Sakuragi obtains throughout the series, are well over the $150-200 USD price range. While it is possible to play without basketball shoes, not having shoes that are designed for basketball automatically puts a player at a slight disadvantage.

This brings into question how resources—or the lack thereof—can subtly but significantly influence the trajectory of a player’s journey and a team’s potential for success. Sakuragi was lucky to have gotten practically free basketball shoes due to the generosity of a store owner, but those costs were his own out-of-pocket expenses. Unfortunately, a public school without special stipends for their programs cannot provide financial assistance to provide some of the resources to nurture potentially talented players.

While schools like Shohoku do not have funds to incentivize players or potential talent to come their way, they also do not have the funds to incentivize star coaches to coach at these schools. While Shohoku was able to have gotten Anzai (who wanted to retire by coaching highschool basketball), many public schools do not have that same luck.

In fact, the reason that two of the starting players, Mitsui and Miyagi, even decided to attend Shohoku was due to its coach, Coach Anzai. I think this goes to show that if a school invests in incentives like star coaches or a star basketball program, then these talented players will want to attend.

In terms of schools who provide ALL the incentives, and has thus led to star teams, I want to focus on Kainan, Shoyo, and (especially) Ryonan.

All are labelled as prestigious, private schools with amazing basketball programs, with Kainan having a stellar track record at nationals. But why is that? How did they get so.. good?

If I had to best answer this, money.

Ryonan is known to have scouted its star players, with Coach Taoka even scouting Sendoh and Fukuda from a junior high in Tokyo. For reference, Kanagawa is about two hours away from Tokyo, so Coach Taoka has to provide incentives for these boys to move to a different prefecture rather than staying in a city that likely has many powerhouse schools. In his case, these incentives would likely be full rides to Ryonan, as well as extra stipends to cover these student’s additional costs (such as food, money to move away, etc). Since Ryonan has the funding to do this, Coach Taoka is able to travel around to different areas, find these hidden talents, and bring them over to Ryonan. Public schools like Shohoku, who do not have allocated funds for sports programs, do not have this opportunity… and thus, are at an automatic disadvantage.

It is not explicitly stated how prestigious of a school Shoyo is, but having a program-related disadvantage affecting their players is prevalent. They do not have an official coach (for an unmentioned reason), and their star player Fujima has to coach his teammates as a result. Unfortunately, this additional responsibility prevented him from focusing on his own skills. I do believe Shoyo IS a school that has funding, but this highlights how a program being neglected directly impacts the strength of a team.

Another team I wanted to point out is Toyotama, a team that faced some of the most immense pressure in the entire series.

While Minami and Kishimoto, the team’s leaders, are characterized as “brute assholes”, it is shown that their irrational behavior stems from their pressure to perform well in order to potentially bring back their former coach, Coach Kitano.

Although Toyotama is 8th in the country, for the investors in their school’s basketball program, this isn’t enough. And thus… Coach Kitano was fired in the hopes of getting a coach who could lead the team to a better performance.

For these prestigious schools, their end goal is making a return on their investments. After all, what is the point of pouring all that money and resources for a team that doesn't even land them in the news?

While this is sad, it is very realistic. And as a result... even though Toyotama has a prestigious program, they felt even more pressure to *make a return." and this pressure poured into the team and their behavior.

However, the school that truly encapsulates the opportunities that money and resources provide for their players is Sannoh Technical High School.

Sannoh is practically a world class basketball team, with "anyone in Japan who gives a damn about basketball knows them", a team that had won nationals for years on end.

But how can one team be so good, let alone having a lasting legacy of greatness?

While their players are undoubtedly talented, Sannoh has invested aplenty into nurturing their players' talents.

Like Coach Taoka of Ryonan, Sannoh’s Coach Damoto scouts the best and brightest for their team. Eji Sawakita, although residing in a different prefecture, was discovered and scouted by Sannoh. While it isn't explicitly said how many players they scouted, or what incentives they provided Sawakita (aside from opportunities and their prestige), it can be inferred that Sannoh likely looks for the best and brighest to be apart of their teams.

