In a million years, I would have never guessed that someone would call me a basketball expert, but here - that's just what I am. In the States, it's the sport I follow least and despite the best efforts of Lebron James, I caught only one game of the NBA playoffs. (False: We were at a bar and the Hawks game was on. The Bulls game was on a nearby screen, and I glimpsed it during commercials.) But after a week filled with cricket, rugby, relays and soccer, I was happy to get handed an assignment I could grasp.
Basketball, like all things, is different here. For starters, no one watches. I mean, no one. My assignment was highlights, and we stayed for 5 minutes to grab them. The facility was sub-par, though I found it quaint. It reminded me of gyms where I used to play Catholic League basketball in 6th grade. To be honest, so did the level of play...but that kind of made it fun.
Sometimes I think college sports are more fun to watch than professional athletics because there are more mistakes - you never know what's going to happen. This was kind of like that.
If the players look young, it's because they are. The teams are sponsored by everyone from banks to universities (as a matter of fact, the bankers vs. students games are quite the grudge match!). My favorite team, however, was Nairobi Pentecostal Church, whose jerseys read "Christ is the Answer," across the front. Christ. Quite a mascot.
Another of the most popular teams? The Nairobi University Terrorists. When I inquired about the name to a co-worker, she said, "Oh, come on...this is Kenya!"
I'm starting to get used to that being the answer to all of my questions.
