This article was my first project for the Minor in Writing Gateway Course. The assignment asked us to "re-purpose" a previously written piece in order to target a new audience, and create a different/extended argument.

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I chose to re-purpose a personal memoir that I wrote during my freshman year called "Opportunity Cost." In it, I tell the story of my experience as a student-manager-turned-walk-on-practice-player for the Michigan Basketball team. My purpose in this piece was to articulate what it felt like to be a lowly walk-on player within a larger than life Division 1 basketball program. I questioned whether to re-purpose "Opportunity Cost," because I felt that it was a very strong piece on its own and I didn't want to tamper with it. But ultimately, I decided to run with it because it addressed a topic that I was passionate about discussing. Additionally, "Opportunity Cost" only dealt with one of my two years with the team. There was more of the story to be told.

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So, I expanded "Opportunity Cost" and made it into an immersion journalism article called "Ball Is Not Life." The title is a play on the popular phrase "ball is life." It's an interesting saying when you break it down.

 

"Ball...Is...Life."

 

What does that even mean? In my article, I explore aspects of both ball and life. Part 1 is a personal and complete account of my experience with the Michigan Basketball team. And Part 2 is a more journalistic commentary on college sports culture and how our society interacts with athletics. Immersion journalism pieces usually start very introspectively, and then branch out with research and discussion about a broader significance. I adhere to this structure very explicitly by breaking it up into two parts. In addition to my writing, I also use photos to supplement my story/argument.

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My process for this piece was long and exhaustive, but ultimately rewarding. It started out with a long brainstorming phase in which I jotted down a mish-mosh of my thoughts, emotions, and ideas. I then gave that mish-mosh some direction by forming an outline. After conducting the necessary research, I finally wrote my first draft, which came with several challenges. The day after I wrote the first four pages (in one sitting), I came back to the computer only to find that the document was gone (gasp). It had vanished into some dark dimension of lost files. After several minutes of pouting, I conquered my technical difficulties and kept on with the actual writing, which presented its own set of challenges. I wanted to articulate myself without sounding bitter or cynical towards sports. Despite all the difficulties and issues that I wrote about in the article, I tried to sprinkle in a couple of hints throughout the piece to show my prevailing love of sports. I also struggled to create a logical flow within the piece, given the two-part structure. I decided to use quotes in between sections to smooth the transition and to foreshadow.

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After receiving feedback from my peers and from my instructor, I pushed "Ball Is Not Life" into final draft form. After all the introspection, research, writing, frustration, and editing, I have created something satisfying. I write with complete and raw honesty to give an accurate and rich documentation of my experience. I also make an argument that I believe deserves consideration.

 

After writing this piece, I am confident in saying that ball is not life after all. But you can make that judgment for yourself. Enjoy.

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