No matter who wins or loses today, Priv.y wins. -Noah
Tristan, friend and PRIV.Y’s own, asked me if I wanted to “Substack” his basketball meetup on Saturday. I didn’t know what that meant. How could I cover basketball when I’m not a sports reporter? But I’d never seen T so enthusiastic, so I listened…
Apparently, basketball was a regular occurrence last spring/summer. There was tons of trash talk among the guys. Noah noted a time he almost seriously injured a friend during a match–whacked the breath right out of the guy’s lungs (unintentionally). That just came with the territory.
Despite my limited sports knowledge, I responded GOING to the Partiful, which already had 17 signups. There was an angle here. I didn’t intend for quality content. The tension was the draw. I would get the guys to trash-talk each other in front of the camera. I would film the fouls and the drama. I would enjoy the weather and wear a cute athletic outfit.
Saturday was a remarkably sunny day. T, with a big smile, was the first to arrive. The guys slowly rolled in and warmed up. I started pulling them for interviews, prompting them to talk their shit, and quickly learned the hostility angle was nil, nada, nonexistent. Nobody could utter a sly comment about another player! I began to worry. How can this be anything meaningful...what am I doing here? BUT I was having a ton of fun and loving their positive energy.
A new angle emerged: What does it mean to play a game of pickup fueled by love? Pure bliss with your bros. Old friends and new friends. It’s not about skill or winning. Thoroughly joie de vivre.
The lesson is, tell your homies you fw them. A MAN goes outside to PLAY.
Special thanks to T for inviting me, despite his deceit. And thank you to T for getting the guys together. Special thanks to all the respectful guys who showed out and shared love. T also wanted me to tell you this is going to be more frequent, and that you should come.
I hope this video makes you smile. (Disclaimer: this video does not reflect the production quality of PRIV.Y media, as it was made by me, who doesn’t typically produce visual content)
“You’re either winning, or you’re learning.” -Peter
“I got the biggest heart on the court.” -Grant
