"I fumbled so many high-fives during our first game—that split second when you have to decide whether to dap or pound" was so funny and relatable. Also made me think about how gendered these types of interactions can be. When I was younger I always felt so pressured to go for the hug instead of the high-five, which resulted in many awkward is-this-a-hug-or-high-five interactions and accidental face-bops. 🤣
The connection of team and community is so beautiful, thank you for sharing Hammad's story with us. His act of resistance is so important.
This is an aside and something that is on my mind this Monday following the super bowl, but gender equality still has so far to go in sports. Not just in what girls/women are allowed access to and the rates of which people consume it, but also the documented rise in DV cases attached to national teams (worldwide, not just US) losing. It's heartbreaking that the comradery and community of sports switches off in the home for so many. Coaches such as yourself are so vital in this world, teaching young people what emotional regulation in relation to sports should look like. Thanks for doing what you do!!!
I always love your comments, thank you for not only reading but sharing your thoughts as well! That point about how gendered these types of interactions can be is so real. Even now, I'm trying to unlearn how I show up in those interactions and how people want to be interacted with rather than leading with my own assumptions.
Also, I haven't read much about that rise in DV cases connected to national teams losing. If you have any resources to pass along there, I'd love to learn more. That's heartbreaking.
To your point of emotional regulation, I appreciate that encouragement. It's been interesting see how my players react when they have a foul called on them and then how a simple "you're good" can help diffuse them. I find myself also having to check my own emotions when a call doesn't go the way I think it should.
I appreciate you and your perspective. Thank you for the kind words and encouragement, as well as for who you are and the work you do!
This was so lovely - and I felt this post in my heart when reading it. It’s the first of yours I’ve read (you showed up in my feed), and I’m glad you did!
I loved this, Alex. Particularly this line: “The world many of us desire—a world free from oppression where everyone has what they need—requires us to see each other as part of the same team. “
If we could just take a time out and draw up a new play where we all play together, that’s a game no one loses.
this was a really beautiful read. it made me happy and then pretty sad. i’m a woman in a really male dominated sport where a lot of the men are really right wing and gender-pilled and view woman as totally other, and even the ones that don’t hold these views themselves tend to have no problem being friends with people who do. so i miss out on a lot of the feeling like a team that i see so many of the people i train with enjoy. i really want to change this but i don’t even know where to start cause it feels like in order to do so i would have to convince all the sexist/transphobic/right wing weirdos to stop being sexist/transphobic/right wing weirdos, and it’s like well i don’t wanna spend my short time in this sport talking and hanging with people like that or even focusing so much of my energy on them. but also it feels like i’m missing out on so much. so idk. but i really enjoyed this anyways, made me want to try harder to find community within my sport.
"I fumbled so many high-fives during our first game—that split second when you have to decide whether to dap or pound" was so funny and relatable. Also made me think about how gendered these types of interactions can be. When I was younger I always felt so pressured to go for the hug instead of the high-five, which resulted in many awkward is-this-a-hug-or-high-five interactions and accidental face-bops. 🤣
The connection of team and community is so beautiful, thank you for sharing Hammad's story with us. His act of resistance is so important.
This is an aside and something that is on my mind this Monday following the super bowl, but gender equality still has so far to go in sports. Not just in what girls/women are allowed access to and the rates of which people consume it, but also the documented rise in DV cases attached to national teams (worldwide, not just US) losing. It's heartbreaking that the comradery and community of sports switches off in the home for so many. Coaches such as yourself are so vital in this world, teaching young people what emotional regulation in relation to sports should look like. Thanks for doing what you do!!!
I always love your comments, thank you for not only reading but sharing your thoughts as well! That point about how gendered these types of interactions can be is so real. Even now, I'm trying to unlearn how I show up in those interactions and how people want to be interacted with rather than leading with my own assumptions.
Also, I haven't read much about that rise in DV cases connected to national teams losing. If you have any resources to pass along there, I'd love to learn more. That's heartbreaking.
To your point of emotional regulation, I appreciate that encouragement. It's been interesting see how my players react when they have a foul called on them and then how a simple "you're good" can help diffuse them. I find myself also having to check my own emotions when a call doesn't go the way I think it should.
I appreciate you and your perspective. Thank you for the kind words and encouragement, as well as for who you are and the work you do!
Absolutely! I’ll drop back in tomorrow with some linkage, thank you for asking!! Be well! 💜
As promised:
https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC3712874&blobtype=pdf
https://academic.oup.com/jleo/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jleo/ewac014/6651781?redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022427813494843
Ah thank you!!!!
Absolutely perfect. Ate. No crumbs.
Bless you forever 🙏🏽
Facts. Just gorgeous.
Thank you, brother. Glad you’re here.
This was so lovely - and I felt this post in my heart when reading it. It’s the first of yours I’ve read (you showed up in my feed), and I’m glad you did!
Thank you for making the time to give it a read, Alison! I’m so happy it could meet you where you are 🫶🏽
I loved this, Alex. Particularly this line: “The world many of us desire—a world free from oppression where everyone has what they need—requires us to see each other as part of the same team. “
If we could just take a time out and draw up a new play where we all play together, that’s a game no one loses.
Thanks for this rich exploration. 🫶
Love that. Drawing up a new play where we all play together. That’s beautiful. Thank you for reading this one and sharing how it connected with you.
Took me awhile to finally read through this. This was such a rich writing man
Glad you took the time, man. Means the world coming from you 🙏🏽
this was a really beautiful read. it made me happy and then pretty sad. i’m a woman in a really male dominated sport where a lot of the men are really right wing and gender-pilled and view woman as totally other, and even the ones that don’t hold these views themselves tend to have no problem being friends with people who do. so i miss out on a lot of the feeling like a team that i see so many of the people i train with enjoy. i really want to change this but i don’t even know where to start cause it feels like in order to do so i would have to convince all the sexist/transphobic/right wing weirdos to stop being sexist/transphobic/right wing weirdos, and it’s like well i don’t wanna spend my short time in this sport talking and hanging with people like that or even focusing so much of my energy on them. but also it feels like i’m missing out on so much. so idk. but i really enjoyed this anyways, made me want to try harder to find community within my sport.