The Road to 40 Day 154/365: Competitive Spirit

Vino and I play different sports, but I’m fine with it as long as he enjoys what he’s doing.

Growing up, I was naturally drawn to basketball because of the people who surrounded me. My older cousin, who used to visit and stay at our house, watched the NBA. Our helpers were fans of the PBA. My classmates would play basketball after classes. My dad and my uncles got together to build a basketball court on our street.

Eventually, I wanted to try learning it myself. My parents enrolled me in a basketball summer camp, but I eventually played it myself. I played with different people and just always found my role in any team I played for.

I used to play center when I was younger because I grew quickly in fifth grade. By sixth grade, everyone else caught up, so I moved to small forward. Later, I banked on my dribbling and passing skills to play point guard. Eventually, I moved to either forward spots because everyone wanted to have the ball in their hands.

No matter where I played or what position, I always enjoyed the game for what it is. I’d smile with my opponents even if things get heated up. I once chipped a bone in my elbow and drove myself to the hospital without feeling any animosity with any of the people I played with.

For me though, winning isn’t everything. I’m not saying I don’t have a competitive spirit, but I’m okay with losing a game. It won’t ruin my day or my mood if I get beaten by 40 or by a game winner.

For Vino, he’s always hated the idea of losing. Even when he was three years old, we’d play race to the house and I’d let him win. The rare times I’d try to beat him, he would cry his lungs out and hit me.

He carried that over now that he’s a bit older. When he lost games, you’d see his eyes well up. It didn’t matter if it was a Roblox game, a football game, or a random rock-paper-scissors game. During one of our Christmas parties in the PH, Vino cried when he saw me and Che constantly failing to win the guessing game even as we just laughed it off.

I’m ok with him caring so much to get wins, but sometimes I have to remind him that it’s just a game.

During the game in his latest training session, I was happy to see him a bit frustrated when he concedes a goal, but quick to dust himself off and get ready for the next play. At one point, he had a brilliant save after he dove for the ball. His smile, as he enjoyed his small win, was priceless.

After the training session, Vino and the other boys decided to play a bit. For once, the guys who were playing on the field next didn’t rush us, maybe because they were short on players. As a result, the kids happily took the extra time to play without adults shouting at them.

They later adjourned by themselves and we all made our way home.

When we arrived, Che ordered quite a bit of food. They had 4Fingers and she bought me a pork cutlet with curry. She also had a Jolly Hotdog for Vino’s breakfast and some Peach Mango Pie for their dessert.

Speaking of competitive spirit, I was scheduled to draft my second fantasy team this night. I have four active NBA fantasy leagues. I’ve been with a couple of leagues for more than a decade already, while the two other leagues are fairly new for me.

Last year, none of my teams made the playoffs, with most of them ending close to the bottom. I attribute it to overly researching players and giving value to players that they probably didn’t deserve.

Now that I haven’t been watching a lot of NBA games, I’m hoping that I could fare better than I did last year. After all, I won an NFL fantasy league without watching practically any of the games last year.

My attitude towards games led me not to be the best at any of it, but I’ve come to enjoy a lot of them. I hope that Vino grows up to find balance between being uber-competitive and having joy while playing games so that he can become a better player than I was.