Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/134350
The Art of Manliness Continued tion is tighter and based on long-standing kinship and community ties, and its members' nicknames are left to emerge naturally.The Vory, on the other hand, are a much looser and fragmented organization which originates not from bloodlines but in prison, and is made up of members of different nationalities and ethnicities. So it is interesting to note that Vory choose their own nickname when they are initiated into the group, instead of having them assigned by others. The way in which the breakdown of the male group leads to the disappearance of nicknames can be seen in sports as well. In addition to the reasons for the decline of athlete nicknames mentioned above, it can also be traced to a breakdown in the bonds among players (who, besides reporters, were the ones who used to mint monikers for each other). Players don't typically stay with one team and with a single set of teammates for very long anymore, and when they are with a team, they spend less time socializing with their teammates.As NBA Hall of Famer Walt "Clyde" Frazier put it: "With the communication age, everybody's on the computer, the cellphones, there's not a lot of communication.When we traveled, there were only three channels, and all during the day, there was nothing but soaps on," Frazier added."So the guys spent a lot of time together, playing cards, talking, hanging around in the same places, traveling together on the bus or whatever it might be.There was a lot of camaraderie among the players." As it is on the hardwood, so it is in life. As tight-knit groups of men becomes more scarce, nicknames disappear too. All of which is to say, it's harder than ever to become a T-Bone these days…or even a Koko.> JOBS for TEAMS | 26 JobsForTeams0613_manliness.indd 6 www.jobsforteams.com 5/7/13 11:08 AM