I was so touched by RSMSUbball's earlier post in honor of Jimmy V and Tom Izzo, that a simple comment would just not do. A follow-up post was in order and so here it is. Why do I (or we) love basketball so much? Why do I spend hours every season watching and analyzing (and yelling) at this game? After all, it is just a game.
Well, for one it is just plain fun, as RSMSUbball point out. Oh, back in the day, I too played the game. There was something about shooting a ball and watching it go through the net with a swoosh. I would often go outside in the evening and shoot around in my back yard or play a game of lightening with neighbors. For a few years, I played on a school team and the sense of camaraderie gained from a team is difficult to find elsewhere. In addition, a sports team encourages and almost forces disciplined habits. You just don't have a lot of free time so the little time you do have, has to be used productively. And lastly, a team takes a bunch of individuals who are all out to be the stars, and turns them into a true team, out for a greater good (Remember the Titans ring a bell?). I enjoy the fast-paced drama that unfolds, the strategy played out, and a team form together. Selfish, individualistic teams, a contradiction of terms I might add, are easy to spot and they're not fun to watch. But a true team is fun and impressive to watch (especially if they also have talent...just saying).
But one of my favorite things about basketball (or insert your favorite sport here) is that it teaches the ever-important but quickly fading quality of perseverance. In the age of quick-fixes and instant media downloads, working and waiting for anything just seems not only silly but inefficient! Ah, but as the saying goes, all good things are worth waiting and fighting for. And this is what basketball teaches. You want the W? You will have to fight for it. Isn't it true that our favorite games are the ones that were won with a hard fought fight, rather than a blow out of 30 points?*** In every true test of the game, you meet with setbacks, disappointments, frustrations, and serious tests of the will, and watching a team come together and overcome them, is exhilarating and inspiring to watch.
Like many others, including Jimmy V, I learn from the game important life lessons. As a teacher, perseverance in the face of setbacks, confusion, and sometimes failure, is one of the most difficult traits to instill in my students. A student who sees the value of a challenge is rare.
As an individual, with my own life battles, I want and expect it all to be quick and easy. It seems that everyone else in life has it that way, right? But watching a tough basketball game reminds me that my own personal battles are also worth the fight. Ok, I admit, that I don't always have these deep reflections every game, but that's why you got to stick with a team so you can track their ups, downs, wins and losses. You'll find these lessons seeping in over time.
So I guess this was a quick shout out to my favorite game, basketball, and why it is important for all of us to be part of some kind of team in life.
On the lookout: Michigan vs Ohio State playing as we speak. AND of course, Michigan State vs. Minnesota tomorrow, 7 pm. I'd like to see Ohio State win this one, but it's going to be a brutal battle. And can Michigan State get revenge for their close loss against their Big Ten opener vs Minnesota? We need an answer for Rodney Williams.
See you tomorrow.
***The exception to this statement is if we beat Indiana or Michigan this season by 30 points. I'm really okay with that.
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