Watching A Basketball Game

From a completely

Different perspective

For I have no team

Not even a local one

Since I see most sports

As the distractions

They are meant to be


“Give them bread and circuses
and they will never revolt”

Roman satirist Juvenal (circa 55–127 A.D.)



The distraction (game) was about to begin



I even stood, hand over heart

For the Pavlovian music ritual

Of the Star Spangled Banner

As a participatory nod towards

It clichéd complete irrelevance

That has absolutely nothing

To do with sports or games or

Patriotism, for that matter

Save knowing how easily

The masses can be controlled

With a few notes and colorful rags


Back to the game


The “jump” ball is tossed up

A physical roll of the dice

To see which taller person’s team

Gets to start the game

Same as a 50/50 coin toss

Statistically useless info in

Predicting the game’s outcome

Hope, anticipation, and confusion

To initiate the divinity diversion


Back to the game


It was with the first ball bounce

That, it occurred to me to watch

The game on a molecular level

Starting with the agreed to construct

Of all of the molecules in the vicinity

To behave as the collective particles

Of the physical things they make up

The basketball, the air inside, the floor,

The rim, backboard, referees, players,

Me, my ears, my eyes, my brain, the

Overpriced snacks for a captive crowd

Audience, bleachers, scoreboard, etc.





Back to the game



I could sorta see, but mostly sense the

Activity of the participating molecules

Arranging themselves as an orange ball

“Hitting” the floor, a sound emanated

Throughout the gym and to my ears

That alone made the silly game

Miraculously interesting to follow

Since understandably, there is

“No thing” there to hit the boards

It’s just a magical mirage of the mind


Back to the game


The outcome was irrelevant as the

Guy screaming at the refs for calls

That didn’t serve “his” team winning

Following our current geopolitical

Reflection that if I am / my side is losing

It must be someone else’s fault


Back to the game


Like me, the molecules do not have a team

They are doing what they do

Participating when observed by

The collected collective, then when not

Relaxing as waves waiting to be witnessed




“All of that
Which has reality
Has no basis
In reality, “

– Angelo Devlin