SEEING RED

Earlier this week, Barca were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Champions League to PSG. In many ways, this was same story, second verse and yet another humiliating exit after taking a lead into a return leg.

It all came undone despite Barca winning the first leg by one goal and after leading 1-0 in the return leg. Late in the first half, Ronald Araujo, the last Barca defender, pulled down a PSG player who was breaking towards the goal. The foul occurred right outside the box, resulting in a red card and sending off. One could feel the oxygen leave the stadium. The stress on Xavi's face was palpable, knowing that Barca would be forced to play down one man for nearly 60 minutes. 

Before half, PSG scored to tie it up the score 1-1. However, Barca were still up by one goal on aggregate. Soon after half they gave up another goal. Shortly thereafter, Xavi became incensed after a no-call on a foul on a Barca player and kicked a sign board near the touchline. He, too, was sent off.

I have loved this team for fourteen years, but the past eight years have been one disappointment after another - not because they failed to win trophies like their golden era from 2009-2015 but because of the indignity of so many self-inflicted, humiliating collapses. Enough!

It is hard to see something one loves die. I am not sure I will watch another Barca game again because the depths to which this team has fallen due to mismanagement and malfeasance of the board and presidents - current and former. 

Life is frustrating enough. I will save my energy and sanity for other pursuits.

GRATEFUL

The NPR podcast, "Hidden Brain," is one of my favorite shows. The podcast is focused on social sciences, namely psychology, and it covers the many mental traps we fall into. Recently, they released a show called, "The Enemies of Gratitude," which featured the psychologist Thomas Gilovich. In summary, we are our own worst enemies, and ingratitude often happens because we place ourselves center stage and forget all those around us who are also key protagonists in our lives. This tunnel vision becomes particularly acute under times of stress, and I must confide that unremitting stress is something I - and some many others - have faced these past few years.

However, somedays one is able to rest one's gaze outside one's self and to appreciate everything that is around us. Today was one of those days when I went for a run in the nearby Nichols Arboretum on a beautiful spring day. 

It was in the high 40s without a cloud in the sky when I took off for my run this morning. Within seconds, I was struck by how our long winter had finally come to a close. I witnessed bulbs on some plants and even flowers on others. As I neared the Arboretum, I even caught a glimpse of a blue jay, resplendent in the sun. 

As I was running back home - up a very steep hill, mind you - I could not help but feel grateful to live so close to the trails in the Arboretum, to have my health, to be able to still run, and to have the capacity to appreciate the beauty around me.

When times get tough or stress creeps back in, I hope I will remember my experience today and that it will sustain me.  What an amazing life I have had, including these last four and three quarters years with my family and teams at work here in Ann Arbor. These people and experiences like today remind me what gratitude is all about.

GIRLS STATE

This weekend, we watched the Apple TV documentary. "Girls State." The film was made by the same team that released the companion documentary, "Boys State," in 2020, and one could not help but compare the two films and the events depicted.

Girls State, like Boys State, is a weeklong "camp" for high schoolers to build a government from the ground up. There are election, and candidates for each office must convince a plurality of the attendees to vote for them. 

In Boys State, there was a fair amount of back stabbing, hypocrisy, and electioneering that filled the two hour film. Girls State was staid in comparison due to the fact that the organizers of the event seemed to be more concerned with the girls being gentile, docile, and avoidant of the major political divisions of the day.

Over the course of the documentary, the audience is introduced to several characters who are running for office. Nearly all are White and reside in rural areas of Missouri, where the documentary was shot. However, there were several characters who particularly stood out for their seriousness and their qualifications to win the offices they were seeking. There was a young woman, who was the daughter of Nigerian immigrants, running for Attorney General, and a young Indian woman named Nisha who wanted a slot on the Supreme Court. Despite both girls appearing highly qualified, one wins her nominating contest while the other is shut out. One could not help but feel that popularity was much more of a criterion for selection than principle in the case of the girl who misses out. In that sense, Girls State reflects our political environment all too well.

Although the inequities in the experiences between the boys and girls were brought to light in the film, it was clear to me that the girls were more well-poised to be effective leaders in our society one day. They demonstrated a greater ability to listen to other viewpoints, understood that consensus is necessary to achieve one's goals, and did not leap to demonize their opponents. 

A wise person once said, "The Future is Female." 

For all our sakes, let's hope so!

ORIGIN

On a recent flight, I watched the movie, "Origin," by the director Ava DuVernay. The movie is based on the book, "Caste: The Origins of our Discontents" by the journalist Isabel Wilkerson, which is a history of discrimination on the basis of class station across global societies. When I read the book, I remember feeling blown away by its premise and how race alone is an unsatisfactory explanation for how people are placed in the heirarchy.

Wilkerson - and DuVernay - depict how the social ladder is built upon the belief that some groups - regardless of shared religion, nation of origin, or race - are felt to be better than other groups in their society. There is probably no better example of this than India with its century's old caste system. To this day, the lowest caste - also known as the untouchables - are forced to carry out humiliating jobs, including those that modernization and sanitation have largely replaced. Among these jobs are cleaning out sewers or public toilets that lower caste members are made to crawl into and clean. The scenes from the movie describing these harrowing feats are particularly unsettling, so be warned prior to watching it.

A great book and movie help change one's world view and shed light on a wholly new perspective the audience had not considered. By these metrics, "Caste" and "Origin" are revelations.

LAST DANCE

Last Sunday, I drove to Cleveland on a whim for one purpose - to see Caitlin Clark's last college game in the NCAA Women's Final. While I had hoped Clark would win and end her career with a title, that was not meant to be. Like in life, things often do not according to plan in sports as well. Despite that, the game was truly electric thanks to the efforts of players on both teams, but most of all to Clark.

In years passed, I have not even watched the NCAA Women's Final. However, the past two years have been different with Clark's ascendance. Simply put, you always have a chance with Caitlin Clark on your side! She is a gamechanger who elevates those around her and whose feats on the court are unmatched.!

Until Caitlin came along, I had never heard the term "Logo three pointer," which is to say a three point shot taken from the logo at center court. This shot is just a routine part of her repertoire, and her scoring percentage from that distance rivals that of many players from two point range!

What is truly remarkable is that Caitlin is not just an incredible shooter and scorer but that her court vision and passing is among the best I have ever seen. She is the best combination of Steph Curry and Magic Johnson all in one - something I have never seen!

Wright Thompson had a wonderful profile of Caitlin recently. It was eye-opening, and I learned many new facts about her. For example, I did not known that she had committed to Notre Dame, where her parents had encouraged her to play. Ultimately, she decided she was not read to move so far away from home, and she stayed to play at Iowa. Deep down, she must have made the decision that family was more important that winning titles. She must have maintained that thought because she also refused to transfer from Iowa after her first two seasons and after coming up short in the final last year. 

It is quite possible had she gone to any top ten women's basketball school, she would have led them to multiple titles. However, it is also probable that she would not have been able to impose her free-flowing, dominant style on her opponents in those other schools' offensive systems. I cannot speak for Caitlin, but I can say that the way she plays has reframed my view of sports - not just women's sports - and what an elite, game-changing athlete looks like. 

I hope the Indian Fever make her the number one pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, and I look forward to heading down to Indianapolis to see her play again! 

From all of us, thank you, Caitlin, for allowing us to see you dance your way across the court and for bringing so much joy and awe to our lives. The NCAA Final will definitely not be your last dance!