It’s pretty much expected that you’ll have sports heroes as a kid. But I never did. Oh, I knew about them. I knew who everyone else got excited about. But I never had any posters on my walls, and I most certainly couldn’t have discussed any sports figures or teams at length. I just was never into sports that much.
That’s changed somewhat now that I’m older and have kids. Through them I’ve come to appreciate several sports–and the people who play them exceptionally well. While I still don’t have any posters on my walls (I do have some posters for books, but they’re also artwork, so that doesn’t count), I am starting to have some heroes.
Is it any wonder, considering my soft-spot for underdogs, that most of my heroes are on the Utah Jazz? They’re not the flashiest team, and they don’t attract superstars. Few of their players make it on All-Star teams as starters. You don’t see them setting the records most people know about, like all-time highest scoring.
From what I’ve seen from the last couple years of actually paying attention, the Jazz seem to know how to attract players who love the game and love being part of a team. They genuinely like each other; they’re generous with praise for one another and quick to own their own mistakes. They celebrate each others’ victories.
For example, in their last game against the Dallas Mavericks, Rudy Gobert made some incredible last-minute plays on defense to seal the game for the Jazz. But when asked about it he let the praise settle on him only lightly: “We win because we play well as a team,” Gobert said.” I’m not able to do what I do — let’s say, if Royce doesn’t hit that shot maybe we lose the game tonight.” (Royce O’Neale did hit a key 3-pointer that put the Jazz ahead for good, and also forced a key turnover only a few possessions earlier to stop Luka Doncic from running away with the game again. Gobert, typically known for his defense, was actually the third-highest scorer for the Jazz that night, and has been second-highest for three of the last five games.)
So yeah, though I’m gaining a higher appreciation for Gobert this season, if I were to pick a sports hero to posterize on my wall, it’d be…the whole darn team, right down to the bench.
My newfound appreciation for sport heroes isn’t limited to basketball, either. I have favorite baseball players now, favorite Formula 1 drivers, and favorite tennis players. I admire their hard work, their consistency, their humility, their attitude, and of course, their aptitude for their sport. I admire their pursuit–and capture–of excellence.
So yeah, if I ever looked down on anyone in the past for their sports hero-worship, my apologies. I get it now. Maybe not with the emphatic enthusiasm of youth, but I get it.
I was never all that involved in basketball during the Kobe Bryant era. I didn’t realize then just how sensational he was. But I’m starting to understand just what he meant to the sport, and to a lot of people playing or watching it today. I feel for all those who lost their lives, and for those they leave behind, but I also understand why so many are mourning Kobe Bryant today.