I decided that it would be a lot more fun to spend the Minnesota Lynx Media Day in the service department waiting room at the dealership than at the Target Center. However, inspiration for diary-writing manifests in all sorts of manners and in the strangest locations, so with this unwanted break in the action, I took advantage of it.
Aside from missing the cleverly staged photos, the abundant energy from the players, some of whom, sadly, might only wear the uniform for a few more days, and the overall feeling of anticipation for Friday’s game, I quickly realized that I didn’t really miss much. Once again, the similarity between Media Day and the obligatory photo call for a play about to open is remarkable. Actors, for the most part, would rather be rehearsing and not lose precious time to work on a show that is going to open in a few days.
It is quite possible that athletes would rather be practicing and learning because, for some, their livelihood depends upon it. Of course, for actors, if you’re at a photo call, you’ve had the job for quite a while. Not so for athletes. I suspect that there may be an underlying anxiety, even for the vets, that they need this time for basketball. It is, however, a necessary evil, and must be endured. I suppose what I missed out on was an entertaining assemblage of game faces.
How Shakespeare is Comparable to an Athlete’s Career
I wonder how much time fans think about the players on their favorite team as simply people. To quote Shakespeare’s Richard II:
“Cover your heads, and mock not flesh and blood with solemn reverence: throw away respect, tradition, form, and ceremonious duty, for you have but mistook me all this while: I live with bread like you, feel want, taste grief, need friends: subjected thus, how can you say to me I am a king?”
Richard II, Act Three, Scene Two
You can replace “king” with “baller” quite easily here, and it makes a lot of sense. The fragility of a career as an athlete, which, as we all know, is quite finite, is often something that we as fans do not fully embrace. Often we would like to think that we know them. We do not and not know what we see on the court, in interviews, or on social media, but when the camera stops filming, the computer goes dark, and TikTok stops ticking, who are they?
media day frames feat. MILA 🤩 pic.twitter.com/c01KPD39Nh
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) May 1, 2024
We idolize those we love and admire, but can so easily turn on a dime when the real person does or says something that offends us, or simply acts human, with all the faults and foibles to which we are all subject. Privacy these days is an increasingly fleeting commodity, particularly for public figures. Athletes are certainly public figures. To encroach upon their privacy, to feel certain idolizing ownership is not a perk of being a season ticket holder.
Of course, as we all know, when someone is placed on a pedestal there is only one direction to go. We often expect too much, and as my oldest friend always says, “Expectations are nothing more than premeditated resentment.”
Anticipation of the Minnesota Lynx Upcoming Practice
I am eager to watch practice today. I am curious to see if there will be a shift in focus, a deeper commitment not only to the immediate task at hand but also to the greater challenge of securing a roster spot. It is an unfortunate reality that after Friday, the Minnesota Lynx training camp roster will be shorter. Much like the dance call for a big musical, where perhaps a hundred dancers are vying for a few chorus jobs, no one wants to hear the words, “thank you, we don’t need to see you again. You’re free to go.”
I’ve said it before, it isn’t show fun, it is show business. And for these prospective Lynx players, it isn’t sports fun, it is sports business. As for my car, my extended warranty kicked in. It is a shame that athletes don’t have that kind of protection.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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