I spent the last few days in Boston at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.
I’ll reflect on the full experience in next week’s post.
But for now, this post shares (1) a goal I set before the conference and (2) the status of that goal after the conference. Said another way: expectation vs. reality.
Expectation
The conference was on Friday and Saturday, so I wanted to host a pickup basketball game at MIT on Sunday morning.
Given the success of communities like Sunday Washed Club and Tech Runs, I assumed some attendees would be interested in a morning basketball game. It's a great way to de-stress from the event and build relationships in a more organic setting.
It also authentically connects to Regular Hoops.
This idea came to mind on December 15th, 2022 when I typed in my iPhone Notes app…
“I’m going to Boston for the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in March. I keep forgetting how big of a deal this is. I have an opportunity to do some dope things here.
Like many themes in my life, rather than waiting on people or things to happen… what if I start something that makes the event dope?
I’m immediately thinking about hosting a basketball run in Boston after the event. The conference is on Friday and Saturday, so hosting a Sunday morning run would be perfect.
Anyways, I writing this out of pure excitement. I think this idea is a no-brainer. Whatever happens, I know this will be special.”
Reality
I was unable to host a pickup basketball run.
HOWEVER, I was invited to a different Sunday morning game by Julian Benbow.
Julian is a Sports Reporter for the Boston Globe and has been working there for the last 16.5 years.
I shared a bit about Regular Hoops and invited him to my pickup basketball game when we met at the conference.
He resonated with the brand and offered a Sunday morning basketball run he participates in as an alternative.
When he described the group he plays with, it aligned with the mission of Regular Hoops, and I had to check it out.
The group is part of Never Too Late Basketball, which is an organization for adults who are mostly novice, beginner, and intermediate-level recreational hoopers that love to play the sport.
It is run by a coach who guides them through ball-handling drills, shooting exercises, and scrimmages.
I participated in the drills/exercises but recorded the scrimmages since I plan to create a mixtape and post highlights with those clips.
The players loved that I was there to capture those moments. Some told me they watch a ton of basketball highlights on YouTube and never expected to be featured in a similar way.
Closing Thoughts
While I couldn’t accomplish my goal of organizing a basketball run after the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, sharing that goal with conference attendees led to an amazing substitute.
I never expected to spend my Sunday morning at a random grade school gym in a Boston suburb, but glad it happened.
And while it’s Never Too Late to start playing basketball, it’s also Never Too Late to write a blog post.
PS—If you enjoyed this, you might also like reading how Overtime Elite (OTE) Arena inspired me.