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In class the question of why basketball was chosen to be the main sport for the movie was brought up.  I was very intrigued by this question so I decided to do some research on the history of basketball. I found one website that I really found interesting.  One thing the website claimed that I think is one of the main reasons basketball was chosen for the sport was "basketball has symbolized the best and the worst of American culture". Throughout "O", the best and worst qualities of Oden are revealed.  He starts out as a very nice, dedicated basketball player, he loves his girlfriend, and is friendly towards most people.  As the movie progresses, Oden becomes extremely jealous of what he thinks D is doing.  Just as basketball symbolizes the worst of American culture, Oden's worst qualities start to come out and are shown at their peak when he pushes Mike down in practice and attempts to beat him up before he is pulled off of him.  The website also shares that basketball is associated with black men most of the time, and Oden is a black man.  I couldn't find anything on wither or not the actually playing of basketball has any significance which could help in determining why it was the sport chosen.  I found the short article on the website very informative and if you were wondering why basketball was the sport chosen also check it out!