Taxation: a Necessary tool for civiliziation

Complaining about taxes is universal.  It is more than just the money with our distaste extending to calculating and filling our forms.  This book deals primarily with the American tax system, but with many references to systems including Canada, New Zealand, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands, etc.  

 T.R. Reid and many others consider the American taxation system is a "mess" and in the book he explores the world to determine a better system.   A quote from Bill Bradley, "You can't just tinker.  Facing a huge almost incomprehensible system.  You have to take it on.  Your goal has to be to fix the whole damn thing."

Why are taxes necessary?  Many nations do not tax, or tax relatively lightly.  Oil rich countries in the Middle East get enough revenue from selling national resources.  Small countries with strong tourism (eg. Monaco) squeeze money out of visitors.  Some countries in earlier times just commandeered essential products.  The need to tax is lightened when money can be borrowed or be printed.  Taxes are said to be the "price of civilization"  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/07/price-of-civilization-book-review.html

The ideal in trying to fix "the whole damn thing" is to follow BBLR which stands for broader base, lower rates.  There are so many exemptions, deductions and other complications that merely removing some of them would allow for lower rates.  Governments are likely to need more revenues in the future as they take over more functions so it becomes a complicated issue.

An example I have some personal knowledge of, from New Zealand.  Their sales tax (VAT) is on pretty much everything and is kept low with less disruption to retailers.  For income tax they have done away with exemptions popular elsewhere, but in fact allows a lower rate.   

The United States under the guidance of Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neil agreed on a taxation system very similar.  Actually the details were worked on by Bill Bradley, Senator from New Jersey and others.  I knew him as a New York Knick, who had been a Rhodes Scholar and more personally had responded to a letter I wrote him regarding a research project.

Deductions are protected by vested interests, but are often not as effective as claimed and hurt the system.  Many are meant to encourage good behavior.

Mortgage interest deductions favor those with money.  Charities have proved to be resilient and would benefit from less need for govt. rules.   Electric cars, although a worthy objective do not justify $7,500 credit on $100,000 cost.

Inequality has gained a greater focus as it has been increasing in most western nations.   Read more here:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/10/capital-in-twenty-first-century.html   The flat tax is usually promoted by wealthy people with the benefit that it is simpler.  In effect the rich pay less and the middle class pays more.  Thomas Piketty advocated a wealth tax as the best remedy to even up the classes, but admitted there would be resistance.    

The estate tax may be the best tool against inequality.  Termed a "death tax" by right wing critics is in fact a tax on the living.  Most people, say 80% need not be subject to it.  It should be progressive with the idea  partly to optimize revenue, but also "spread the wealth" that so upset Joe the Plumber.--education is another equality leveler and perhaps a percentage can be earmarked 

T. R. Reid brings up many examples of resisters.  Gerard Depardieu, a big French cinema actor and producer who was so fed up with his high rates that he denounced his citizenship and moved just over the border to Belgium.  Apple and Google among many others have discovered ways to transfer their income to lower tax regimes.  Recently Janet Yellin has revived an effort to co-ordinate international efforts to thwart the drive to the bottom of taxes.

Corporation taxes have been a good source of revenue, but they have also attracted a lot of abuse.  Ideally they should be abolished, but that could only happen if the money could be replaced with another source.  It seems to me that corporation taxes are thought of as an expense that can be passed onto a customer.  That suggests to me  that a VAT (value added tax) would be one source.

One of the concerns of VAT is that they are regressive.  That can be dealt with income tax rates that would be more lenient for lower income earners.  Another concern of some critics is that VAT are not usually stated.  Here in Canada we are told the GST amount making us conscious of the tax, but also annoying us with an extra calculation required before our purchase decision.  VAT advocates feel that hidden, most people do not notice and it can be raised while drawing little attention.  The taxpayer really should know.

