Passion – Basketball

My Passion by: Shariar Alam Sadmun What is basketball? In technical terms as defined by Princeton, it could be defined as a game played on a court by two opposing teams of 5 players; points are scored by throwing the ball through an elevated horizontal hoop. In my own words I would describe basketball as my best friend that never backstabs or goes away from my side; it is always there by my side no matter what just like a true friend. Everyone has a passion but I think my passion is truly unique because I have loved the sport of basketball since I was seven. I remember the day I was watching my first basketball game, I still remember it as if it was yesterday. I was not very familiar with the rules and the scoring. I did not know any players. My idol, Shaquille O’Neal, was playing in that game and he was dominating the whole game until he missed two crucial free throws near the end and his team lost. After the game he said, â€Å"Me shooting 40% at the foul line is just God’s way to say nobody’s perfect. † His play that game and the way that he encountered and the way he intellectually answered the critics that day has inspired me to play and love the game of basketball. People sometimes ask me, â€Å"Why do you love basketball? All you try to do is shoot that ball through that circle. That is not fun† My response to them is always the same. I tell them basketball is not just a game, it is more than a game. It is my love, it is my passion, it is the game that is always by my side, and it is the game that gives me the most enjoyment whenever I am playing or watching it. I love to watch the game. If they show the game on television for 4 hours straight, I will watch it without getting fed up with it. If someone starts a conversation about basketball, I will turn into Manny from Ice Age who never stops talking. I hate losing, basketball brings out my competitive spirit. Basketball lets me take out my emotions, which helps me in expressing myself to others. Basketball is a game of cooperation, where the five people on the court work cooperatively to achieve the goal of winning. The great Michael Jordan once said, â€Å"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships. † Michael Jordan is a hero and an inspiration to a lot of people. He is the reason a lot of people not only in North America, but everywhere in the world started playing basketball. He once said, â€Å"I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot†¦ and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why†¦ I succeed. † His competitive spirit and his hunger to succeed have always inspired me, and every time I hear or read these awe-inspiring quotes by him it always gives me goose bumps. Basketball teaches me good discipline in terms of when to shoot and when to pass to a teammate. Basketball has given me the chance of leading by example. Basketball players not only play the game but they do a lot to help their communities. A great example of that would be Steve Nash, who is an honorary member of Order of Canada (the highest civilian honour in Canada). He is possibly the greatest Canadian basketball player ever. He is an inspiration to every Canadian. All the philanthropic work he does, the way he takes care of his body, his work ethic and the way he leads his team is just a joy to watch and hear about. It makes me proud to be a Canadian and to know that a Canadian is one of the greatest basketball player ever to step on the court. Players like Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal are once in a generation type of players. The way they play with intensity and seriousness is something really commendable. I practice every day during the summer, I try to play with that killer instinct like my idols. When I was in grade five, I would play my brother every day after school and I would never win. One day he did not want to play me anymore because he told me I was not at his level. That really hit me. I remember for the next two months, I had a basketball with me. Everywhere I went, I had it with me from walking and dribbling it to the point where I slept with it. That is how much I wanted to beat my brother. I got that competitive spirit from players like Jordan or O’Neal. After two months, I requested my brother to play me and I told him if I lost I would never ask him to play me. He accepted the challenge, and after a very close game I beat him twenty-one to eighteen. After the game, I cried so much because I was so thrilled that I finally beat my brother. Basketball for some people is just a game. It is more than a game to me. It is like my best friend. It is my passion. It has always been there for me through the tough times and as well as the good times. It has helped me take my emotions out in a proper manner. It lets me take out my competitive spirit. It has taught me how to work in a team effectively. Alan Armstrong once said, â€Å"If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen for you, to you and because of you. † I feel basketball has given me the chance to enjoy my life in a way that I would have probably not enjoyed without it. Basketball has given me the chance to become its best friend, and I will always admire basketball for what it has done to change my life and what it has done to always stay by my side.