For many people, the name dennis rodman is not only associated with the image of a basketball player, but also with colorful hair and shocking tattoos. His arm is covered with a shark jumping over the sun, an "8" fluttering in the wind, Egyptian hieroglyphics, the moon, dice, the head of his daughter Alex, a series of numbers, and even the home phone number of his favorite old coach chuck daley ... Rodman vowed to run naked on the court, and there was another goal, which was to get a tattoo all over his body before he died. 10 years ago, Rodman was the only tattoo worth mentioning among NBA players. Now almost 70% of the players in the league have tattoos, and even tattoos have been replaced by the more fashionable word "body art".
NBA players are not the only ones who mark their bodies with ink and silver needles. There are also many tattoo lovers in other sports, but NBA jerseys are the most convenient to show these carefully designed patterns. Nowadays, players choose tattoos just like choosing hairstyles. Camby has his initials tattooed on his arm, Pippen has small tattoos on his biceps and legs, Michael Jordan has a horseshoe-shaped fraternity logo, O 'Neill's left shoulder has the logo of Superman, an American comic hero, and ben wallace's right arm is a symbol of Big Ben in Britain, but Wallace is also a fan of animated characters. He actually carved two villains Taz (fierce-looking) on his body.
However, the speed of this sport is so fast that it is difficult for you to recognize even the most obvious tattoos on the court. Many interesting tattoos are hidden under jerseys or socks.
Some players, like ray allen and Kobe (sic, Kobe has tattoos now) don't have tattoos. Some fans think that some "old school" or modest players have unexpectedly got tattoos. Malone is a bison pattern, and Weber is a bulldog. Pollard's tattoo is the craziest-the son of poison, which makes people doubt its significance. As for retired Navy Captain david robinson, although he didn't have a tattoo, a fan in New Mexico carved a full-length portrait of him on his back.
The left arm of Nets power forward Martin is: "Only God knows the future, and I am willing to move forward according to God's will." On the right biceps is a lovely smiling face of my son, which reads "Nourish meat with meat and nourish blood with blood". Under the right shoulder is the name of Martin's mother Lydia, and on the left forearm are the four Chinese characters "Be swayed by considerations of gain and loss", but Martin's understanding is "never satisfied".
Iverson is not only on the court, but also fully qualified to be elected as the NBA MVP-he has more than 20 tattoos all over his body, some of which you can see and more of which you can't see.
Why does Iverson have a tattoo of "CT" on his neck? What's on chris webber's chest? How's karl malone's leg? What exactly does it mean to paint Marbury's whole body with patterns? Why is Shaq O 'Neill, who dreams of becoming a policeman, engraved with "Opposing the Law"? why ...
There are at least 35% tattoo players in the NBA. Do you know the secret that happened to them? As a crazy NBA fan, no one will tolerate his ignorance in this respect. What should we do next? Andrew gottlieb's new book The Art of Body: The Secret of NBA Tattoos is undoubtedly the best choice. This new book of 1 12 pages shows readers the skin of NBA stars most clearly and describes the story of tattoos in the most detail. O 'Neill, Iverson, Bibi, Weber, Ross, Christie and Martin all showed their works of art in the book.
book review
A book that is now ranked fifth on the Amazon bestseller list, a book that can increase your understanding of the NBA body. Want to have it right away? But before that, let's listen to the buyer's comments.
Eric Caton (business worker): This book didn't leave much impression on me. I think it should have more details about tattoos and better pictures. Most of the pictures in the book can be seen online, and only a few are new pictures. If you like tattoos or sports, this is a good collection, but the tattoo and meaning of players are not enough, and some pictures are not even illustrated.
Recommended index: Malan Johnson (senior high school student): This book is not just an atlas of tattoo players, although it does have some great pictures. Clever writing, rich content, interesting and comprehensive. The explanation of the player's tattoo is very interesting and profound enough. My only complaint is that the color of this painting should be brighter. I recommend this book to any NBA or skin art lover.
Recommended index: ★★★★★★★
Carve love on the skin
Kobe was an alien. He said he wasn't suitable for tattoos, and he didn't need them. But this summer's sexual harassment case changed the confident Kobe Bryant. In order to save his love, he gave his wife a diamond ring worth $4 million with the names of his mother and daughter tattooed on it.
Many NBA players like tattoos. According to sports psychologists, tattoos are so popular for two main reasons. Athletes generally hope to be recognized and familiar with the public. At the same time, many people think that tattoos can show their self and personality.
Ross carved "Noth-ingToLose" on his left arm and the number "5" on his jersey. These tattoos seem to be his battle horn. "They enabled me to go all out and try my best to play my favorite basketball game to support my family." On his right arm, there are statues of Jesus and religious languages such as "SeekTheTruth" and "redemption". Compared with his left arm, the tattoo on his right arm represents his spiritual side.
