it's just a game...

I am continuously in awe…not in a good way…at the things in this world that get people’s blood boiling. The things that make them lose sleep at night; the things that cause them to send a hateful email or make a phone call to an innocent person just to take out their frustrations over something; something, that in the end, will prove to be an extremely minor and insignificant thing in this earthly life.

“It’s just a game.”

Man, I’ve heard that phrase a lot in my life. And ya know…9 times out of 10, I’d disagree with it. I would be the last one to demean or question the passion, sweat and heart that athletes, and lovers of them, pour into what some call, “just a game.”

I’ve been “that person,” on the court, in a uniform. That person, who selflessly dives on the floor…skin sliding across the hardwood, leaving a burn that will be there till next week. That person, who pushes their body beyond its physical limits, just to get one last shot off, make a game defining steal, or pull down an impossible rebound over a girl who’s got 6 inches on her.

I’ve been “that person,” on the bench…who’d give ANYTHING to be on the floor. But humbly warms the chair for her teammates, knowing that her greatest contribution to her team will be jumping to her feet for every And1, and cheering on her teammates through each triumphant victory and every heart wrenching loss.

I’ve been “that person,” called Coach. Clipboard in hand, whistle ‘round the neck, shouting urgently with a hoarse, desperate voice at 7th graders who leave every last ounce of themselves on the court.

I’ve been “that person,” on the couch at home. That person, who loses their voice and knocks over their beer while instructing the players on the court or field what to do…irregardless if those players can really hear them or not.

I know that it’s not “just a game.”

But since when did we lose sight of the game itself, and get so caught up in our own agenda, politics, and preferences to see the bigger picture. If people really love the game FOR the game itself…FOR the floor burns and bruises…FOR the sweat and passion…FOR the And1’s, the wins, the losses…FOR the little girls who may one day have the chance to play beyond where their sisters, mothers, and grandmothers played.

It’s about SO much more than ourselves. And this selfish perspective on the game is doing nothing but jeopardizing the future of it.

I guess all I’m asking for is a little perspective on reality from people who have lost complete grasp of it. Just a little bit of purity and gratitude given back to the game that gave so much to those who now curse it with their own selfish endeavors.

Get a grip and do the game honor by remembering once and for all that it is, indeed, just a game.