In addition to the money and resources spent scouting, Sannoh provides their team with immense opportunities that most schools do not.

It is stated that Sawakita had been sent on a trip abroad to play basketball in America, and that he even learned new techniques during his trip. To say the least, a trip like that is... expensive. To send students to a country across the world just to play basketball is a hefty price to pay, and yet Sannoh was willing to pay it.

To prepare for Shohoku's match, Coach Damoto arranged a practice match with Sannoh alum who have a similar playstyle to Shohoku. While it is possible that these alum were willing to volunteer their time doing this, Damoto going out of his way to bring them all together and schedule that practice match is something that likely cost a significant amount to make happen. And it is certainly an opportunity that many schools would not provide.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to compete with money, and this sentiment is universal for any sector.

But what makes Shohoku’s victory over all these powerhouse schools, especially Sannoh, so shocking is the fact it is an “ordinary, no name school.” Theoretically, Shohoku would never beat a team like Sannoh, especially given the fact that Shohoku didn’t even have half the money, resources, and opportunities that Sannoh does.

Yet… Shohoku did it. And I think this part of why Slam Dunk is such a beautiful story: an ordinary team was, even for a moment, able to be extraordinary.

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rose-colored-sd · 8 months

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thought of them

#slam dunk #eiji sawakita #mitsui hisashi #meme

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azzurro-due · 7 months

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山王高校

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mochisdoll · 2 years

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omg hi i really like what you wrote for sd :)

if it’s okay, id love to see you write for sawakita, kiyota, and mitsui having a first kiss with their s/o

Feat. Mitsui, Sawakita, & Kiyota

Mitsui

At 6:00 PM on a Sunday afternoon, Mitsui found himself, laying on your bedroom floor, watching a horror movie with you.

He wishes he could tell you anything that happened but he honestly cannot. All he remembers is how close you laid next to him, that your shoulders were touching and that when he turns his head your face is right there.

When the credits finally roll, his head is already turned in your direction when you look at him. The room is still dark, light peeking through the covered windows.

“I think it was pretty good.” You say to him.

“Yeah, me too.” He is barely listening as his eyes flick down from your eyes to your lips.

You take notice and begin to lean in, but then alarm bells are going off in Mitsui’s head. He’s never kissed anyone, and here you are leaning towards him, but laying sideways. The kiss just got 10 times more complicated. Does he go for the top lip or the bottom? Does it matter? What if it really really does?

He sighs before deciding on, “Can you sit upright? So I can do this right?”

You laugh, relieved that he only stopped the kiss just to get a better angle.

Once the two of you sat upright he placed a hand on your face, leaning in and pressing his lips to yours. It’s slow but firm. When he pulls away he has to hide the huge grin trying to overtake his face.

Sawakita

Sawakita had always been slow with his advances. You had asked him out, knowing of his feelings for months, and never receiving a confession, so you took matters into your own hands.

Now a month into dating and he had yet to kiss you. You knew what you had to do.

On a trip to the beach, after a day in the sun, you sat side by side on a nearly empty beach, soon to pack up and leave.

“We should do this again soon.” Sawakita said to you, smiling brightly at you.

You looked over at him, the sun casting a warm light on his lightly sunburnt face, and you knew.

“We really should.” You smile back, placing a hand on his shoulder, pulling him forward a bit as you place your lips onto his.

Pulling away you see his bright red face and wide eyes.

“You just kissed me.” He says slowly, still staring at you owlishly.

“I did.”

“We should do this again soon.” He tries to say nonchalantly while looking away from you. A smug grin ghosting his face.

“Yeah, if you can ever work up the courage to do it again.” You sigh, rolling your eyes.

“I was just waiting for the right moment! You beat me to it.” He defends. “I’ll definitely be the one to do it next time.”

Kiyota

“So this is what you needed me for so desperately?” You ask as you climb through the window, joining Kiyota on his roof.

That was five weeks ago that you two started dating. Five weeks with almost no progress.

“I wasn’t desperate! I just said that I wanted to see you is all…” He trailed off as he avoided meeting your eyes.

