johnmdemarco posted on January 28, 2012 10:52
I just viewed the Oscar-nominated movie Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt as Billy Beane.
The heart of the film is the juxtaposition between the fate of the 2002 Oakland Athletics—re-built after a free agency gutting, through a system of statistical analysis rather than conventional scouting—and General Manager Billy Beane’s personal demons. Throughout the film we see flashbacks of Beane’s decision to take a baseball contract straight out of high school rather than a full ride to Stanford. His playing career is eventually cut short, and life at 44 has found him a divorced father afraid to live in the moment. This is exemplified by his inability to watch his own team play; instead, he goes to the gym, takes a drive, sits in the dark by himself, and so forth.
No one believes in Beane’s different approach to building a successful team—until the Athletics win 20 games in a row and make it to the playoffs with a motley crew of unproven or over-the-hill players. Beane’s system is later adopted by the Boston Red Sox, which has won two World Series titles in recent years and finally broken the ostensible “Curse of the Bambino.”
While Beane’s “moneyball” system is quite intriguing, I was personally impacted by Beane’s struggle to take the risk of real-time ambiguity—i.e., watching each moment of a baseball game while the outcome is in doubt, which it always is until the final out.
My struggle to be present from a sports angle involves watching Florida State University (FSU) football. During my student years at FSU and for more than a decade after graduation, I hung on every minute of each televised game (and plenty in person). In more recent years, however, I find it preferable to watch the very end of the game once the outcome seems certain (especially if FSU is ahead) or find out the score afterwards.
Logically I know there is little joy in this, and I question my own dedication as a fan and alumni. Apparently, watching the ‘Noles from start to finish stresses me out too much. It feels kind of silly as I write about it here, and maybe I’ll try harder this fall.
I can think of other, more important times when I’m not “in the moment,” such as times with family, friends or customers. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking about or hoping for what is coming next; in fact, it seems to be part of the very fabric of western culture.
Do you struggle with this as well? When are you most likely to “miss the moment?”