I got a text from a colleague asking “are you doing okay this morning?” at 7:45 a.m. today.
Fair question. I’ve been wearing a Victor Wembanyama jersey to the office all week in celebration of the Spurs’ run. Last night they were up by 29 points at half time to the New York Knicks, and of course, you can guess what happened. The Knicks overcame the deficit and won by a single point. It was the biggest comeback win in the history of the league finals. I was in the bathroom at the time refusing to come out as I listened to my brother-in-law howl at every terrible Spurs play. Like many devoted sports fans (and hey, I became a Spurs fan a whole two weeks ago! My once beloved Golden State Warriors are all ready for retirement…) I couldn’t watch.
The biggest challenge for me this morning was: Do I still wear the jersey to work?
Of course I do. It’s a test of character. I’ve been telling people all week that I’ll be wearing it until my team “wins the league,” and there’s still a chance. Although let’s face it? That chance is slim. 22-year-old center Victor Wembanyama leads the Spurs. He’s likely to dominate the league for a few years to come. But the truth is, he’s still young, and like all young men, he’s got to learn the hard lessons.
The hardest lesson for any of us to learn is that we can’t always get what we want. Another big lesson is not to take anything for granted, even when it seems like a sure thing. Be grateful for your wins but more than that, be grateful for your losses, and what they can teach you. That’s what I’d tell the Spurs this morning. I work in a church and one of my colleagues, a Priest, asked me why we even watch professional sports, this morning.
“Why do we commemorate Good Friday?” I asked him. “It’s exactly the same thing. Exactly the same with no subtle differences or nuances.”
And he closed the door to his office, ready to prepare his Sunday sermon.
We watch sports because it forces us to go through loss, as much as winning. It was a pleasure to live in Oakland, CA., and watch my beloved Warriors win their titles, at the time. It was a pleasure to watch Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls win their titles in the 1990s. I used to tape the games on VHS and watch them the next morning in South London instead of studying for my school exams. But the most meaningful moments in sports, for me, I’ve found, come from accepting a hard loss.
When I woke up this morning I am proud to say, indeed, that I was fine with my team losing. Something is going on with me. Am I growing up?
Knicks fans suck at this acceptance thing. When they lost game three earlier this week, I got a few texts from New York. My friends were all furious at the refereeing. They couldn’t believe the refs had glossed over a nasty foul by Wemby on their star player, Jalen Brunson. Ask anyone who’s lived in New York like I have, and we’ll tell you: It’s a city that thrives on righteous indignation. You wronged me. So I’ll cut you. That’s the vibe. I mean I can’t blame them. It’s so overcrowded there that walking across the road is a liability.
“I’m WALKING HERE.”
You know?
Wemby and his team and fans bring a more patient, dare I say Christian approach to the game. I’m not talking hateful Christian, either. None of your gay-hating Christian nationalist approach. I mean they’re at peace with themselves. Wemby goes to bed at nine o’clock each evening. He’s spent time with monks. Okay, he also elbowed an Oklahoma player in the throat in a recent game. But he’s only human. He’s only 22. “Knicks deserved to win,” I texted my friends. “Spurs sh*t the bed. I thought they might at the half, tbh. Tough to come back from that.”
Meanwhile I’ll delight in footage of the mayor of New York watching his team win in a Brooklyn bar.
The question now, of course, is what happens next? And if I’ve learned anything from my own failures and losses over the years, I know it will be remarkable. Who knows? The Spurs may lose on Saturday night. They may even win. But whatever happens, they’ll be better people for going through this. On and off the court. And so am I!
—Matt Davis is a strategic communications consultant.
