At a game, dozens or hundreds of us come together and, on some primal level, turn our wills in the same direction. Most of us spend the week at a desk or behind a counter, doing the same thing we've done for years. Basketball can be a cathartic outlet for our energies, a satisfying way to express loyalty to the young people in our lives. But it seems to me that there's much more to high school basketball, and high school sports in general, than this. While we may not be able to put it into words, I think we intuit it, and sense that it is the touchstone of our passion.
Social anthropologists point out that man, across all cultures, is a game-playing animal.
He is homo ludens , the creature who plays. Complex games, like chess or basketball, resemble musical composition or mathematical inquiry. They are beautiful creative expressions of the exuberant human spirit. When played skillfully and with good sportsmanship, games are a deeply humanizing activity. Good coaches can help young athletes see that they are not on the court or in the pool primarily for external rewards, like social status or a letter jacket.