💯 | The story is so long and multi-faceted, reading it was like going through a roller coaster that included confirming priors, refuting priors, empathic head nods at the human nature of the miracle / tragedy that is Joel Embiid, “oh noooooo” cringe moments, “I wish I could help this dude figure things out” moments … and in the end, greater acceptance of who he is and why he is. However it turns out, let him be.
One remarkable thing about this story is that it’s in a national outlet. Every player is profoundly human, as you phrase it. (Joel or Iverson are not more or less human than anyone else.) And maybe only regional fans get anywhere close to seeing or knowing that humanity, in part from local stories, and in part from all the evidence we gather as fans. This story will be read by people across the country and probably the world, and while it gives fans in Philly greater insight into a person we think we know fairly well, it also gives people who haven’t followed his career the way we do a glimpse of the person who wears that jersey. If that doesn’t increase their sympathy, we learn more about them as well.
I've always been a put the human before they are an athlete, kind of guy, but increasingly my patience ran out with Embiid on the Sixers, but that's purely on the basketball angle. I wish him well. That said, I didn't find the sanctity in the article that many have. It's very much one side, but also gives a clear indication of the organisation's failings, not least of which is never having the courage not to pander to Ben and Joel and have a culture. No question, this article is an insight into the organisations indefensible failings. It's also an insight into how pandering to our inside voice when we isolate ourselves, is an increasing snowball into our poor mental wellbeing. What I feel the piece on Joel misses is.... that unhappy with the setup... but he still signed contracts to stay and extend. I felt the mental capitulation against Boston went untouched (perhaps I missed it in the piece), and also the fact that being the best player on a team is not the same as having leadership skills and many NBA teams and journalists still think that franchise player must = team leader. Kendrick Perkins made a great point. Joel didn't have an agent. An agent that could have been his advocate and deal with the BS from the Sixers. But then again, the thrust of the piece is Joel has trust issues, so perhaps he couldn't even trust an agent.
💯 | The story is so long and multi-faceted, reading it was like going through a roller coaster that included confirming priors, refuting priors, empathic head nods at the human nature of the miracle / tragedy that is Joel Embiid, “oh noooooo” cringe moments, “I wish I could help this dude figure things out” moments … and in the end, greater acceptance of who he is and why he is. However it turns out, let him be.
One remarkable thing about this story is that it’s in a national outlet. Every player is profoundly human, as you phrase it. (Joel or Iverson are not more or less human than anyone else.) And maybe only regional fans get anywhere close to seeing or knowing that humanity, in part from local stories, and in part from all the evidence we gather as fans. This story will be read by people across the country and probably the world, and while it gives fans in Philly greater insight into a person we think we know fairly well, it also gives people who haven’t followed his career the way we do a glimpse of the person who wears that jersey. If that doesn’t increase their sympathy, we learn more about them as well.
I've always been a put the human before they are an athlete, kind of guy, but increasingly my patience ran out with Embiid on the Sixers, but that's purely on the basketball angle. I wish him well. That said, I didn't find the sanctity in the article that many have. It's very much one side, but also gives a clear indication of the organisation's failings, not least of which is never having the courage not to pander to Ben and Joel and have a culture. No question, this article is an insight into the organisations indefensible failings. It's also an insight into how pandering to our inside voice when we isolate ourselves, is an increasing snowball into our poor mental wellbeing. What I feel the piece on Joel misses is.... that unhappy with the setup... but he still signed contracts to stay and extend. I felt the mental capitulation against Boston went untouched (perhaps I missed it in the piece), and also the fact that being the best player on a team is not the same as having leadership skills and many NBA teams and journalists still think that franchise player must = team leader. Kendrick Perkins made a great point. Joel didn't have an agent. An agent that could have been his advocate and deal with the BS from the Sixers. But then again, the thrust of the piece is Joel has trust issues, so perhaps he couldn't even trust an agent.
Kendrick Perkins has never made a "great point" about anything.