Pinky’s Up

Type: Athletic Tradition

My informant said his school’s volleyball team had a tradition each time the team was about to start the winning point. As a team, they say “Pinky’s up!” Raising, their little fingers, they begin the point. Tyler explained that the players do this so the team “wins with Class.” My informant claims it is not connected with any school lore, and is unsure when or why it started , but that the volleyball team has done this as a tradition for years, and he thinks it is funny because it belittles the other team.

Associating the pinky with high-society, the players mock sportsmanship. This also suggests that they predict they will win the point, their confidence illustrating that they find the other team unthreatening. Undermining the seriousness of the game, the players illustrate their dominance over the other team.