Recently, both of my spring adult league basketball teams won their respective league championships. I wasn't really expecting this to happen so it was a pleasant surprise. In total, I have played on EIGHT teams that have championships over the years.
In winning the championships, I updated a picture collage to reflect the two championship teams I was part of this season. A friend of mine commented that "I was the Robert Horry of recreation basketball".
I know the friend was joking around but this got me to thinking about something. Unlike the NBA (or other professional basketball leagues), recreational basketball leagues get plenty of chances to win league and/or tournament championships throughout the year. NBA players get ONE chance to win each season. If they don't win, they have to wait until next season.
For me, winning two championships in the span of a week is a first and a pretty rare thing for me. All of my previous championships were very spread out. But there are players that play in many leagues that could win multiple championships like I did.
My main point is that my eight championships isn't really all that unusual in recreation basketball. There are just so many leagues / tournaments that you could win more "championships" in one year than some NBA players get in their careers.
All of this being said, sometimes the pursuit of a recreation basketball league or tournament championship can cause players to act irrationally. They get frustrated at teammates, referees or their own play. I hope to encourage players to remember a few things:
If you don't win this season, another season is around the corner pretty quickly. You'll get another opportunity again very quickly.
Even if you win, you are not winning a "ring" like professional players. If you're lucky, you'll get a t-shirt. If you're REALLY LUCKY, the organizers might give you a team award or even individual awards. For me, out of my eight championship teams, I have one t-shirt that reflects me winning anything. The rest are just photos that I took.
Lastly, never compare your experience to others. I've got a lot of differing memories of my various championships. Some of them are hugely positive and some of them are not so positive. However, if you're only won one championship and the experience was a super great one, then more power to you. No point in comparing yourself to someone else who has more.
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