Every Kid Deserves a Favorite Player

The best part about being a kid who loves sports is picking a favorite player.
I picked Kirby Puckett. The Concierge picked Latrell Sprewell and Vin Baker.
Chase has picked Stephen Curry.
We started to watch and like the Warriors last season, but all that has accelerated since we got a basketball hoop over the summer (and Chase spent a lot of time practicing his shot -- though he still can't make many on 10-foot rims) and the Warriors started their amazing run at the Bulls 72-10 NBA record.

We read articles about the Warriors and about Curry. Chase really liked the one comparing Curry to a ballet dancer.
He got a Curry jersey shirt for Hanukkah, which may set off a civil war in our house.

We were so excited when the Warriors decided to name their new arena after him.

When he had to a book report on a biography, Steph Curry was his first choice. When Mrs. Poop expressed skepticism, he said he would do Draymond Green instead.
We did find a book on Curry and he is reading it now and telling me all about Dell Curry's childhood.
And of course, we record late night games that are on TV and watch them the next day.
So it was that we were running around the living room, shouting at 10am on a Sunday morning after Curry drilled an amazing 38-footer in overtime to beat the Thunder.



Of course there is a danger, especially in this day and age of letting a kid fall so deeply in love with a player.
That player could end up on drugs, or on the front page of the paper for beating his wife.
But with Curry so far the worst thing he did was shimmy in front of the Hawks bench (which I showed Chase and told him not to emulate).

But perhaps the biggest reason Chase likes Curry is because of their size. They're both usually the smallest players on the floor.

But maybe with hard work Chase can learn to dribble, pass and even shoot like Steph Curry.

And that's why kids need heroes.