All posts tagged Basketball:
What’s a “Power of Sport Story?!”
It’s a story that transcends the particular game at hand – be it stick & ball, on ice, on grass, turf, or simply played in an alley or on a street corner with a ball & a makeshift goal. In a power of sport story, “winners” don’t necessarily win the playoff or championship game; sometimes they are on the losing end on the scoreboard. But their game is an “Inner Game,” a higher game, a spiritual game that claims a universal victory.
The power in these stories of sport is like an alarm clock, noisily waking people from a heavy slumber. These moments grab your attention in a loud and profound way like the arena horn marking the end of a half, a referee’s whistle halting play, or a raucous crescendo of cheers from fans reveling in an unbelievable moment.
It’s the former pro football player who donates a kidney to his ex-teammate; or the one who is walking across the breadth of the United States today to remind Americans of the hardships confronting rescue personnel who sacrificed their health on September 11th.
The power of sport is witnessed when a coach chooses – on game day – to go barefoot to draw attention to the plight of those who have no footwear options.
That power of sport can be profoundly life changing when homeless men and women are invited to compete in the world’s most popular sport and others see how the game inspires the downtrodden and the hopeless! The Homeless World Cup injects hope and possibility into people who are more often than not, global afterthoughts. It’s a worldwide competition, sponsored by Changemakers.net, to find “innovative ways for sports to promote social change.” Imagine that: promoting global social change with a ball!
Sport and play are the common denominators and planetary equalizers. No matter where you look in the world regardless of political or religious system – we ALL play. Therefore, stories of triumph over illness, poverty or handicap through the use of sport or play resonate throughout our world and help inspire change, and inspire action. The Power of Sport Story can change a life. It changed mine.
Coach Hurley’s long-time effort to make a difference in the lives of student-athletes at St. Anthony HS in Jersey City, NJ are absolutely worthy of being highlighted as a Power of Sport Story - well done, Coach Hurley!
My great friend and fellow sufferer of the “Basketball Jones” malady, Marshall Cho, sent me a great update today about his human catalyst efforts in Mozambique using hoops as a tool to transform lives. Enjoy the latest email update from my man, Mozambique Marshall - “Hoops LUV”
It was just last February that I made my first venture to Harlem’s House of Hoops, a retail homage to NYC’s tremendous basketball legacy. Photos of local playground legends and NBA superstars adorn the walls as well as vintage shoes set on elaborate displays, all surrounded by a few real basketball hoops and tons of the latest popular shoes and apparel.
Today’s pics are from my stop at Chicago’s version of House of Hoops...
Photos by Mr. Raymond Boyd
What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!
From Jeremy Goldberg’s Millennial Challenge blog:
A Break in the Ball Drop….
Like many people here in Uganda, I’ve started to follow the various early stage Olympic Games. Right now, I am watching Nigeria v.s. Japan in soccer (and Nigeria just scored the first goal of the match). In 1996, and maybe you wouldn’t believe it, but Nigeria won the Gold Medal in soccer. Don’t believe me?
Tonight I’ll look forward to the USA v.s. China basketball game. The stage is set for the U.S. to redeem itself from it’s terrible performance at Athens in 2004.
However, this morning, I watched Russia v.s. Iran. Russia, who has star NBA player Andrei Kirilenko, was the overwhelming favorite, and defeated Iran 71-49. However, Iran played a fantastic game and fans cheered them on throughout the game.
After the game was truly the BIG moment (and thanks to ESPN for putting this on their homepage). Reporters had questioned the team members about the tensions between Iran and Israel. In response, it is reported that Russian Coach, David Blatt (who holds dual Israeli and American Citizenship) and Iranian Team Captain, Mohammed Nikkah, shared a hug and pat on the back. The questions came about after an Iranian swimmer refused to participate in a pre Olympic meet because an Israeli athlete was competing in the same race.
This demonstration of hope, and friendship through sport - even in the face of prejudice - is alive across the globe.
In fact, to bring it back to Africa for a moment in 1999, the East and Central Africa Club Championship was being held in Uganda between two countries that have been in conflict for several years, Ethiopia and Eritrea. During their stay in Kampala, the media and locals reported that the teams were sharing smiles, laughs and a meal before the match.
There is more work ahead and the challenges are many, but sports is a way that we can further embrace cultures, societies, and peace in our world.
No doubt about it.
What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!
From the State.Com:
About a year after being drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the No. 2 pick of the 2002 NBA Draft, (Jay) Williams was flung from his motorcycle when it smashed into a utility pole at 75 mph, seemingly ending his once-promising basketball career and almost killing him.
“It was hard, there were times when I thought about taking my life,” Williams said of his state after the accident. “I was on anti-depressants, taking OxyContin, and there were parts of my body that I couldn’t use anymore. The one word that could describe everything is the word ‘humble’.
Williams, who had just completed his rookie season in the NBA, suffered severe ligament damage to his left knee, nerve damage to his leg and a broken pelvis. Just days after the crash, Williams was told by his doctor that he would be lucky to walk again, and the damage required 13 surgeries in three months.”
Williams, a Duke University graduate, came back from his injury and attempted a comeback to no avail. Today, Williams works for 24 Hour Fitness and does the next best thing, speaking to young b-ballers at basketball camps and giving them the benefit of his hard earned experience. His message: stay in school and “you can do anything that you put your mind to.” Words to live by.
What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!
From the Sports Academic blog:
Sport as Socializing Agent
I would like to begin a conversation on sports acting as socializing activities. Scott and I have talked around this issue some in other posts and comments. The general theory is that sports serve the interests of society by teaching practitioners and spectators behaviors needed or prized in a given time and place. This means that the same sport may socialize practitioners and spectators differently when the historical and social contexts change.
Speaking generally, Victorian era British sports, for example, emphasize social etiquette and restraint. American sports, on the other hand, tend to blatantly defy British decorum and, in the case of baseball, attempt to erase European genealogy. Instead, craftiness (cheating?) and a dogged determination to win are prized. “Stealing,” is even permissible.
I attended a “Philosophy of Sport” conference in England in 2004. Most of the attendees were European and I surprised some when I mentioned that in America, soccer is largely a sport for the upper middle class, played in wealthy suburbs. In Europe, it is a decidedly working class sport, and the matches often attract many disenfranchised, unemployed young men looking to take their anger out on the opposing team or its fans.
I offer these two general examples merely as primers. Over the next few weeks, I invite you to join me in analyzing the socializing effects of a number of sports and games: golf (yes, there is more to be said), tennis, soccer, baseball, fencing, trictrac, football, basketball, and maybe racquetball, rodeo, hockey, and others you might suggest.
What societal values are transmitted through sport/play? How does that process vary by class, race or gender? How do sport and play impact the maintenance of, or evolution of societal values?
Observed superficially, sport and play seem trivial, but as the “Sports Academic” demonstrates, sport is a mirror of who we are and studying sport and play can offer unusual insights into our culture and ourselves. Those careful observations and insights can help lead - if we are motivated and wise - to change.
What’s your Red Rubber Ball?!
Books by KC
