OK, I admit it: I am gullible and easily distracted by spectacles that resemble the “bread
and circuses (games)” staged to appease and distract poor and unemployed Romans from
rising up against incompetent rulers about 2,000 years ago. The Roman poet Juvenal suggested that “People have abdicated” their civic duties in return for the simple-minded pleasures of a full stomach and vicarious thrills. (Just a reminder: “No Kings” protests are happening across the country today, March 28)
Basketball is my favorite modern circus, and, unaccountably, like thousands of others, I feel a bit more lighthearted after a Celtics win and a bit darker and disheartened after a loss. My life hasn’t actually changed, but my allegiance to a group who have no idea who I am makes it feel that way. I’m a loyal fan, willing to forgive mistakes and limitations as long as the team shows passion. I’ve enjoyed the highs and endured the lows since moving to New England about 50 years ago.
But this year offers a rare chance for Celtics fans. Due to a gruesome injury last year (All-Star Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles tendon) and a series of trades and non-offers based on age and finances, last year’s Celtics lost three more former All-Stars (Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingas, Al Horford) and one battling backup center (Luke Kornet). They began the season as underdogs, not expected to win many games or contend for a championship.
It’s a rare position for Celtics fans who’ve been graced with several eras when their team defined greatness: Red Auerbach and Bill Russell in the 1950s-60s; Larry Bird facing Magic
Johnson during the league’s rebirth in the 1980s; a second “Big Three” win in 2008; and Tatum and Jaylen Brown beginning what was expected to be another dynasty with their 2024 title. New Englanders have been the definition of “spoiled” fans throughout this century, celebrating wins by the Patriots, Bruins, and Red Sox as well. An Australian blog observes that other teams and fans are driven to defeat the “over-hyped and spoilt favourite.”
Fans prepared for the worst this season and the Celtics lost their first three games, looking lost and fragmented. But soon they began to surpass their “plucky underdog” role and now own the fourth best record in the league!
Rooting for an underdog allows fans to begin each game using “house money”: their team is expected to lose, so if they do, it’s not a surprise and doesn’t push them toward the edge of a proverbial cliff. Playing for an underdog seems to provide many of today’s players extra motivation beyond their exorbitant salaries and personal pride. For years, coaches and players have relied on feeling “disrespected” to bring fire to a locker room. “Nobody believed in us” is one of the no-fail phrases in pro sports, even for players who are fully loved and appreciated by their fans and the news media. They get an extra jolt by focusing on the real and imagined “haters.”
Like other successful underdogs, the Celtics rely on unknown rookies and lovable young players who have embraced their supporting roles and endeared themselves to fans through determination and underappreciated skills. Hugo Gonzalez (pronounced with a silent “h”) is only 19 and bounces around the court like the heedless young kangaroo in “Winnie the Pooh.” Nearly always the smallest player on the court, Peyton Pritchard is a bulldog sharpshooter who learned his craft by playing four years in college. Jordan Walsh looks ungainly with his cue-ball head, spindly frame, and too-long arms, but consistently frustrates other teams’ best players. Baylor Schierman has “a nose for the ball” and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Unassuming, affable, and family-oriented, Derrick White is now acknowledged as a legitimate NBA star although he wasn’t even recruited for Division 1 college basketball.
So, let the circus continue, and I’ll watch with great anticipation, relishing the moments when these Celtics underdogs rise to the challenge, and provide a buoyant moment amid the constant assault on our democracy and its aspirations. I realize that sports figures are paid obscene amounts of money, like other entertainers and business leaders (Swift, Sting, Pitt, Musk, Bezos, etc.). But as we cling to threads of hope, the Celtics provide an imaginary
storyline where hard work is paired with God-given physical size and talent, while avoiding the attitudes of an “over-hyped and spoilt favourite.” They started the year as underdogs and I’ll keep them there for the rest of the season.
Allen Woods is a freelance writer, author of the Revolutionary-era historical fiction novel “The Sword and Scabbard,” and Greenfield resident. His column appears regularly on a Saturday. Comments are welcome here or at awoods2846@gmail.com.