Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Hoop Dreams



There’s something quite powerful about a game of basketball.  I have seen men, beaten down by a system that is eight parts punishment and one part rehabilitation (on a good day), play their heart out on the court and- for at least a few minutes- forget that their life exists behind bars.  Despite media representations of trash talk, big egos and even larger attitudes, the men I know work hard as a team, operating as one cohesive unit, offering encouragement and support, and playing one damn good game of basketball.

In a culture that so often defines people by what they do, it’s important for men such as these to believe they are good at something, something other than the illegal activity that usually defines them.  Most of these guys are known on the street for their ability to push drugs or manipulate women or rob the right drug dealer.  Sure, basketball isn’t a great thing for most of these guys to be defined by either, since few (if any) will make a career of it.  But it’s a step in the right direction.

Basketball is just a game.  But it’s a game that has the power to affirm men who are so rarely affirmed for anything else positive.  It’s a breeding ground for teamwork and hard work.  It has the power to- even for a few minutes- remove a man from the realities of his life..  To feel his heart beat fast, to feel his muscles aching, to sprint for his life.  But for once, not on the streets...on the court.