Love and Basketball

What if the feeling fades?

Dear up-and-coming player,

Basketball is not always fun. I know that, coming from a training blog/email, that seems like a strange thing to hear. Ball is life, right? I guess it depends on what your life consists of — but maybe. Let me ask you a quick question: is life always fun? For anyone who’s been around for any amount of time, I believe the answer is no. Not every step of your basketball journey is going to be wonderful.

I used to beat myself up about this when I had practices after school or after class. I’d be burnt out sometimes. I’d be tired. I didn’t want to go. But basketball (at that time in my life) was literally everything. How practices and games went would heavily dictate my mood and energy levels (not healthy — but that’s not what we’re talking about today). Even though I loved the game more than anything else, I didn’t always love it. And I felt like that feeling was wrong. Was I doing it wrong?

The answer to that is no. I realized — slowly, but eventually — that love doesn’t require you to be head-over-heels all the time. Like motivation, your feelings will vary. Sometimes you can’t wait to hit a workout. Other times, you’d rather do anything else. Neither of those feelings is wrong. They just are.

If you’re reading this, you love the sport of basketball. I know that much. You may not love every step of the process, but something keeps you coming back. I like to think of basketball like a marriage. You’re committed to this partnership. You won’t love all of the ups and downs, but you’re always working to make sure that partnership flourishes. You may not feel like working out today. That’s fair. But love isn’t a fickle thing. It doesn’t come and go. Love roots itself inside of you and grows. It stays for the long haul.

Just remember: today, you may not feel outward love for the sport — but you do love it. Keep working through the tough stuff. If you were always motivated to play, it wouldn’t be so rewarding in the end.

Best,

Coach Jordan