Basketball is more than a sport. James Naismith’s seed, which began its existance in December of 1891, has evolved into an institution, a way of life.
Ever since I picked up that round orange ball, I’ve been living the basketball lifestyle and I’ve been energized by a deep, intense love for this pastime. When I step on the basketball court or watch a basketball game, I feel like I have just stepped into a dream world of competition. It is a glorious, unparalleled feeling that puts this sport above its peers. It’s a feeling that has made this institution a worldwide phenomenon.
The most famous sports figure in the world, Michael Jordan, lives the basketball lifestyle.
Madison Square Garden, also known as the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” is the Mecca of this institution.
The world’s most extraordinarily constructed bodies that have the best combination of agility, speed, quickness, strength, hand-eye coordination, intellect and mental toughness are filling up NBA rosters.
I’m talking about athletes like Shaquille O’Neal, who at 7 feet 3 inches tall and 330 pounds is just as fast as any NFL defensive lineman.
I’m sure that there are a multitude of offensive coordinators in the NFL that wouldn’t mind having someone taller than Plaxico Burress, bigger than Terrell Owens, has a vertical comparable to Randy Moss and runs 40 meters in around 4.5 seconds playing wide receiver for them. There are many NBA players like Kobe Bryant and Larry Hughes that fit this criteria, as they would be luxuries in many other NFL positions and also numerous positions in other sports.
But this flock of well sculpted bodies and talented athletes are where they belong – in the NBA.
Don’t get it twisted, there are many great sports out there.
However, none of them are comparable to the exciting, exhilarating experience of dunking a basketball or tossing someone’s shot attempt into the stands, or changing direction with the dribble so fast that someone falls or throwing a look away pass or swishing a 30-foot jumper to win a game.
There is nothing like the institution known as basketball!
And for those of you that feel that football is a better sport than basketball, I am not going to even begin to argue with you until American football becomes an Olympic sport.
— Ibram Rogers, 20, is a junior magazine production student from Manassas, Va. He is The Famuan’s sports editor. He can be reached at thefamuansports@hotmail.com.