On November 15, 1996, sports culture was altered irrevocably. Eyes opened wider, hope renewed among a wandering generation of youth, the power of believing in yourself shined down into a dark abyss and helped all of us scramble to safer ground. Space Jam had been released.
You know the story well enough by now — some diminutive creatures on a quest for self-confidence gain jaw-dropping basketball abilities only to be denied their dreams by a group of more “desirable” individuals led by a professional basketball player who hoarded success for himself. But while the underdogs were denied a happy ending, those little aliens taught us all a lesson we shouldn’t lose sight of.
Believe in yourself and have some fun.
One of the few certainties in life is that you will be faced with challenges. While some will naturally be more serious than others, everything’s easier if you find ways to infuse a little fun. Your boss/editor hatches some plan to enslave talented earthlings for his amusement park? On paper that sounds like a total drag, but look a bit deeper and you’ll find ways to have a laugh! By putting their heads down and carrying on, the Nerdlucks lucked into meeting Bill Murray AND Newman. Just try to imagine a basketball game with those two that doesn’t include a couple chuckles. Ha ha.
Now, I must admit it’s been a while since I’ve watched the movie or even this Rewinder, but I’m going to stop this short so I can go do that — and give you a chance to as well. Or, jump down to the comments and let’s have some fun, share a laugh, enjoy a moment together.
