Feeling It: On Basketball Fandom, Empathy, and Learning to Read

We love this post on masculinity, sports, and literacy from our amazing friends at The Peach Basket, a blog featuring poets writing about basketball that you should check out immediately! <3

by Matt L Rohrer:

“Sports provide a rare sanctioned opportunity for men to express emotions besides anger. When I was a valet parker in my teens I remember my macho boss speaking openly about crying in his room when the A’s were eliminated from the playoffs. We didn’t judge him. We just nodded our heads and laughed a little. We were secretly rooting for him. Sports are vessels that equally display our peak capabilities and limitations. We watch and play not just because games are thrilling, beautiful, and occasionally cruel, but because we want to feel. We experience our failures and moments of grace. We get close to our desires, close to the pain of knowing some of them will never actualize.”

Read the full piece here on The Peach Basket.

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