In the U.S. there is a retail sales tax which is applied only once  In Canada and over 150 countries there is a Value Added Tax.  I remember when Canada was adopting a G.S.T. (a form of VAT) and there were many complaints.  I was in a position where I had to calculate pricing starting from the wholesale price that had a manufacturer's tax that was higher than the proposed new tax. What I didn't fully appreciate was the VAT process which applies to every stage of purchase starting with raw materials to any stage of manufacturing.  The GST rate would apply, but when the manufactured good moved to the next level which could be another manufacturer or a wholesaler the tax would be applied, but since they had already paid a tax that amount would be given as credit.  A couple of advantages ensued.  Each level paying the tax claimed a credit which became self enforcing.  The tax paid in smaller but more frequent installments was steadier.

Sin taxes have been effective in not only raising money, but also in discouraging harmful behavior.  The best example might be tobacco.  If totally successful the government would have to seek out another source of revenue.  Health authorities are already suggesting sugar that causes obesity and diabetes.  After a few initial setbacks, sugar has successfully been taxed with one example being Mexico that has reduced diabetes as well as increased revenue.  

Another commodity to be taxed would be carbon where done it has proved to minimize use and raise funds.  There has been resistance as the public is inconvenienced.  Some of the inconvenience can be offset though tax credits as in Canada.

FAT stands for financial activities tax and can be so small to not be noticed.  This can be one way of accumulating significant revenue while placating outcries about the very rich manipulators.

The Panama Papers were uncovered by German journalists in 2016 who not only maintained secrecy involved foreign journalists.  It was discovered that a legal firm, Monsack Fonseca was able to help redistribute large amounts of wealth to avoid taxation.  Some of their clients were Jackie Chan, Lionel Messi, and countless people close to prominent politicians.  The Joint International Tax Shelter and Collaboration Network took an interest and continues its crusade to prevent tax evasion through tax havens.

The world is changing in the sense that it requires fewer people to produce the goods and services needed.  This is a situation very easy for wealth to further concentrate.  One suggestion gaining momentum is a (universal) basic income.  How that could fit into a taxation system needs to be worked out.  To me the most logical way is to include it as income that can be taxed.

All income should be treated equally including wages, interest, dividends, basic income supplements and capital gains.  Concerns about the need for investments should be dealt with on the merits.

In the United States and Canada filling out the annual income tax form is time consuming and expensive.  Other countries have simplified the process.  For most people the information is readily accessible to the government and could be easily calculated with only a form requiring confirmation. 

Simplified to not only make it easier to administer, but also hopefully that make personal and business decisions neutral.

Everything brought up is subject to discussion.  There are trade offs.  With the goal of simplicity and low rates, every change needs to challenged.  It can be pointed out for every item not liked there are other items that are desired.

A few earlier thoughts of taxes.

The job of a tax collector:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/04/tax-collectors-dirty-job-frowned-upon.html

My experience as a tax preparer:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/01/what-i-learned-as-tax-preparer.html

My over 60 year love affair with Basketball

The Raptors' improbable victory has opened up a lot of memories.  I say improbable only because like many fans I have lived through many disappointments.  What kept me going was that there were many wonderful memories.

Who are we kidding? We are enjoying a vicarious experience  The players came through for us and if we really understand the game we realize coaches, trainers and in the case of the Raptors the manager and president played critical roles.  But behind all that are us fans.  We drove interest when it didn't seem like a sure way to make money.  We have all been disappointed after being teased from time to time.

My introduction to basketball came before the age of 10 from a Sunday school teacher, John Moffatt, son of the minister who married my parents and brother to another minister who helped bury my mother.  My guess is he loved basketball and thought a group social event would help turn us into good Christians.  Simcoe Street United Church had recently had an addition intended I guess for banquets and meetings, but also included basketball nets.  I don't remember having much awareness before being invited, but it was an enjoyable experience that opened my mind and heart.  No one would describe me as a good Christian, but I did become a basketball fan.

