Responses to "The Heresy of Zone Defense" and "The Cheese Monkeys"

     I found the "The Heresy of Zone Defense" to be an interesting article regarding how rules have restricted and liberated the freedom and creativity of basketball as a sport.  I was particularly interested in the comparisons drawn to fine art.  The establishment of rules can have drastic implications on how anything creative gets played out.  People often try to have better control and understanding of a topic or area of interest by developing rules.  However, as the article points out, doing this can have a negative impact and hinder the full potential of that topic.  I am also a bit of a sports nut so the comparison of basketball to fine art grabbed my attention.  The fast paced opening paragraph provides excitement before the author segways into his more serious point.

     While I appreciate the argument made by the author, Dave Hickey, I believe he could have made his point in a more concise document.  Other examples and more than just a couple comparisons to fine art would have made a stronger case for his argument regarding rules in basketball.  At times he also states that basketball has developed these rules that restrict it yet without such rules, the sport would change in nature and identity.  Pushing the limits of these rules are the cause for the reactions in the crowd which he describes.

     In the article titled, "The Cheese Monkeys," I found the sarcastic comments inserted by the author to be humorous and they kept the reader's attention.  I appreciated the discussion regarding the governing theories behind formal arrangements.  It introduced several concepts, Left to Right, Big vs Small, Top to Bottom, and in Front of and in Back of, which are very influential in any message depicted by art or propaganda.  I am regularly aware of these ideas, yet due the thinking of the Western world, I understand the implied implications subconsciously.  I believe these basic concepts will aid me in formal compositions both in this class and future artistic endeavors.    

     The article itself didn't bother me, but it prompted me to consider how this world might be different if these governing theories were inverted or did not exist.  People understand particular implied meanings based on the formal arrangement of objects within a composition.  However, these meanings would cease to exist or falter if such rules did not influence our subconscious.  The composition of objects to produce a message or meaning relies heavily on these organizational principles and would struggle mightily without them.