There seems to be an epidemic that has swept all of the nation and pop culture. It is consuming people of all age, gender, race, and religion. It is not a disease or a virus but has spread with the alarming speed of a mid-evil plague. Until recently I have hot given much thought about this movement, until I realized it is beginning to consume athletics. So I thought this would be a perfect blog topic. Hide yo kids, hide yo wife, cuz SWAG is coming.
I am not sure where it started. Maybe a Justin Beiber song or maybe it just appeared one day like a pesky pimple on your forehead. Either way once it came about it began to consume all of pop culture and as we know pop culture is directly tied into modern athletics. So what is it exactly?
let’s look at the definition of “Swag”.
According to knowyourmeme.com “Swag” is defined as:
1. An internet slang term often found in comments, discussion forums and image macros used as a synonym for “swagger,” a type of style or presence that exudes confidence and is sometimes interpreted as arrogance.
Webster Dictionary defines “Swagger” as:
1 : to conduct oneself in an arrogant or superciliously pompous manner; especially : to walk with an air of overbearing self-confidence
2 : Boast, brag
This is where the problem lays, the arrogance and “pretend” confidence that seems to have everyone strutting their stuff (regardless if their game can back it up).
When it comes to basketball there is no room for “Swag” or “Swagger”. It really feels like every kid I see is wearing a Nike t’s that says things like “Don’t Sweat My Swag”, “Swag Unit”, or “Swag Don’t Come Cheap”. Well I don’t know about you but I have had enough of swag. There is really no room in a good basketball player’s game for swag. My personal opinion is that swag is something that inferior players use to falsely bolster or boost their APPEARANCE of self-confidence.
LeBron James does not have swag. Kevin Durant does not have swag. Even the greatest of all time Michael Jordan did not have swag. All the greats have what I like to call competitive confidence. Competitive confidence is knowing that your skill set is better than your opponents, knowing that you have put in the extra work that your opponent did not, and knowing that you do not have to advertise to the world that you have the goods.
Swagger needs to die. Let your game speak for itself and leave the cocky, colorful, and lame T’s at home.