A few years later I entered King Street Public School for grades 7 and 8.  There wasn't much for basketball, but they did have nets on the school wall and very crude mobile nets.  To be honest I didn't play much, but knew several students who became good players.

Oshawa Central Collegiate really perked my interest.  They had three age level teams and they all seemed to win.  Mr McIlveen coached the senior team, but also took time to spend on the youngest team.  I never made any of the three teams, but watched almost all their games and not just the home games.  I walked to school with two players Larry Horne and Charlie Marlowe.   At 5' 7"  I was at a disadvantage but more critically by not having binocular vision which just means one of my eyes didn't function the same as my dominant eye.  Not aware of this lack until one of the tryouts, but in truth neither handicapped me enough to stop me playing and enjoying.

I did play intramural basketball, but more importantly spent a couple of hours almost every school day playing basketball after classes.  On Saturdays they had a league which included many top high school players--mediocre, but actually got one headline which highlighted the one game I scored the most points, but identified me as a defensive player.  More strong points included that I was faster and quicker than many and could out jump a lot of taller players.  While there I attended a referee's clinic and learned to appreciate the game from their perspective.  My interest in defense explained:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/09/bill-russell-and-rise-of-defense.html

As I approached the end of grade 11 I was told my family was moving to Haliburton for my next school year.  As I was cut from the junior team the coach, Mr Barkowsky assured me I would do better in Haliburton.  Haliburton did turn out more satisfying.  For two years I was a first stringer and was usually assigned to cover the opposition best guard and was able to block shots and get rebounds against much taller players.  Our team was able to win a few games, but never advanced beyond the regular season.  The school had a rule that grade 13 students were not allowed to play on school teams, but fortunately for me they dropped that rule when I reached grade 13.  The local doctor's son came back (he had been at I think at a private school), Jim Best and he was also able to play as well.  I remember Andy Paul, Les Fotheringham and Jim Hunter, who later died in a hunting accident.  When my father asked someone if I was any good he was told I could jump like a kangaroo.  I was never a big scorer.  One personal memory was seeing that Mr Barkowsky coached one of our opposition teams in Lakefield and I was able to say hello.  More even than winning the occasional game or scoring a few points my most vivid memory was blocking the shot of an athletic player for another team.

At the University of Guelph I knew I was over my head.  I occasionally played intramural and lot of pickup.  Again my best memories involved blocking shots.  I watched all the home games coached by Garney Henley an active all star football player.  They did win a few games, but more often losing,
After I graduated they won a national championship and I was able to interview Garney Henley for a project.  Before that I actually met my wife because I wanted to watch Guelph play on tv and because the set didn't work drove to Guelph and got introduced to my future wife for a blind date.   Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/08/how-i-met-my-wife.html

After university and living in southern Ontario I had more access to watching the NBA on tv.  I became a tv hog annoying people when they wanted to watch a hockey game or non sports program.  I developed an attachment to the Chicago Bulls--well before Michael Jordan.  I was conscious of Norm Sloan who went on to coach the Utah Jazz.  One obsession was with a third string center name Dennis Awtrey.  He was not a big scorer or even rebounder, but was often assigned to cover the best  centre player on the opposition team and in his clumsy way he made life miserable.  I could identify with him.  Of course when Michael Jordan came the Bulls became even more popular for me.  I also enjoyed Scottie Pippin and later Toni Kukoc.  I remember watching future coach Steve Kerr scoring a winning basket.

After going through my first job I had moved to the Hamilton area to do a job checking car insurance policies.  One day took me to Fort Erie just after a snow storm and on impulse decided to go to Buffalo so I could check out my first NBA game.  The Buffalo Braves were an expansion team, but after seeing a few other games and following them on tv and radio I got to love their players--my favorite was Randy Smith and later Bob McAdoo. 

