A Family Affair

A couple weeks ago during the NBA Western Conference Semi-Finals, the San Antonio Spurs were taking on the Los Angeles Clippers. Before the game, a camera man caught some great footage of Tony Parker, Coach Greg Popovich, and Tim Duncan sitting on the bench before the game, looking like they were all best friends and did not have a care in the world. This footage was cool to see and also made me wonder of what other sport, or even another team in the NBA where you see the sort of ‘best-friend’ relationship that you see Popovich have with his players as well as each player has with their teammates, on the Spurs? I bet it takes you awhile to possibly come up with any comparisons, because there might not be many. 

In college and professional sports these days, there is an increasingly lack of genuine relationships between coaches and players and players with teammates. I brought this subject up because of the one exception to this question that I have witnessed over the past few months. I worked with the Long Beach State Dirtbag baseball team this season. Throughout the season, I worked closely with players and coaches and witnessed a different type of family-style relationship that not only this team has, but baseball in general. Every professional team in any sport, has egos, and some say that baseball has the biggest. However, I find that the camaraderie between players and coaches on a baseball team, puts a lot of those egos on the back burner and it is great to see.  

What sealed the deal for me, in terms of how I perceive baseball clubs and it’s athletes is when the LBSU Dirtbags lost their Big West Conference Championship yesterday on the final game of the season and the last game that 6 Seniors will ever play for their school and possibly baseball. altogether. As I sat in the clubhouse after the game, I witnessed the emotions pouring out in that locker room, some anger and some sadness. Tears were flowing, mostly for the Seniors and no teammates hesitated to come over to each Seniors locker and hug and comfort there elder teammate because they truly love these guys like brothers and know that they will, at some point, be in that same position. As the locker room cleared and all the hugs and ‘i love you brothers’ to the players and coaches, you walk out of the club house to a crowd of family members and friends all laughing and talking with each other as their sons come out to see them. That’s when I got the feeling that this truly is, a family affair. 


Sean William Hogoboom
KIN 577