“You Can Take the Future, Even If you Fail”: Media Day and the Unforgiving Path of the Rookie
In the opening scene of 2008’s hit musical Mamma Mia, Sophie (played wonderfully by Red Riding Hood’s Amanda Seyfried) rows somberly toward night-darkened island crooning the timeless words of ABBA’s classic “I Have a Dream.”
I have a dream, A song to sing, To help me cope, With anything, If you see the wonder, Of a fairy tale, You can take the future, Even if you fail.
Today is media day. For dozens of players around the league this is their first true exposure to the NBA spotlight. Sure, there may not be many games, and there may not be any games to be played, but what they do get is a feel for what the spotlight will do to them. Some will become natural. Others may be nervous. All of this is fine. The life of a rookie in the NBA is an unforgiving one, and to many of these players, this may also be the only exposure they get on a scale like this. They have a dream, now is the time to sing that song gladly. Every possession in preseason and training can be the vibrant, beautiful note of a symphonic masterpiece — Beethoven hitting a note on his piano playing music that he can only hear, yet knows it’s beautiful. However, these plays can also be squeaky clarinet with a broken reed . It is up to them to decide what kind of song it is that all of us will sing when all is send and done.
Basketball is art. Art is basketball.
Some of these men will be the next generation of superstar. The Donnas of their groups. The leaders of the island they call home, setting up an inn of future stars just like themselves. For others, they may never be a star. They may have a long, productive career, trying their hardest to fit in an NBA roster, but never quite hitting the proper notes — like Pierce Brosnan’s Sam singing alongside Meryl Streep’s Donna. This is fine. While the LeBron Jameses of the world get all the attention, the Ronnie Prices still have value and should often be applauded. Others may establish a career as a journeyman — like Stellan Skarsgard’s Bill . One who simply goes from town to town in his boat and sows his wild oats of talent for all the fans to see. Still. There may always be a harry — as played by Colin Firth. They may put in the effort, they may score here and there, but they may not be quite ready for the league. They must cope with whatever comes their way. The positive, the negative, and the in-between. No NBA career brings certainty. One day you may be dancing, jiving your way into another championship ring and the next you may be sick and tired of everything that your career entails.
Hard work, sacrifice, and a well-tuned set of skills are vital to a long and prosperous NBA career. It can be a taxing journey to get there. You may see the wonder of superstardom, or such dreams may prove to be a fairy tale. Many great college players have come into the NBA and faded into the wind just as quickly as they came. However, one thing is for certain as we go into the season. You can take the past, present, or future and mold it into something beautiful, but even if you fail in the end, you should be ecstatic about making it this far into the greatest league on earth.