I wrote a letter to Bill Ballard, son of Harold Ballard  who was serving time in jail.  Harold did not like basketball seeming to think it a sissy game, but his son was more open.  At this time they were contemplating getting involved with the NBA.  My letter was passed over to Ken Twigg and I ended up selling tickets when the Buffalo Braves decided to play part of their season at Maple Leaf Gardens.  At this time I was working for the Oakville Journal Record in their circulation department and had offered a Buffalo Braves ticket as a sales incentive.  When they did in fact start playing in Toronto I got the whole circulation department to have a sales promotion which went over well.  I was a little critical of the ad campaign and made one suggestion which they did use for in the big Toronto dailies.  I had already designed an ad for the Record high lighting the 24 second rule when Pete Maravich played a game in Toronto.  check http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/06/travels-of-salesman-part-1-ontario.html

One of the concerns I ran into aside from basketball being boring, sissy, strange, etc was that it was an American game.  This offended me, but at the time there were barely any Canadian professional players.  On impulse I decided to write a book on Canadian contributions to the game and gained quite an education.   I met several what to me were celebrities including Garney Henley, Bill Robinson, Jack Donohue, Ron Foxcroft, etc., etc.  I received letters from many people and treasure a response from Bill Bradley.  I traveled a bit with the help of a government grant including Montreal, Ottawa and Springfield, Massachusetts.  Another memory was being only one of three whites in a crowded gym of Filipinos cheering on their teams from Toronto and Montreal.

I had hoped the Canadian national team would at least win a medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympic medals, but the ball didn't bounce the right way.  I ended up dealing with two publishers, but the reality was they didn't have enough confidence there would be a market for it and I ended up giving up.  It did result in some articles in a recreation newsletter through Shopper's Drug Mart, a children's story and contributing to a master's thesis.  I learned a lot about basketball and publishing.  Two earlier blogs give more details of my "career" with basketball:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/02/my-basketball-projects-part-one.html and  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/03/my-basketball-projects-part-two.html

Update:  August 11, 2021  Not sure what year, but Hamilton, under ownership of Ron Foxcroft (inventor of the Fox whistle and famed referee) took part in a new league that had the idea of limiting the height factor.  All teams were given a height total for the players on the floor at any one time, which meant if you elected to have one exceptionally tall player he had to be balanced with shorter players.  I was only able to watch one game, before the league collapsed due to a massive fraud.  Nobody has been able to revive the idea, but it would probably make games more exciting and accessible for more people.

 My interest in basketball didn't wane too much, but I did have other interests including being a father to two children.  Finally the Raptors came to Toronto and my interest perked up.  I do remember their first draft choice, Damon Stoudamire was booed which just goes to show that fans are not as knowledgeable as they think.  I attended a few games with my son who now watches live games on tv in New Zealand (at very odd hours).  Vince Carter got a lot of attention and over the years a number of outstanding players have passed through to keep up interest even though there were a steady line of disappointments.  One got the feeling Americans didn't like us as most of the best players avoided Canada (this did in the Vancouver franchise) seeking out the American media

One promising note from just a few years ago was that  Masai Ujiri  had been offered a contract with the Raptors as general manager.  Ujiri had been raised in Nigeria and originally was steered towards soccer, but he became interested in basketball and his family supported him.  He played a bit in the U.S. collegiate system and professionally in Europe.  After finishing playing he moved back to Nigeria and got involved with youth programs.  At summer camps he made contacts with NBA executives and made an impression that led him to be an international scout for the Denver Nuggets.  From there in 2013 he was named NBA Executive of the year.   Obviously it takes a few years to assemble a team.  From there he came to Toronto with one of his first moves trading popular, but disappointing player Andrea Bargnani to New York.  Shortly after they obtained DeMar DeRozen and Kyle Lowry and made the playoffs consistently.

