Lamenting American Politics, Sports Illustrated, and Toys That Gather Dust

We can't change a lot of things, so we might as well (watch people) dance

Winters in South Carolina are deceiving. This past weekend the skies were blue and the sun radiated with brilliance, but the temperature didn’t get above freezing. Now this week the temps are continuing to rise into the upper 60s (!) this weekend. But of course, there will be rain.

If it’s going to be insanely cold, all I ask is for a chance of a good snow. Just an afternoon of steady snow showers leaving about 5 inches on the ground that melts in 48 hours. Then give me spring. That would be ideal.

Anyway, here are five things I’m thinking about right now.

1. The election rematch nobody wants

In sports, fans used to say “I don’t care who wins it this year, as long as it’s not the New England Patriots/Golden State Warriors/Alabama Crimson Tide/(insert annoying dynasty team name here).” But we’re still roughly 10 months from Election Day and it’s already looking like Trump vs. Biden, The Sequel.

I’ll save more expansive thoughts on the election for another day, but this reality couldn’t be more disheartening. A man facing 91 criminal charges is the leading choice among Republican voters to lead the nation. While supporters will claim these are all bogus charges, one cannot deny the divisive/cult-like status of Trump. How his most staunch enemies who campaigned against him are now “kissing the ring” themselves.

Then there’s Joe Biden whose leadership has been weak and ineffective. Not to mention concerns of his age and cognitive abilities, Biden is an undesirable candidate himself. One would wonder if it weren’t so apparent that Trump would be his competition if leading Democrats wouldn’t push for Joe to step aside and let a younger candidate step in.

Regardless, as it stands now, I’ll step to the voting booth in November scratching my head, wishing South Carolina allowed for write-in votes for president. Because if none of the names on the ballot are appealing, I want just once for the opportunity to write my dad in for president. Of course, he wouldn’t win, but at least I’d be voting for someone I truly admired and believed in.

2. The end of an era in sports journalism

One of the coolest moments in my life as a writer came in high school when this issue of Sports Illustrated hit my mailbox. There in the opening pages was a letter I had written to the editor:

That was nothing short of a great piece of writing by Steve
Rushin (Hey, Look Us Over, Feb. 15). What happened to the days
when basketball players competed simply because they enjoyed the
game? I loved it when the young man stepped on to the floor and
threw money at the players. Isn't that what we're doing by
buying tickets to these circuses called NBA games?
EDDIE BECKER, Chesnee, S.C.

I was commenting on a previous issue’s discussion around the NBA’s attempt to win back fans after a disastrous lockout. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but having my name on the same pages as Rick Reilly and Jackie MacMullan was a thrill.

After news broke that Sports Illustrated laid off all its staff, I shook my head. How do you take an iconic brand in sports journalism and tarnish it like this? Perhaps AI isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? I suppose one count point fingers at the world of social media for killing newspapers and magazines. But quality will always win out over quality. Even in longform content.

If this truly is the end of SI, I can only hope someone takes its place with the great writing SI has always been known for. I’ve got boxes still of some of the most cherished issues, ones with Jordan or Tiger or Lebron or Brady on the cover. I’ve got other covers I’ve torn off, and images I’ve ripped from the pages to pin up on a dorm room (or cubicle) wall. I’ve pulled entire articles that captured my attention (Who can ever forget the one about white athletes?).

SI was a staple of my youth. Here’s hoping it remains that for other young people for decades to come.

3. RIP Dan Miller

I was saddened to hear that Dan Miller, author of 48 Days to the Work You Love passed away this week, just months after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

48 Days was the first career book I ever read. It was honestly the first time I ever looked at my work seriously. I was in the middle of a sales job I hated and wanted a way out. But I realized I had no idea what to even look for. Dan’s book helped me ask those questions that guided me to what I was passionate about: writing.

If you’re in a spot where you need a career change but have no idea what steps to take, I can’t recommend Dan’s book or podcast enough.

4. The dollhouse in the corner of this room is too neat

Photo by Yucel Moran on Unsplash

My office is just 1/4th of a bonus room, a larger room that at one point in our lives would’ve been called a playroom. In the opposite corner from my desk sits a pink and white doll house. On it are various boxes of toys, so doll furniture, and other knick-knacks our girls used to play with. Used to.

I can’t recall the last time they pulled out their Barbies or Calico Critters or Hatchimals or whatever other little figurines they used to play with. I imagine these toys behaving like Woody and Buzz and the other characters from Toy Story. They only get active when no one’s around. They’ve been forgotten about. They’re just one step away from getting thrown in a box and shipped into attic purgatory. It’s a sad state of affairs.

I get it. Our girls are teenagers now and don’t have time for frivolous things like playing pretend with dress-up clothes or cooking fake food and their mini-kitchen or setting free their inner interior decorator and setting up a room in the doll house. The little plastic and wooden toys have lost their luster.

I remember a time in my early teens when I came across a box of old G.I. Joes I played with as a kid. I pulled them out and began playing with them for a few minutes before I realized it wasn’t the same. They weren’t as fun anymore. I had grown up from them and outgrown them.

And I know our girls have done the same with these toys. Still, after all of those days fussing at them to clean up their mess in this room, I wish I could get them in here to make a mess again.

5. If you’re sad, dance! Or watch people dance, at least.

If you know me at all, you know nothing, almost nothing, can get me to dance. I just don’t do it. But I do enjoy this video of Ed People asking others to teach him their favorite dances.

Have a great week, everyone.