At My Level

For years, I have had an exceptionally casual level of interest in basketball. That this should be the case is remarkable, because I was a rabidly devoted fan of the Phoenix Suns growing up, and watched about every game possible. My enthusiasm tapered off, and it is now rare that I watch even a few minutes of a game or highlights. It's hard to say why that is. I guess that people grow and change, and I certainly have.

In fact, I have changed to the extent that I am not aware of an NBA Finals game taking place unless I see people discussing it on social media, and in that case, I get a bit annoyed. I don't complain, because I recognize that I can either forsake all friends who like basketball as much as I used to, or I can tolerate their chattering. I choose to tolerated it, and sometimes I'm even glad for it, because my appreciation of the game isn't entirely gone.

As Game 6 played out yesterday evening, I was still working on my writing. It occurred to me that I might be able to go to the living room and find the game on, but it just seemed too much effort to make. I reasoned that I could get as much enjoyment watching the score develop online, and there's even color commentary from those people I mentioned on social networking websites. I found that it worked out just fine.

In fact, I think I may have been able to follow the game even better than if I'd been watching the television broadcast. In that case, I'd probably find my attention wandering away every few minutes, and miss more possessions than I saw. It's often the case that I watch an entire game in any sport and end up being able to give only a very incomplete account of the game. This way though, I picked things up much better, if only for the few minutes I was watching. I only wish someone asked how the game ended.