After the end of the 2018 season he was involved in some very heavy decisions.  He fired the coach of the Year, Dwane Casey, although most would blame LeBron James for the short playoff run.  The most popular player who stated he wanted to stay in Toronto (not a common sentiment for many other players) DeMar DeRozan, but was the best bargaining tool.  In return for DeRozan and others they got Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green and then later Marc Gasol (for a promising popular player, Jonas Valunciunas).  Fans were very upset until the season actually began.  All three players became starters.  Kyle Lowry retained his critical starter role, but a backup player, Pascal Siakim, perhaps the league's most improved player stepped up for the fifth spot.  He is from Cameroon with his first language French and is always smiling and looks to be the future.

Researching Masai I learned one interesting fact that he criticized Donald Trump for his reference to "shithole countries."  Trump doesn't seem to realize there are people all over wanting to improve themselves and capable of contributing to America.  There is speculation about whether Trump would invite the Canadian NBA champions to the White House.  I hope they get a chance to reject him.  More on "shithole countries":  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/01/the-brain-drain-fromshithole-countries.html

Unfortunately there is also speculation about the future of not only Kawhi, but also Masai who rumor has it, has been offered more money to work with the Washington Wizards in a town where his wife works.  But now I think the Raptors have helped establish basketball in Canada and I hope to watch Canadian teams and players do well.  I am very pleased that basketball has grown so much in the Canadian conscience and think it is a good thing for the whole country.

My Basketball Projects Part Two

Basketball was such a big part of my life that I have had to split my memories of it so that it wouldn't be too much for one post.

Wanting to sell more basketball tickets and for Maple Leaf Gardens to make a more permanent arrangement with an NBA team one obstacle seemed to be ignorance.  Canadians were so tied to hockey they looked down on many other sports dismissing their importance.  A book could at least give some ammunition to existing basketball fans and gradually win over non fans.

The focus of my early book research was to find out as many Canadian connections to basketball as possible.  Not only was it invented in 1892  by a Canadian, James Naismith, most of the first participants were Canadians studying at the YMCA school in Springfield Massachusetts.  The game spread across Canada through the YMCA, railways, military regiments and churches.

Women crept into the game. Naismith originally invited women to watch the men in the early stages, but before too long he encouraged them to play the game amongst themselves.  Basketball for women  was adapted for women who supposedly were the gentler sex, but over time evolved into the game played by men's rules.  Many Canadian men took the attitude that as a women's game it was too sissy for them and it took quite a long time to bury that notion.  In Canada, one of the greatest teams was the Edmonton Grads.  Today Canadian women compete for American basketball scholarships and play professionally.  Just like to add that women's hockey took quite awhile to evolve as a competitive sport, but we are better off for the results.

Originally as an indoor game basketball was more common in cities.  In rural areas ice hockey and curling were outdoors.  As it happened I played basketball in a small town, Haliburton and decided to research it a bit.  Basketball came to Haliburton in the 1950's when a new high school was built to cover a large area.  Part of that research took me to Fenelon Falls and a rival coach who mentioned the importance of cable tv.   My last two years of high school restricted me and my family to one tv station with limited schedule that included little if any basketball.  Urbanization is not as critical as it once was for the popularity of basketball as cable television made basketball more accessible to greater parts of the country.

Canadians helped to spread the game to other countries. T. Duncan Patton, a participant in the original game introduced the game to India in 1894.  Lyman Archibald brought the game to St Stephen, New Brunswick which was the site of the first international game on Canadian soil against a neighboring team from Calais, Maine in 1892.  On  a sales trip several years ago I went out of my way to visit St Stephen. and learned many friendships crossed the border and the two towns even shared fire protection.  In 1893 Archibald brought basketball to Hamilton, Ontario my new home town.

Canada won a Silver medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the first to accept basketball as an official sport.  The first NBA game was in Toronto in 1946.  Another pro team was started in Vancouver in 1947 and lasted two years nurturing Norm Baker who went on to play professionally in the United States.,

I was able to get the attention of publisher Bob Nielsen who opened a lot of doors for me.  At one point he asked me to write a short story for his Canadian Children's Annual  and I was able to get a drawing by Lorne Miller, an artist friend from university.  At a reception at Hamilton City Hall I was approached by Victor Copps, the mayor who directed me to the  organizer of the Olympic qualifying tournament at McMaster University.

