A letter to my readers

AMDG
July 13 2009

A letter to my readers

Yes, it’s been many years since I last picked up the proverbial pen (I say proverbial because I’m not sure anyone uses them anymore) to write for JamTime. What is the inspiration, you ask, to continue what for some seemed like a figment of a child’s boredom? His name is Bill Simmons. Also known as “The Sports Guy” in ESPN the Magazine and on espn.com, his writing has essentially inspired me to return to my own.

At first glance, we couldn’t be any more different. Bill’s writing is filled with movie references, (anybody who knows me knows that I have very limited range when it comes to movie watching), strip club jokes, and odes to his favorite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox. And initially I was turned off to his writing for its occasional “mature themes” as much as I was for his allegiance to a team that nobody is allowed to root for. But what I did see through it all is a rare transcendence in his writing that I had not seen in other writers. Not necessarily an other-worldly transcendence, but a transcendence nonetheless. A sort of scope of sports that saw beyond the athletic world, and not in a superficial “here’s how sports affects real life” sense that can’t see beyond the self-centeredness of the sports world, but more of a “let’s be honest, sports are not that important, but at the same time, they’re fascinating, and that’s ok.

Here’s an example: Bill, as a Red Sox fan, endured (and saw the end of) the infamous “Curse” which supposedly kept Boston devoid of a World Series Title for close to a century. One of the observations that he made in reference to a city which has endured losing for so long is this: Eventually, if a team loses so much, and in dramatic fashion to boot, they come to expect failure; no longer are they even surprised if their team ruins it. To me, this is a great observation, and it really rings true in many arenas. To give a local example of this phenomenon, look no further than the current state of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Every time the team has a losing season (and there have been many), the team and its fans practically expect to be screwed in the lottery, because that’s the only thing they are used to.

Take the 1992 draft, when the Wolves had just come off a season when they had the worst record in the NBA. An undeniable talent by the name of Shaquille O’Neal was set to be the #1 draft choice. Minnesota ends up choosing third and takes Christian Laettner. By the time the 2009 draft lottery came around, nobody in Minnesota was surprised when we fell to the 6th slot, seemingly much too low to be able to take Ricky Rubio or even Hasheem Thabeet, the two players in the draft who most clearly would help the team. Then, in a bit of draft-day luck, combined with a trade for the 5th pick, the team was able to select Rubio, only to have him waver at playing for the team because of contractual issues with his Spanish pro team. And nobody in Minnesota is surprised.

Why is Simmons’ insight so noteworthy? Not because he has able to shed light on a sports story, but because his insight is so easily applicable to the rest of society and instances in real life. And his references to pop culture, and even human nature, have got me thinking that there might just be something to this professional sports thing that simply a diversion from real life: sports may be able to offer a metaphor for the rest of our lives if only we can see beyond the face value. No, sports is not the only thing nor the most important thing, and we can probably all agree that it takes too high a priority for too many people. However, it also seems that it’s here to stay, and that is enough to try to take something away from it, especially if you’re already committed to watching the Twins every summer night or the Vikings every Sunday morning.

That’s why I want to write again. I’m still watching sports, and more and more people are doing the same. Instead of trying to break a habit that is bound to stick anyway (and you don’t really want to kick, anyway) why not enjoy them like you want to, while also gaining something else, perhaps something more valuable: an opportunity to think more deeply about our everyday lives.

It’s good to be back.
Isaac Huss