I love sports. Competition in general attracts me. I love watching team A or player A pitted against Team or Player B. It really doesn’t matter what the activity is, if someone tells me I can’t do it chances are very good that I am going to try. Competition drives me!
Can you relate?
I’m not particularly proud of it, but I have watched games during class, work and kids events. During the lockdown, when the NBA suspended play, I found myself watching, and writing about FlyBall because, well, it was something, you guessed it, competitive. There haven’t been many times in my life when sitting down and watching a game was pushed to the background. I’m sure there was some game on when I got married, but I didn’t care. When the planes hit the World Trade Center how any particular team was performing didn’t matter. Sometimes, sports take a backseat.
For me, now is one of those times.
This site was started so I could write about the teams I enjoy, the Lakers and the Clippers. I had written for other sites but felt restricted. Some didn’t like how I wrote (I tend to write conversationally, as if you and I were having a little chat!). Some wanted me to write about teams other than my aforementioned favorites. I love to write, and I love the interaction with those who read what I write (comments are always welcome!). In some ways, writing helps me process things. When Kobe passed away I wrote and it helped, for example.
When my team loses, I can write about why that likely happened and what the future holds. When my team wins, I can write about how freaking awesome they are! The Clippers and Lakers helped me do both last season. But then, when the world decides to send us the year 2020 things get, complicated. I want to follow my teams and write about them, but coronavirus. I want to talk about the trades they should make or the reason they lost/won, but NBA suspended. I’d love to dive into sports and forget that things are messy, but sometimes the mess is overwhelming!
The last few days the news has been nonstop. Through it all, the games went on and I wanted to watch them, write about them, tweet about them. But, I couldn’t because the mess was just too much. I mean, the Capital building was (insert whatever word you feel good using here) and people died. Does it get any messier? As I write this the President of the United States has had his Twitter account suspended. It’s comical (in a very non-funny way) to write that after writing about the Capital building, but it really is big news.
I was not born in the Unites States, but I am a naturalized citizen. This is my home. It is where I met my wife, where my kids were born. I love America! My parents made the no doubt frightening and gutsy decision to leave what they knew for a chance at a better life. I am forever grateful to them for making that bold choice! Whatever faults you can find here in the US, it’s greatness always shined through. I expect the same now. These are dark times, but that means good days are ahead. The foundational principles that this country were built on will hold. The good people that live here, from sea to shining sea, will rise up.
We will be OK.
But, for now, we have to wade through the mud. We have to hold our breath as we refresh the site of our news provider of choice. For some, they have the difficult task of having to explain all this to their young kids. Making matters worse, as we deal with the news from Washington DC is the very real fact that we are still in the midst of a global pandemic. Yes, these are dark, dark days, but again – that means great days are ahead!
I am sorry if you came here hoping to read about the Lakers, Clippers, Celtics or basketball in general. This is one post out of many; all the others have plenty on those topics. The games go on, so I will continue to write about, watch and tweet about them. I do it with a heavy heart however and with the understanding that sports, for all the joy they provide me and others like me, are a distant second in importance right now.
Sometimes, it’s good to stop and prioritize. This article was that moment for me. Maybe it was for you too? Regardless, thank you for the indulgence.
