Connecting Through Sports

Recently, I was in New Jersey for the memorial service for my uncle, Al Swanson. He was quite the athlete. He was so gifted that he lettered in 4 different sports at the U.S. Naval Academy.

At the memorial, his playing days at Navy and West Orange High were brought up. The luncheon that followed was at the country club where he played endless rounds of golf. He was really good at that sport too.

My uncle, Al Swanson, playing football at the US Naval Academy

Al's younger brother, my other uncle, Gordon, spoke of a legendary New Jersey high school coach whose career spanned Al's playing days and mine.

At that luncheon at the country club, I shared one of my favorite Uncle Al stories. Of course, it was about basketball. It seemed most of the stories swapped that day revolved around sports.

If you've ever played sports, you know what I'm talking about. For many of us, sports are the tie that binds teammates, families, friends, towns, and generations.

Uncle Al playing basketball at the Academy

My father played college basketball at Wheaton College. That's him in the photo below, flying to the basket.

Isn't it fascinating to see old photos like this? That photo is from the mid 1950s. Our world has changed considerably. Back then, there was no internet, no cell phones, laptop computers, email, social media, etc. And yet, the basketball hoop was 10 feet high, the ball was round, and there were 5 guys per team on the court.

Basketball may be played a bit differently these days, but the game my father and uncles played is the same game I played.

My father, Tom Young, playing basketball for Wheaton College

Sports aren't timeless; rather, they keep track of time and give it context. That's me in the photo below with my coach, Mike Jarvis, during my senior year at GW. I can tell you the name of every person in that photo. Coach Jarvis was a successful college basketball coach for decades. And even though he only coached me for one year, we're still in touch.

Sports are not war, and players don't head into battle, but the hard work, discipline, passion, and sacrifice shared among teammates forge strong bonds that last a lifetime.

For a writer, tapping into those bonds is a gold mine.

John Grisham writes legal thrillers, Tom Clancy wrote military thrillers. Louis L'Amour was famous for his novels about Cowboys and Indians. I like to write novels that blend sports and Christianity.

Why sports, and in particular, basketball?

Me on the bench at GW, waiting for Coach Mike Jarvis to put me in the game

First, if you're going to be a good writer, you should write what you know. Thus, you can either engage in intense study to learn a subject or write about something you already know. I know basketball.

Second, have you ever experienced this - you visit an old childhood friend you haven't seen in years, and instantly, it feels like barely a week has passed since the good old days?

For me, I experience that time-erasing magic every time I talk with an old teammate. Not sometimes. Every time. We swap stories and just like that, it's like we're kids again, playing a game we love.

Sports are the calendars of our lives, the camaraderie that links us, and the memories that make us laugh and cry and think. And if that seems shallow to you, this may change your mind: when you hear us sports fanatics swapping story after story, those stories are almost always about the people, rarely about the actual game. They're about teammates, teams, families, and fellowship.

I love talking about religion and politics, but those topics often divide. Sports unite. We may argue over who has the better team, but we're arguing over a shared love. Our love of sports. And I love that.