Tabitha Pankey Mr. Borrero English 1101 Nov.

26, 2012

Literacy Ethnography: UNC Charlotte Football

There are 3 minutes left in the 2nd half. Your team is down by a field goal and needs this touchdown to win the game. Its up to the quarterback to make sure this last play works. He is supposed to pass the ball to either the running back or anyone else who is open and can get to the end zone. The quarterback signals to the tackle to watch out because hes going to throw him the ball. He then makes sure that person is open and if not hell look for another opening. In the stands we see a bunch of boys ready to get a touchdown. From our point of view we see a lot of ways to get that touchdown needed to win the game. But from the players point of view they only see bodies, a lot of bodies, which are going for the ball. The quarterback uses signals to make sure everyone knows what is going on, his body language is vital. In football body language and code words are essential. You dont want the other team to know what your plays are and using body language and code words helps a lot with that. The way the players communicate with each other also affects the outcome of the game. The purpose of this ethnographic study is to examine the communication between football players and their teammates. We as fans need to understand the communication involved between players, especially since UNC Charlotte is approaching our first football game in 2013. Football is a contact sport therefore the way the players communicate is different from other sports. It is split into 3 teams, defense, offense, and special teams. Each team has a specific task. Defense is in charge of making sure the opposing team does not make it to the end

zone. Offense is in charge of scoring, of course. Special Teams is in charge of punt returns, extra points. The offensive line consists of a left and right tackle, left and right guard, tight end, and guard; it forms a T G C G T TE. The center stands right over the football and grabs it with his left hand. He puts his right hand on the grass next to the football right before the play starts. He is in charge of sweeping the ball through his legs and tossing it to the quarterback. He also determines where defense should go in order to protect the quarterback. The guards and tackles are an average of 300 pounds so that they can form a wall. They protect the quarterback from guys he cant see. The quarterback tells the other ten offensive players what the play is. He yells out various signals to let the other players know if there are any last minute changes. The tight end is in charge of blocking the cornerback, linebacker, or anyone else who is trying to ambush the quarterback, in order to slow them down. Behind the quarterback is the full back and running back. The full back makes a path for the running back to get open in order for him to catch the quarterbacks pass. The running back is in charge of running. He has to either run as far as possible to catch the quarterbacks pass or the quarterback will toss him the ball at the beginning of the play and he has to run toward the end zone. Lastly the receivers, they are in charge of being track stars. They need to be very fast and small compared to their teammates so they can maneuver around players easier. He is placed on the wide end of the offensive line so that he does not get hurt by the bigger guys and it requires the defense to have to look at a wider portion of the field. The Defense is in charge of stopping the opposing teams offense. They are defensive tackles and ends, cornerbacks, linebackers, and safeties. The ends and tackles form an ETTE, end/ tackle/ tackle/ end, line right in front of the offensive line. The job of the defensive tackle is

to stop the running back from being able to run right through the defensive line and up the field. The defensive ends are in charge of making sure the running back doesnt get around them. They are placed on the edge of the line. Linebackers are in charge of inflicting pain on the offense. There are three of them and they each have a specific area they are supposed to protect, the strong, middle, and weak sides. The linebacker on the weak side is smaller than the other two and needs to be fast. The cornerbacks and safeties are called secondary; this is because they are the second line of defense. There are two cornerbacks and safeties placed behind the linebackers and on either side of the defensive line. The cornerback is in charge of staying near the receivers so that they can prevent passes. There is a strong safety and a free safety. The strong safety is larger and protects the other team from running the ball. The free safety is supposed to be fast so that he can be wherever the ball is. They are both supposed to be good tacklers as well. Most people are only aware of offense and defense and do not know about this last team. Special team is in charge of punt returns. On this team are the kicker, punter, and long snapper. The kicker does the field goals and extra point attempts. The punter is in charge of punting the ball when the offense is stopped. The long snapper is in charge of snapping a ball 20 ft. backward so that it can be kicked or punted. The UNC Charlotte football team has not started playing actual games yet but I was able to sit in on their practice and scrimmage. The idea of football was not thought of until 2006 because UNC Charlotte was originally and all girls college. The football team and budget was approved in 2010 after a long journey with committees and student rallies, etc. The members of the football team have a reputation of being very boisterous and loud around campus. They are always together and make themselves known. On the field, however, they work together and execute a lot of that energy. In my interview with Jamal Covington, I asked why the team is so

loud whenever they are together. He responded, We are like a big family. We have to get the school hype in any way we can. In order for the players to work well on the field they have to know each other. Communication goes further than just passing a ball and tackling some people. At my first observation the team did several drills. It was like centers in elementary school, they switched stations every 10 minutes. The stations included pass plays, sprinting, and tackling. The players had to talk to each other and when one group was doing a task the others watched and encouraged their teammates. The scrimmage was very interesting as well. The special team wore orange tape on their helmets while offense and defense wore either home or away jerseys. It was hard to follow the scrimmage at first because I didnt know who was on offense and defense. In the end it was a very enriching experience to see that the team worked hard during a scrimmage which means theyll work even harder when the season starts. In conclusion, football can be a very complicated sport and hopefully this ethnography has informed someone like me who is hoping to expand their horizons because of the upcoming football season next fall. The purpose of this ethnographic study was to examine the communication between football players and their teammates which is just one part of this community. It is important for the UNC Charlotte community to understand what the upcoming football team does on the field.

MLA Citation 1. "Charlotte 49ers Football - Our Story." Charlotte 49ers Football - Our Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://www.charlotte49erfootball.com/our-story.html>. 2. "Football 101: Offensive Guards and Tackles." Football 101: Offensive Guards and Tackles. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://football.calsci.com/Positions2.html>. 3. Watterson, John Sayle. College football: History, spectacle, controversy. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002 4. Austin, Michael W. Football and Philosophy: Going Deep. Lexington, Ky: University Press of Kentucky, 2008 5. Green, Tim. Football Genius. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2007 6. Heyen, William. The Football Corporations: Poems. Wilkes-Barre, PA: Etruscan Press, 2012 7. Neft, David S, and Richard M. Cohen. The Football Encyclopedia: The Complete History of Professional Nfl Football, from 1892 to the Present. New York: St. Martin's, 1991