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.
