Goodwill Towards Men

Every Monday, Tiny and I play basketball at a church in Birmingham, Michigan. The atmosphere is positive and diverse to an almost unbelievable level: thoroughbred Birmingham bluebloods mix easily with black guys from Southfield, guys in their 40's joke with kids barely out of high school, and the people that run the church seem genuinely happy to donate their court time to people who appreciate it. We used to joke that we were part of some sort of sociological experiment and they were carefully documenting our behavior, but I started to realize that Monday night basketball in Birmingham is just a perfect representation of what I love about sports. Without basketball, the 40 yr. old lawyer with the mean drop-step would probably never so much as nod at the 18 yr. old from Lathrup with the nasty crossover, and vice-versa. But with basketball, the two look forward to getting on the same team every Monday night, and working together to make sure they stay on the court. When one saw how competitive and talented the other was, they began to see eachother as allies, not as something threatening they didn't want to understand. Once everyone saw that their values on the court weren't that different, the understanding carried off the court where everyone now jokes together, bitches about work together, and discusses the merits of the Iverson trade together.

In the spirit of the season, I'd like to thank that church in Birmingham for giving everyone a chance to recognize their common values.