Philosophical pickup basketball questions pondered while waiting for ‘next’
This is me, but not where I played today.
Just played pickup basketball for the first time in two months and the fourth time in nine months. Can’t believe I’ve been that deprived.
Anyway, while waiting for the next game, or “next,” today, I started thinking about people’s different philosophical approaches and reasoning for playing pickup basketball. When you reach this point, late 20s, with less and less hope that you will somehow make the NBA (if you dream like I do), what’s the most important reason for playing? Is it to win, at any cost? Is it simply to achieve a cardio workout that isn’t boring? Is it to hold onto a piece of your youth? I guess, it’s probably a combination of these and other reasons for most people. I know it is for me.
So while I waited for next ( because, let’s face it, waiting for next is usually extremely boring) I started thinking about specific philosophical questions related to pickup basketball.
- Is it better to get stuck on a team that never gives you the ball, but keeps winning, and run a few games in a row, or better to lose, then get on a team that will give you the ball, even if you have to sit a game or two in between?
- Is it more satisfying to go to the gym with a group of friends and win, or to go by yourself and win with people you didn’t know before?
- Does the influence of hip hop on basketball have anything to do with the “me first,” getting it without going through “the system” mentality that is sometimes displayed in pickup or street basketball games? In other words, for me, team basketball, scoring as a team, through good offensive movement, is more fun then one player coming down and shooting a three, or one pass into the post, followed by an isolated, wannabe NBA fade-away. Does the latter have anything to do with hip hop, the more prevalent streetball mentality, or is it something that has been around since the beginning of pickup basketball? (That may sound politically incorrect, or even racist, but you know what I’m talking about. I see the college game as a more “pure” form of basketball.)
- Or, is selfish-play strictly influenced by the NBA? Or is it hip hop that influenced NBA players to play selfishly in the first place? Or was it Michael Jordan who made every NBA superstar believe they had to “do it by themselves,” so to speak?
Of course, the real answer to all of these questions is: Who cares? But I have to think about something while I’m waiting. And sideline conversation about who is better, Kobe or D-Wade, just doesn’t do it for me anymore.
Brian Laesch was very bored while writing this and now that the Bears preseason game is over, will make himself get out of the house.
Brian,
I have an answer to (opinion on) all of your questions:
(1) It’s always better to play on the winning team and find your niche. That is, if team members don’t pass the ball, I always take it upon myself to go get the damn ball off the board.
(2) Satisfaction from winning should have little to do with who you are winning with so long as the team is not full of jerks.
(3) The “selfish” or “me mentality” exhibited in basketball was put into motion by numerous societal influences above and beyond any “hip-hop” culture. Perhaps, you have noted it in basketball because you are a fan of the game. But I don’t see this as exclusively a problem associated with basketball or even sports. We are a society that greatly values and honors individualism, heros, stars, etc. Naturally people are going to seek out attention in basketball as they do elsewhere. And shooting the ball is fun. If you shoot the ball well you get a lot of personal attention.
Just some thoughts. Nice blog post!
What’s up, Pete!? Thanks for the response. Completely agree with you on all points. The “selfish” or “me mentality” is definitely something that’s deeper than just hip-hop music. I guess the individual marketing of NBA starts (that maybe started in the 80s with Bird, Magic and Jordan?) has more to do with the changing of the game. I will say though, I went to the Phoenix Suns-New Orleans Hornets game last night and it is good to see the Phoenix Suns back to their fastbreaking, team style. It’s just such a better game when the shots come within the flow of the offense. Even if that offense is geared towards getting one superstar player the majority of the shots. My views are also skewed after playing basketball against aspiring actors in Hollywood. I think it’s no surprise that a lot of aspiring actors play selfishly. Ha.