Happy Basketball Fatigue

Last night I stayed up way past my bedtime to watch my adopted hometown’s team the Duke Blue Devils tie up the win of the Men’s NCAA basketball tournament that has gripped the country in the month of March and one big carry over week of April.  The emotional roller coaster of watching two starting Freshmen get into foul trouble in the first half and the subsequent success of Freshman bench player Grayson Allen who changed the trajectory of the game when the team was down nine points practically caused me a coronary.  I had no skin in this game, no bets, no brackets, not even my school, so why did the back and forth of this final of final four keep me up way past the final buzzer?

Anyone who does not fall victim to the humanity of sports during major events like the Final Four, the Masters and the Olympics is some kind of troglodyte, you know, someone who lives in a cave.  You don’t have to like or even fully understand a sport to be sucked into the stories of the competitors and be in awe of their ability to rise to an occasion or buckle under pressure.

In the case of college basketball it is mind blowing to think of these young people performing with the eyes of the world on them.  So much credit goes to the coaches and staff who are able to keep them focused on the game while distracted from the hype.  I know that for so many of the stars the real goal is to not to graduate from college, but to get a lucrative NBA contract and play in the pros. I hate that there is a only a one year college requirement before they are eligible for the draft.

No professional team is going to take as good of care of these teenagers as Coach K takes care of his players.  I wish the Freshman stars would think of staying at Duke at least one more year so they can develop the life skills that being on this team gives them.  

Today, the Duke Men’s team has got to be exhausted.  I know I am and I just stayed home and watched them on TV.  They deserve a good rest and a few moments in the sun, like when they get to go to the White House and meet the President.  It seems like it is going to be a summit in life that will be hard to top, but I hope that this win is not the highlight of their lives, just a really good start on a life well lived.