Every March, American university male and female basketball players compete in front of millions of viewers and bring out intense passions, not only in themselves but in the hearts’ of worldwide fans. Many people look at me like I’m clinically insane when I tell them stories and plans of myself calling in sick to work or skipping out of school annually to watch the tournament at friend’s houses. It may be impossible for them to understand the love of basketball from not only me, but from millions of others as well.

How could I explain my love? I could take you to the basketball court and show you the creativity and athleticism of the sport. Show you how a connection between two strangers can create a stronger bond from a perfectly executed backdoor cut, then it could after an entire night conversing at a party.

I could tell you how the pick and roll is the oldest play in the game but even professional teams still can’t stop it. Maybe let you watch a college game so you could see that a game executed so flawlessly can literally make your heart beat one hundred and eighty times per minute as the voice of Gus Johnson thrillingly narrates each breathtaking play.

We could sit on the couch and watch the movies “Love and Basketball,” “Coach Carter,” and “Above The Rim.” Explain how the 1966 Texas Western team shattered racial barriers on the court. How Kobe Bryant breaks hearts with his game-winning shots and LeBron James flies like a 747.

I could tell you about the night Michael Jordan scored sixty three points in Madison Square Garden, and when Vince Carter stuck his arm in the rim it set off the whole damn gym. Show you elderly men jumping off bar stools yelling “PITTSNOGLE!!!” who could tell you exactly where George Mason University is (Fairfax County, Virginia) but who routinely forget where their daughter is currently residing.

Greatest of all, I can show you what it’s like to stand alone in an empty gym with nothing but a basketball, a hoop, and your thoughts.

I could show and tell you all I want about basketball. Even use salt and pepper shakers in the cafeteria to teach you the art of the 2-2-1 UCLA full court press.

In the end, basketball is a game you grow to love and never grow out of. So how do I explain my love? Easy. Basketball makes me happy and a better person. I suggest giving it a try because maybe you’ll fall in love. After all, basketball is where anything is possible.