You sat down next to him, dangling your legs off the roof, so close your knees nearly bumped. “Seemed to me like you’d die if I didn’t come.”

“God whatever…” Kiyota scoffed and then fell into an uncharacteristic silence.

You studied his clouded expression before you spoke again. “Is there something wrong? Something you want to tell me?” You leaned in to further inspect his face for a sign.

His face slowly shifted, a smirk forming as he looked up at you. “You’re so worried about me.” He grinned. “It’s more something I have to show you.”

“What is it?”

“This.”

Kiyota lightly took your face into his hands as he leaned in, pressing a firm kiss on your lips, a cheeky grin enveloping his face as he pulled back.

You sat stunned. “Couldn’t have given a warning?” You asked, covering your face.

“Nuh-uh. Had to be a surprise.” He pulled you into his side, slinging an arm across your shoulder.

Finally, I’m healthy again. This took wayyy too long, but I got it done! I did it for my basketball boys that I love so much.

#slam dunk #mitsui x reader #mitsui hisashi x reader #mitsui hisashi #kiyota x reader #nobunaga kiyota #nobunaga Kiyota x reader #eiji Sawakita #Sawakita x reader #Eiji Sawakita x reader #slam dunk x reader

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chemical-etk · 1 year

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はむはー！

#スラムダンク #山王 #深津一成 #沢北栄治 #slam dunk #sannoh #kazunari fukatsu #eiji sawakita #2023

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leiandroid · 2 years

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WELCOME TO AMERICA 🇺🇸🦅

#eiji sawakita #sawakita eiji #slam dunk #dumb idea i had to draw lmao #my art #leiandroid

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pondedirty · 9 months

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2023.08.03

山王戦の日に山王戦観に行けてめちゃめちゃ楽しかった〜！！！

沢北さんのチケット良すぎる、しごおわで疲れてたし明日も仕事だけど行ってよかった…(湘北に入って良かったのテンションで)

#the first slam dunk #eiji sawakita

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s0-das · 11 months

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#fanart #slam dunk #sawakita eiji #eiji sawakita

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iskandarr · 2 years

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A CRYBABY, YO!

#slam dunk #kazunari fukatsu #masashi kawata #eiji sawakita #sannoh

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purplesugarbabe · 2 years

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bro i LOVE how you write istg 🥲🥲🥲 if it’s okay can you do hcs of sawakita getting comforted by his s/o?? he cries alot so i think he would need emotional support :(

Omg thank you so much! It means a lot to me 😭 Sawakita is so sweet, I hope this is close to what you had in mind!

✨Sawakita Eiji headcanons ✨

We all know Sawakita is a very sensitive person.

He tries to do his best at basketball and prove he is worth it.

Practice tends to break him down. He can't take anymore pressure so he ends up pouring out all of his emotions to you.

At first you are shocked. Seeing Sawakita crying like this breaks your heart into a million pieces.

You quickly wrap your hands around him and pull him into a tight hug.

You let him cry. It will help him calm down after a while.

You slowly pat his back trying to make him feel better.

You don't know what to do. He is an excellent basketball player but all this pressure is killing him.

You carefully wipe his tears away and smile at him.

You two end up cuddling and talking about what stresses him the most.

He likes resting his head on your shoulder while your legs are wrapped around his waist and your hands around his torso.

After he explains to you, he lets you talk.

The sound of your voice calms him down.

He closes his eyes for a bit while you're talking and ends up falling asleep in the end.

He is finally relaxed. No more pressure, no more stress.

You are the only one who can make Sawakita feel better. Being there for him means the world to him.