The Pre Olympic tournament at McMaster was a new experience for me--I watched several games and took part in a number of press meetings.  I remember talking with players/coaches from Bulgaria, Iceland, Yugoslavia, Israel and elsewhere.  At McMaster I once watched Canada play Yugoslavia but was surprised to see the visitors were very definitely treated as the home team.  This apparently was not uncommon that the ethnic communities supported their teams whilst Canadians mostly ignored our national team

Bob got me a government grant and suggested I travel to Springfield, Mass. to visit the Basketball Hall of Fame.  I decided we could turn it into a vacation and added on Cape Cod and a short drive through Boston.  A few years later my family tree took up a lot of my time and I learned that one branch of my mother's family had lived in the Springfield area for a few generations. Unfortunately I could find no connection between my ancestors and basketball.  I also traveled to Montreal and Ottawa to talk to basketball officials.  The rest of my driving was within two hours of my home.

After 1936 Canadians were overshadowed by other countries in basketball, but one area we did well was refereeing.  I was able to talk to Kitch McPherson who told me about Al Rae.  They had both done prominent international games.  At the time, Ron Foxcroft had followed in their footsteps and not only did big international matches, but also major American College basketball and later some NBA games.  During one of his international games his whistle failed him in a riotous atmosphere.  He set about inventing a more reliable whistle which came to be known as the Fox40 and was adapted for many sports.  More on Ron later.

Ethnic connections did turn out to be critical for basketball as Canada was multi national.  I was vaguely aware of the Baltic countries, but became more aware of Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians that helped produce Leo Rautins and prominent Canadian university players.  I learned Japanese played in British Columbia and after their internment many came to Toronto and organized teams.  For me one of the most interesting experiences was when I was invited to a match between Montreal and Toronto in the Filipino community.  I was one of only three European ethnic people in a packed gym and the other two were referees.  I was introduced to one key Montreal player and learned he had left the Philippines to avoid gamblers.

Other important ethnic groups who helped develop basketball were the Mormons, Hungarians, Chinese and natives.  Basketball as an economical game was popular in other countries and when they came to Canada was something they were familiar with.  A Sioux Indian tribe in South Dakota had been introduced to basketball in 1892 and helped to spread the sport amongst fellow natives and in particular to Canada's west coast.

Another thrill was talking to people I considered celebrities.  Garney Henley was a very famous football player (Bob Nielsen had written a book about him) and a basketball coach at my alma mater. University of Guelph  He coached a team that won a CIAU championship.  I met Jack Donohue numerous times plus several team members, Jamie Russell,  Bill Robinson.  Norm Vickery, the women's coach had dinner in my little apartment.  Gus MaFarlane, a Member of Parliament.  Lew Hayman, who helped organize the first NBA team in Toronto and also involved with the Toronto Argonauts.

A note from Bill Bradley of the New York Knicks and later the United States Senate was a thrill.

Professional football players, mostly American gave a little prestige to the game.  Bobby Simpson, Vince Mazza, Garney Henley and Canadian Russ Jackson were good examples of famous athletes who played basketball while in Canada to keep in shape, but also because they loved the game.    Wally Gabler played basketball in one of my recreational games.  Sal Maglie, a famous baseball pitcher helped win a Canadian basketball championship.

One of the strangest events was a wedding on a basketball court.  Richie Spears had been a successful coach at Dawson College in Montreal and organized basketball clinics and festivals.  He met Norma Dudgeon at a basketball clinic, learned their basketball philosophies were compatible and found even more commonalities.  They agreed to get married at the basketball gymnasium at Dawson College with "Sweet Georgia Brown" replacing the traditional wedding march.  After the ceremony Richie coached his team to clinch league title and a week later coached the Quebec women's team at the Canada Winter Games.

