IDENTITY
Baskin”, a term inspired by the words “basketball” and “inclusion”, is an innovative sports discipline – made in Italy – specifically designed to enhance the participation of everyone without any kind of discrimination. It can be considered as a “generalization” of basketball, accepting the challenge of making the emotions of this traditional sport universally accessible. But as well as seeing in Baskin the radical “generalisation” of an already existing sport, it is necessary to recognise more deeply that we are facing the birth of a new sport, which has its own identity and its own generative force, offering new emotions to be experienced…
ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT
Born on an experimental basis in a middle school in Cremona in the years 2001-2004, Baskin is practiced today in 10 Italian regions by over 8,000 pupils in numerous primary and secondary schools that have grasped its high educational value and by almost 2,000 players in about 100 pioneering sports clubs. These numbers show concretely how much this activity is really intercepting a real need but also a desire of the population. In tune with the cultural sensibility and challenges of 21st century society, Baskin is also successfully spreading in several European countries, already resulting in various international events, and soon in the first European championship (2018 in Veneto).
In the modern Olympic and Paralympic panorama, Baskin represents a sports prototype that could herald – according to some universities – the possibility of a new generation of Olympic Games in the coming decades: the All’ympic Games!
PRACTICERS
Baskin is inspired by Basketball, daring to “universalise” its practicability in a way that is radically open to all: males and females, people with and without disabilities, whether physical or intellectual, with much or little sporting experience, with high or low technical skills in basketball. The concern of knowing whether or not one is suitable for this sport vanishes, as the perspective is turned upside down: it is Baskin that has been made suitable for human plurality.
Once the size of the target group has been clarified, the quality of the experience offered to everyone must also be stressed. In fact, each team member is given the opportunity to express their potential to the full. What is more, they are given the opportunity to be publicly recognised as a person capable of contributing effectively to collective success: it is on each and every one of them that the team can count and must learn to invest if it is to achieve its final goal. All players – even those with severe disabilities – can experience the gratification of feeling decisive in the game thanks to their actions, first and foremost by making a basket, as a common goal in which everyone recognizes themselves.
METHODOLOGICAL AND ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
Thanks to a regulatory architecture designed for everyone, it can be said that Baskin is based on the methodological principles of “design for all”, which is why it was awarded the 1st International Design for all Foundation Prize in 2011. In fact, the technical-pedagogical design of the Baskin consists of adapting material (6 baskets), space (2 protected areas), rules (5 roles) and communication (tutoring). The attribution to each player of his own role, precisely codified, allows to give a spine to the game, adjusting the composition of the various teams in a balanced way.
The ethical principle that guides this process of pedagogical engineering is the search for fairness in competition, thanks to a complex and ingenious balance between competition and participation by all, between rewarding excellence and protecting fragility, between regulatory constraints and individual freedom of expression, between aspiration to recognition of one’s own merit (private interest) and commitment to recognition of the merit of others (public interest, common good).
Under this condition, it is possible not only to respect the dignity of each person but also to highlight the excellence that each person possesses, without giving space to charity or pietism, suggesting – with the metaphor of sport – the possibility of building a more inclusive society.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHe-Pkrp1Ng&feature=emb_title
SOME IMAGES (to better discover Baskin)
In addition to “explaining the Baskin”, it is certainly essential to be able to “show” it:
- Official presentation video (2 minutes):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHe-Pkrp1Ng&feature=emb_title - Promotional spot (1 minute):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WB_1NEQoaM - National Finals Spot 2015 (3 minutes):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCwYPWTqGZc - Rai Sport “Baskin per tutti” (1 minute and 30 sec):
http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raiSport/media/Baskin-per-tutti-1951bdd1-d077-446e-8caa-9d316b7134e5.html - Rai Sport “Baskin, nessuno escluso” (7 minutes):
http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raiSport/media/Baskin-nessuno-escluso-d7c684b1-1487-40fd-87dd-00a16e9e38ae.html - National Finals 2017 (TV: 2 complete matches with italian comments):
- (MILANO vs VALLE D’AOSTA) 1st – 2nd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBi_mpBIBq8
- (PESARO vs SICILIA) 3rd – 4th:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o72Otol6few
MORE?
After having briefly “explained” in writing what Baskin is (first level), and after having suggested to “watch” some videos (second level), we could also suggest (third level) to “live a Baskin experience” through direct practical experimentation!
Welcome to one of the many sports clubs practicing Baskin!!!