BlogTalk: Why I Write
April 24, 2008
I believe that play is an essential component of living a normal life. I believe that the our bodies are uniquely designed so that physical motion itself gives us pleasure and joy. I believe that each individual’s attempts to enjoy themselves via sport should be encouraged regardless of the person’s skill level. I believe that there is nothing inferior about games outside the “Big Three” of men’s basketball, football, and baseball, whether that’s a female athlete playing volleyball overseas for a couple thousand a year or you and your friends playing pickup anything at the local park. And if I could, I would gladly and cheerfully write only to describe the joy I feel when watching my neighbors run down the street, or peacefully playing pick-up basketball with some strangers I’ve never met before and having a great time, or oo-ing and aa-ing as the basketball players on TV run and jump faster than I ever could. It’s the play that counts, the joy of the game itself. Or I would not write at all to give me more time to enjoy such activities.
But I write here on SOMM because there are too many forces out there that want to destroy play and turn the game into work. They want to monetize the game. They want the game to be about their politics and biases, just like way too much of today’s life and culture is. They want the game to be a gigantic morality play to reinforce their opinions. They want to sexualize the game and talk more about the looks of the players than the game of the players. They want to make each win and loss bigger than just the results of playing the game. They want to make champions into gods and chumps into demons, when time and chance instead rule the outcome of many games. Or, they want to deify the game itself, to turn us all into Nike-wearing, ticket-buying worshippers who think that a bouncing ball is the meaning of life.
I write because I don’t want any of that to happen. I am not the world’s best writer, nor am I well-known. But I joined SOMM because I believe that despite the different opinions of the writers, we all at heart want to defend the integrity of the game. I never was that good at any sport. But I feel a joy when I play or watch that supersedes ability, and that’s what makes the game matter. So that’s why I write; to lift up the game up, let you appreciate the game in ways that others might overlook, and show my appreciation for what it’s done for me. And that’s half of what you can expect from me on SOMM.
But there’s another half that unfortunately must follow from the first half. I also have to take time to oppose the aforementioned attempts of others to alter the game. I oppose them quietly. I tend to plead, or use their own words against them to show them the error of their ways, unless I am truly angry or I think that hypocrisy has occurred. Quite honestly, it goes against my own policies even to admit that I do this. I have kept quiet about this so that it would not be obvious to others who might change due to my words if they did not realize this about me. But oppose them I do, and will, and that’s the other half of what you can expect from me on SOMM.
Note: Yes, that title should sound familiar; it’s a deliberate take-off on Why We Fight. Those Why We Fight movies were made during WWII to try to convince Americans that they should fight the Axis powers.
Comments
8 Responses to “BlogTalk: Why I Write”
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Thank you for this, MC. It’s wonderful to have you here at SOMM. You should put this in the “About” section.
interesting post. I love watching and talking about NBA basketball. i used to enjoy football to the same degree, but that has changed. I have found that my love of sports has waned recently as all the outside forces you mentioned become more prevalent.
Big Man, same thing for me–why do I want to watch sports if I’m going to be irritated by biased commentary? I say organized sports needs to be careful that it doesn’t lose the next generation because of all the extra issues. It’s more of a threat than people think–look at how popular the X-games are among today’s kids, for example.
For me, the best way to restore my love of sports is to run down to the local gym with a basketball and play some pickup. I’ve played with some interesting groups, ha–been the only over-18 guy, or the only guy of my race, or whatever. But it’s taught me that the game is the same in any culture or language, and we need to protect that.
“They want to make champions into gods and chumps into demons, when time and chance instead rule the outcome of many games.”
MC, so truuuuuuue. I definitely enjoyed this piece…
Great piece, MC! Always enjoyed your writing. And you are so right. I think that’s part of the reason why I liked speaking with those die-hard fans that Michelle and I met. They maintain the connection with what is real. Sports means so much more to them than the hoopla. For them it’s about appreciating athleticism, enjoying family time and a day spent outdoors, and for some it’s about getting out there and taking their turn at playing the game for fun. It’s always nice to see people enjoying sports for the right reasons.
Again, great piece! Look forward to reading more from you.
Did you just blatantly steal this idea from another blog/website?
http://whywewriteseries.wordpress.com/
^ Jack, I was not consciously aware of that site or series when I wrote my post. I wrote this as a way to introduce myself to SOMM readers because I’m a new writer here, and I later intend to put something in our “About” section as to what my approach to writing is. But thanks for bringing it to my attention. I shall have to read that blog in the future.
I write for the same reason I often piss in the sink. Urinals take up too much enegy.