Who doesn’t like a friendly game? A little competition can sweeten the pot and make things more interesting. Competition can grow relationships in a good and a bad way. Competition and even a little trash talk can be fun. On the other hand, it can bring out the worst in people.
YouTube is a great way to share although it is unfortunate we do not have the face to face contact of old.
I am choosing to focus on the good aspects of competition and the relationships that can be built on this. In the picture above, there are six people who probably would have never met in life outside of sports. Six people who share a common bond and six people who have gotten to know each other a little. We may not hang out outside of the time we spend together playing and we don’t have to. That is the beauty of sports. For the short term, you can simply just be with people and enjoy their company. For the three to six hours a week we spend playing basketball, we are free to just have fun.
A friendly game may turn into a bonafide friendship.
While I do not know these fellas very well, it has been interesting to find out snippets of their lives throughout the years. Social media has been able to help bridge the gap between some of us. If you speak with an old timer with the Morning Crew, you will find that morning basketball has been happening for the last twenty years or more. Trends repeat themselves and I have found out that the players used to record themselves on VHS and other media and get together to review the tapes and have a meal. YouTube is a great way to share although it is unfortunate we do not have the face to face contact of old.
Occasionally some of the guys will get together and have breakfast with each other and B.S about the games that day. This is a nice time to reflect and see who is at the table. Your job title does not matter. You can connect based solely on the fact that you get along with the other people there and enjoy being in the moment. This is what basketball can do. It can bring people together. A friendly game may turn into a bonafide friendship. The Morning Crew tradition is living on and I cannot wait to see where it takes me.
-Adam