As a short person I was always conscious that basketball gave a lot of advantages to taller people. Other people were aware of this limitation and sought solutions.  One response came from the wheelchair community who had discovered basketball a relatively cheap, healthy activity that helped boost morale.  The problem was that people were handicapped to different degrees.  They worked out a system grading each player by their disability and then requiring each team to balance the grades so that there was a reasonable competitive equality.  For a short time there was a league that tried to make a team have a total height requirement.  This meant that if you had one exceptionally tall player he would be balanced with shorter players.  Speed played a role.  Ron Foxcroft bought into this and brought the Hamilton Skyhawks to Copps Coliseum where I was able to enjoy a few games before the league folded with the owners all losing money to fraud by the organizers..

Coaches and managers and organizers make all the difference  Niagara Falls produced a number of successful coaches--Paul Thomas at University of Windsor and Jay Triano with both the national team and the Raptors.  Another coach who sparked some hotspots in Alberni (where Bill Robinson came from) and Victoria (home of Steve Nash) was Geroge Andrews who had played with the Vancouver Hornets.  Marvin Pearl organized basketball tournaments in Toronto that attracted top teams from the United States.  Ruby Richman who had played in the Olympics campaigned for NBA basketball against a lot of obstacles, but planted the seed that resulted in the Raptors.  We don't always realize the difference an individual can make.  This insight, although far from original opened my eyes to its truth in all fields.  Without a spark many possibilities lie dormant.

One semi original idea I had was to do a map of basketball.  People joke or brag about some places being the unofficial capital of some endeavor and there is some truth to it.  I wanted to include a national capital, provincial capital, historical sites.  Some of the choices may not be household names:  Almonte, Tillsonburg, Port Alberni,  St. Stephen all played important roles in the history of basketball in Canada.

At one time I was assigned an editor to work with me, but I admit I found it frustrating; as I wanted to add more stuff in and she wanted to streamline it.  Another publisher expressed interest, but apparently had their own financial stresses.  The truth is there wasn't enough confidence in the topic at that time (or perhaps in my writing).  Although I had devoted countless hours to the project I had other things to worry about, like a job and a family.  I often wonder what would have happened if I had stuck it out.

My manuscript ended up being used for a Masters thesis, part made it to a Shopper's Drug Mart serial and there was a children's story that actually led to writing a basketball story and then a book review for a local newspaper.  Although it was never accepted in the form I wanted, looking back it served me well.  I learned lots of interesting things, met lots of interesting people, but perhaps the greatest benefit was understanding the process.  As Bob Nielsen explained, lots of people think they can write a book, but I at least learned there is much more to it than outsiders realize.  I respect writers and understand there are a lot of hoops to jump through.  I should also add that I enjoyed myself most of the time.

What do I love about basketball?   As a marginal writer one can respect his betters; as a marginal athlete I can also respect the skills involved.  As a spectator basketball can be dramatic.   At one time a jump ball after every score tended towards lopsided action, but alternating possession has a tendency to keep scores close. Basketball is noted for having many exciting last second finishes.  The NBA well behind hockey, even in some American cities adopted the strategy of making a game an entertainment spectacle that would appeal to many non fans.  Definitely a part of success of the Toronto franchise where the Maple Leafs rely on the game itself.

A few years later the NBA became very popular in Canada  and I am glad if my efforts helped in any small way.  American colleges realized Canadian high schools could provide talent and many Canadians saw American scholarships as an opportunity to get an education.  Canadians are doing better than ever and more youngsters are finding an outlet for their energy and talent.  A few Leaf fans have discovered winning is a nice feeling that is more often provided by the Raptors.  And the NBA does provide entertainment for all ages.

Nowadays I don't watch as many sports, but have enjoyed the Raptors on tv, radio and in person. When my son visits we both enjoy a trip to the Rogers Centre.  May watch the Pan American basketball. March Madness gets my attention and am pleased to see more Canadian content.

If you missed part 1 here it is:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/02/my-basketball-projects-part-one.html