Bud, Basketball and Brotherhood

The Game That Compels You To Go Beyond Yourself

It’s no secret that I’m a big, big fan of basketball.

Ever year, sometime in the middle of March Madness, I have made a vow to update my 10-Minute Speech post.

The value of team-driven sports goes beyond just basketball, of course.

To paraphrase Gary Cantrell (aka Lazarus Lake), the Man Behind the Barkley Marathons: engaging in sports helps any young soul truly see that life isn’t equal. It teaches the responsibility of effort-in / effort out.

In my opinion, no where does the real world shine so broadly across the effort/talent-to-result spectrum than in basketball.

There’s been a lot of deep thought about that; many tributes, documentaries, books and quotes that dive deep into the heart of hoops.

But, I think it was Dean Smith — the 4th most winningest coach in men’s college Division I basketball — that made light of the fact that b-ball represents the epitome of the selfless pursuit of WINNING.

Immersive teamwork to the max.

The very nature of Dr. Naismith’s invention automatically instills collaboration and cohesive gamesmanship in each player. Some might say, “Eh, not always so much when you’re talking NBA.”