I hope you liked it! 💙✨

#slam dunk anime #slam dunk manga #slamdunk #slam dunk headcanons #slam dunk #eiji sawakita #please love him #someone give him a hug #poor baby

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a-s-t-a-r-i-o-n · 1 month

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make me choose» @courtesanofdeath asked: shohoku vs ryonan or shohoku vs sannoh

#shounenedit #slamdunkedit #animeedit #courtesanofdeath #thank you for asking!! i'm always so happy to make some slam dunk content #i still really love the ryonan vs shohoku match i think it's my second favorite actually but sannoh was going to be first no question asked #the first slam dunk #slam dunk #rukawa kaede #sakuragi hanamichi #sawakita eiji #miyagi ryota #mitsui hisashi #akagi takenori #スラムダンク #my edits

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slamdunkhcs · 1 month

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THIS IS SOMETHING I TALKED TO MY FRIEND ABPIT OMCE AND I THOUGHT ITD BE FUNNY TO POST

slam dunk boys on tiktok

Mitsui

Mitsui would lowkey be the mf that posts cringy dancing videos/trends to make himself go viral. BUT IT WOULDNT WORK 😂😂😂😂

And he’d be annoyed asl about that. I feel like he’d be the type to chase clout on social media and he’d be FIENDING for those likes and followers.

I FEEL LIKE HE’D BE A LIL THIRSTY ON TIKTOK — like he wouldn’t be up in girls’ tiktok comments but he would def like and repost any girl he thinks is pretty. AND IF HE WAS FEELING BRAVE, he would find and add the girl’s IG.

His for you page would be a mix of pretty girls, NBA basketball player edits, and like sped up music. He’d be making edits of his own basketball highlights with capcut and posting them 😂

He’d spam videos to Ryota and Sakuragi, especially basketball edits.

Miyagi

Ngl he’d be the only one on the team to fr have clout 😂😂😂

He would post both thirst traps AND photos/videos of ayako. He’d love to post her to the cute TikTok trends (like this). Ayako would jus like the post and not say ANYTHING

One thing about Miyagi is that he dresses GOOD, and he’s gonna show that off! He’d post outfit of the day videos and he’d gatekeep tf out of his clothes. Like he’d straight up ignore any comments asking him where he got his clothes from 💀

He seems like the type to not respond to ANY TikToks he’s sent. Like Sakuragi would SPAM videos and Ryota isnt even opening any of them

If Ayako sends him things on TikTok tho.. OPENED IN LESS THAN A SECOND. He’d have his notifications turned on too so whenever she posts, he is all up in her comments. He’d reply to any other guy in her comments talking some “She’s mine lil bro”

Rukawa

I don’t think Rukawa would be very into social media, but if there’s one social that he has, it’d be TikTok

He’d probably have a completely empty acc with like no pfp, 6 followers, and no posts. He would NOT care about being famous on there, although if he even jus posted a video of himself, he’d instantly go viral.

His fyp would be cats, music recommendations, english lessons, and basketball. That boy has NO interest in anything else on there. And he thinks that the other guys’ videos are corny, especially if he saw Ryota’s thirst traps 💀.

But if he EVERRR made a guest appearance on the guys’ videos, he would instantly blow up. Like all the comments would be asking him who he is, what his @ is, and why he’s so mf fine. He’d make his acc private after that 😂

I like to think that his fan girls would try to find his TikTok and stalk his reposts to see what kind of guy Rukawa is, and what he likes

Sawakita

HE’D DEF BE FAMOUS ON TIKTOK, maybe even more followers than Miyagi.

I think he’d initially blow up bc him and his teammates would do the dance trends for fun during practice, but all the girls would comment things like “That guy in the middle is so fine 😍” or “He’s the only fine one 😭😭”. AND HE’D BE USING IT AS A WAY TO DISS ON THEM, like “None of those girls even want you” 😂 (then he gets his ass whopped)

Ok I don’t think he’s the type to be thirsty but from time to time, he’d def like and repost a pretty girl on his fyp AND HIS FAN GIRLS WOULD NOTICE IT AND GO CRAZY.

He’d def post highlights from his games over famous tiktok sounds (LIKE THE “I done did the impossible” one) and he’d have girls from diff schools start showing up to his games after finding him off TikTok

I feel like he’d jus post on Tiktok for fun? Like he’d post a little bit of everything; basketball, him lipsyncing songs, dance videos with his friends, and even TikTok lives. He wouldn’t really care about being famous on TikTok so he’d jus post whatever makes him feel good yk?

I like to think that he follows the Shohoku boys (even Rukawa somehow) and from time to time, he comments on their posts with “🔥🔥🔥”