I am a pretty good writer, but, truth be told, the polish to my words varies in sheen depending on how passionate I am about the subject being tackled. I think it’s a common issue with all who put pen to paper, finger to keyboard. And yet somehow I am still shocked when I read a beautifully-crafted sentence from someone who speaks the truth powerfully & eloquently. It rivals the days when I lived in Toronto and watched from my 200-Level seats as Vince Carter lifted off for the Raptors and did something spectacular.
Recently, I came across two recent examples of terrific writing.
The first was from billionaire investor Warren Buffet, whose Letter to Shareholders, from his base camp in Omaha, is always narrative gold. (I read Buffett for the same reason I still read Sports Illustrated: it reminds of what greatness looks like to a fan sipping beer in the cheap seats.)
The second bit of passionate prose originated much closer to home. It came when Kinduct, a local sports data company, came on board as UP’s first sponsor. The leader of the Kinduct team, Travis McDonough, wrote something for our joint announcement that stopped me cold. Frankly, the first few lines were so right-on that I wished I had written them.
Travis wrote:
“Historically, sport is the ultimate teacher of life skills for children across the world. Recently however sport has become over structured and over engineered. We have stripped out the imagination, the creativity, the freedom for kids just to play...and learn...and have fun. UP Basketball provides an opportunity for children to play the game the way it was meant to be played — without parents, without coaches, without fixed rules and without organized venues…”
He added: “Kinduct is thrilled to support a grassroots organization that focuses in on the pure joy and essence of sport.”
Travis may be ‘thrilled to support’ this modest little project, but I can assure you that I am even more appreciative of his support — and that of the fabulous players on the Kinduct roster. Thank you!
Finally, if you don’t know about Kinduct and how they turn raw data on athletes’ performance into refined intelligence, I urge you to check them out. I won’t spoil your fun by restating my bias, but I will say this: McDonough & Kinduct are to sports data and analytics what MJ & Scotty were to the Bulls — or should I say, what Zion & RJ are to Duke. Either way, ‘nuff said.