Lips, a German anthropologist, pointed out in The Origin of Things that "the remarkable effect of drawing patterns on the skin is as a psychological weapon to arouse the fear of the enemy." This may explain Iverson's fearlessness, but ironically, some villains in the league, such as Maric Ross and kevin willis, don't have tattoos, but some sissies have more ink on them than a copy of The New York Times.
Every tattoo has a sound. In addition to fighting spirit, family is also an important factor affecting tattoos. Kobe was once an exception. He said he wasn't suitable for tattoos, and he didn't need them. But this summer's sexual harassment case turned the confident Kobe into an ordinary person in need of help. Now his skin has been treated from his right shoulder to his elbow. Daughter's name is written on her wrist. There is a crown on his shoulder, with the name of his wife Vanessa below and angel wings on both sides. Under the butterfly is written "Psalm 27" (Psalm 27), and family and religion have become his spiritual pillars.
Family can also be a reason for tattoos. Spurs forward Malik Rose explained that he didn't have a tattoo: "My mother would never allow me to get something like this." By contrast, O 'Neill's mother is much more open-minded. O 'Neill proudly said when displaying his superman designs: "First of all, I have my own tattoos because I am allowed to have them. You'd better believe that I asked my mother before. "
In addition to their mothers, their tattoos must also be approved by the alliance. 1999, a businessman from new york, Dakan Abu, had a whim and bought a piece of skin from Wallace of the Trailblazers to make a candy advertisement. Since Nestle, the official sponsor of the NBA, also has a candy business, the league will certainly not allow this to happen. The NBA replied: "We are not allowed to advertise on jerseys, coaches' uniforms and the floor. "But Abramovich thinks that a player's skin is really not a jersey. Although this business failed to clinch a deal in the end, it has reminded the merchants that perhaps, it won't be long before we can see tattoos for advertising purposes in the NBA.
Tattoos: From Rebellion to Fashion
In the past 10 years, tattoos that were once considered barbaric and vulgar have actually conquered the civilized world. As one of the most fashionable popular elements, it has been welcomed by teenagers and white-collar workers. According to the statistics of lycos search engine 200 1, the search frequency of the word "tattoo" on the Internet even exceeds that of "Bible".
Only 65,438+00 years ago, tattoos were only symbols of rock singers, motorcyclists, tramps and even criminals. "When I first saw the tattoos on the arms of a group of motorcyclists, my first reaction was to look away before they noticed me. It's really unlucky to meet them. They may rush to kidnap my sister, beat my mother and drag my father away on a motorcycle at any time. " American writer Williams recalled his childhood impression of tattoos in his article.
Nowadays, tattoos can be seen everywhere and have become a trend and fashion, at least in the United States. Bruce Vilis, britney spears, Julia Roberts and halle berry all joined the ranks of tattoo artists. In sports, we accept the baptism of tattoos with open arms (except arms, feet, neck, back and other parts). As early as 1997, an Associated Press survey showed that 35% of NBA players had at least one tattoo, and the situation in American football, baseball and ice hockey leagues was similar. Only in a relatively conservative golf course can you get rid of those strange tattoo patterns, or maybe so.
National Geographic magazine estimates that 15% of Americans have had tattoos, while the figure given by the Professional Tattoo Association is that more than 39 million Americans have tattoos, and 22% of them (18-25 years old) have at least one tattoo. Statistics also show that 60% of tattooers are women.
Smart businessmen will naturally not ignore this trend, and dolls with tattoo patterns came into being. Even Barbie, who has always been pure and clever, uses tattoos to flaunt her rebellious charm. Barbie has always been famous for her perfect figure, bright smile and "rich work experience". In the past 42 years, although Barbie has experienced various changes in appearance, race, skin color, hairstyle, language and even clothing, her healthy and uplifting image has always been the same. However, in 200 1 year, at the Barbie design exhibition held by Mattel, the founder of Barbie and the American toy manufacturer, a refreshing rebellious doll appeared-Barbie in evening dress with striking tattoos on her bare back.
Every trend has its climax. According to a survey conducted by 1997, the tattoo industry was the sixth fastest growing industry in the United States that year, and new tattoo shops opened almost every day. However, it is obviously a little late to open a tattoo shop now. It is a good choice to open a tattoo shop.
Alexander Baker, 23, is going to get rid of the spider lines on his feet. "I can't stand it anymore. I never want to express myself in this way again. " She is not a special case. Doctors say it is becoming more and more common to get rid of these similar tattoos after people are scrambling to get rid of patterns such as butterflies or barbed wire. Elizabeth, a dermatologist in New Orleans, revealed that in the 1980s, she often used lasers only five times a month. Now, she has patients who use lasers to remove tattoos twice a day. "There are countless people who come to get tattoos and say,' God, this is not what I want.' When you 17 or 20 years old, you may not be able to accept it at the age of 30. Brian, a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles, said.