By Butch Freedman
I love basketball. I used to play, mostly school yard stuff. But I kept at it for quite a few years, till bad knees forced me to sit on the sidelines and watch. And I coached high school ball for a time. So yes, I am a rabid fan. Specifically, a fan of the Portland Trailblazers, which in past years has been mostly disappointing. I mean, they’ve been fun to watch, but haven’t been serious contenders for some years. Last season they finally did edge into the first round of the play-offs, but were quickly eliminated by a team with a 7’4″ center who moves like a guard. I think this year will be different. For one thing, Dame is back. And judging by the first game (probably not a wise idea) he’s back at full strength. Lillard was always the heart and soul of the Blazers and it was a shock to the fans and the city when he went off for two sad years to play for the Milwaukee Bucks. That didn’t work out well for Dame or for the Bucks and then he tore his Achilles tendon and had to sit out a year, but, to the great joy of the local fans, decided to come back home to Portland. Amen.
There’s much more I can say about the Blazers; I haven’t even mentioned the acquisition of Ja Morant or the scary-good play of the Israeli import Deni Avdija. But what brings me to write about the team and about basketball in general at this early stage of the season is how much basketball (and other sports) can serve as a great relief during this time of political unrest. Even our would-be dictator can’t manage to ruin the joy of watching your favorite team on the hardwood. (Though the old fool recently tried to stir things up, insulting LeBron James for not being a “patriot.” LeBron laughed it off. Too silly to bother with, he said.).
Politics and sports rarely intersect, and when they do, it’s uncomfortable and wrong. Sports, whether played or watched, allow us to have a break from the problems of the world and from our own sometimes problematic lives. When you’re playing or watching, you don’t think about A.I. taking over the world or about wars in the Middle East, or why your boss or your husband was a jerk today. Instead, you (we) are in the moment, cheering or groaning, or if you’re lucky enough to still be young (or think you are), shooting and running and gunning. Damn those were good times.
Of course there are other pursuits besides sports that can provide that crucial relief. Any sort of exercise will do it, even just going for a walk. I fortunately live by the ocean and get to play in the waves. Sometimes just talking to friends can be enough to get through a rough day, especially if you avoid talking about depressing topics or other sad situations. Small talk is good. I have a friend who I often talk with at the YMCA where we work out. I know his first name only and he knows only mine and almost everything we talk about is related to sports. We’re both fans of the Seahawks, though my friend has some allegiance to California teams where he grew up and I can’t stop rooting for the Phillies, even though they break my heart every year. But we never talk about the state of the world or the daily onslaught of the scandalous actions of this administration. I don’t even know whether my friend is a D. or an R. or somewhere in between. And, I don’t care, don’t want to know. It could ruin everything good about our relationship.
So, I’ll keep watching the Blazers, and football, maybe even the World Series, though I don’t care much about either team this year. And, yes, I will also be paying close attention to the mid-terms and reading the New York Times and I’ll be glued to the television on election night, ready to cry or jump with joy. But however that all turns out, I will still have my teams to watch and cheer for. Though I’m hoping that I can both watch the Blazers make it to the play-offs and the government return to decency and honesty. The perfect combo.
