Gorgeous piece. So evocative of the moment, yet tender to the concerns for Victor, for the players in that moment, in all those moments, and the crowd as well as they ( observe, and care and emote.
Powerful piece, Katie. It is so vivid and moving. I really appreciate your empathy too. With this piece and others, I've felt my heart tug.
I like how you started philosophically. " If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" is a quote I've heard and has made me think. Sometimes, it's retold in a way for humor but it does make me think about things we don't see, but do happen even though we don't perceive it.
And that's the perfect connection to Victor's fall.
"Thousands of people who all wrestled with Berkeley’s key concept, that they saw Wembanyama quite clearly, his outline stark against the shining court, but could perceive no movement. What they could perceive — flurries of fear, anxiety gripping their chest, seized breath, sudden and nauseous dismay — felt too real but were of course intangible." And I definitely felt that as I watched the video of his fall. I felt so bad for him. And you're right, these are all intangible. But these feelings are so real. In sports, there can be a lot of bad blood, a lot of anger and tension. But I think moments like these also bring out our common humanity.
" It’s the face of a person who has just slipped from sentience, dropped their guard into sleep or another gone state. It’s nearly imperceptible but the change in his features, his body, flashes a glimpse to a much younger Wembanyama — and he already is young.
Watching, I felt an intense wave of vulnerability for him. Like you would watching a child sleep."
This hit my heart hard. It's so spot on. And you capture the feelings so well. The vulnerability, the pain, the anguish - you captured it perfectly.
" How transportive, one shifting second and a person’s features relax, the decades drop away. An awareness of a life, of life, untenable, precarious, precious, too huge, so small, balancing at every second on a breath."
And it's so easy to take this for granted. To just focus on the day to day grind. To be absorbed by the moment and anything that's just in front of us. Or our phones. In moments like these, we lose track of the most basic things - our breath and our life. Both are so precious yet so fragile (and overlooked) too. And we often don't realize it until something painful happens, like with Victor's concussion here or when we are sick or injured.
Excellent article again and as always, Katie! And again, I really appreciate your empathy. It shows through your writing and your writing always encourages us to think deeply, to connect over our common humanity. Your writing is thoughtful and great. Keep up the wonderful work.
Also, apologies for commenting (and reading late). I don't like rushing through articles (especially thought-provoking ones like yours) so I wait until I have the time to slowly read and reflect as I read.
I refuse to watch the moment of Kyrie’s ACL injury. Great writing as always!
Thanks so much Sydney, and I’m with you.
Have you already booked your guest writer for the Celtics exit?
Gorgeous piece. So evocative of the moment, yet tender to the concerns for Victor, for the players in that moment, in all those moments, and the crowd as well as they ( observe, and care and emote.
Really couldn’t get over the vulnerability of his (still unconfirmed) being out cold in the middle of all that game chaos. And thank you, really kind!
Powerful piece, Katie. It is so vivid and moving. I really appreciate your empathy too. With this piece and others, I've felt my heart tug.
I like how you started philosophically. " If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" is a quote I've heard and has made me think. Sometimes, it's retold in a way for humor but it does make me think about things we don't see, but do happen even though we don't perceive it.
And that's the perfect connection to Victor's fall.
"Thousands of people who all wrestled with Berkeley’s key concept, that they saw Wembanyama quite clearly, his outline stark against the shining court, but could perceive no movement. What they could perceive — flurries of fear, anxiety gripping their chest, seized breath, sudden and nauseous dismay — felt too real but were of course intangible." And I definitely felt that as I watched the video of his fall. I felt so bad for him. And you're right, these are all intangible. But these feelings are so real. In sports, there can be a lot of bad blood, a lot of anger and tension. But I think moments like these also bring out our common humanity.
" It’s the face of a person who has just slipped from sentience, dropped their guard into sleep or another gone state. It’s nearly imperceptible but the change in his features, his body, flashes a glimpse to a much younger Wembanyama — and he already is young.
Watching, I felt an intense wave of vulnerability for him. Like you would watching a child sleep."
This hit my heart hard. It's so spot on. And you capture the feelings so well. The vulnerability, the pain, the anguish - you captured it perfectly.
" How transportive, one shifting second and a person’s features relax, the decades drop away. An awareness of a life, of life, untenable, precarious, precious, too huge, so small, balancing at every second on a breath."
And it's so easy to take this for granted. To just focus on the day to day grind. To be absorbed by the moment and anything that's just in front of us. Or our phones. In moments like these, we lose track of the most basic things - our breath and our life. Both are so precious yet so fragile (and overlooked) too. And we often don't realize it until something painful happens, like with Victor's concussion here or when we are sick or injured.
Excellent article again and as always, Katie! And again, I really appreciate your empathy. It shows through your writing and your writing always encourages us to think deeply, to connect over our common humanity. Your writing is thoughtful and great. Keep up the wonderful work.
Also, apologies for commenting (and reading late). I don't like rushing through articles (especially thought-provoking ones like yours) so I wait until I have the time to slowly read and reflect as I read.
I was very happy to see him looking well on Friday night at the game in Portland. Silly aside: he was wearing the most gorgeous sweater
No way, love those details.