The Fall of And 1

After school Friday, I stayed until 6pm entering grades into the computer and getting organized. I tried the television in the room just to see and, lo and behold, the thing gets basic cable! Friday afternoon isn’t the best time for TV, evidently, because I couldn’t find anything worth watching and I finally settled on the AND 1 Mixtape Tour on ESPN2.

I remember when I find learned about AND 1, the company. “AND 1″ is such a clever name for a company that makes basketball shoes, I thought, because phrase pertains to basketball plus it means so much more. In basketball, “and 1″ is a term meaning a player made a shot while getting fouled. That player receives the 2 or 3 points for his field goal, AND 1 free throw. And 1’s are exciting things and they are crowd-pleasing and they help the team. Some shots are easier than others to complete, but getting fouled in the process is icing on the cake.

And 1 is more than just a play in a basketball game, though. It is symbolic of the struggle. To me, And 1 is a person completing the task or achieving their dream despite the obstacles lining the path. There’s no shame in a player missing a shot if he was fouled, but the idea is that getting an And 1 means someone did what no one expected him to do. So isn’t that a great concept? Especially marketed to Black people…there’s pride in accomplishing your goal in spite of roadblocks and/or the low expectations from onlookers.

Two things have tarnished the And 1 phrase, in my opinion. First, is that not all basketball players share my concept of And 1. On the court, “And 1″ has become synonymous with “foul”, meaning players say “And 1″ whenever they are shooting and get fouled, regardless of whether the shot goes in. Sure there was a foul and there was no expectation to succeed, but there was no success. To say “And 1″ indicates success, and I just feel that it diminishes the term for people who use it correctly. Second, is the Mixtape Tour. I think people get the company and the phrase mixed up and now instead of being associated with overcoming obstacles, And 1 is associated with showboating, no defense, the Professor and carrying. There’s nothing wrong with that stuff on the Mixtape Tour, don’t get me wrong. But I feel that both the company and the expression used to stand for something more noble and now that is lost.