We ex-professional athletes, after being away from the game for many years, enjoy reminiscing about how it was, “back in the day.” No cell phones, no exploding scoreboards, team first not me first and no scandals. That was the norm. Young people today however, see the fast pace of our tech-driven, facebook-social landscape as very normal and exciting. It’s “everything now” 24/7.

The sports world has it’s own version of “everything now,” as athletes strive for Higher-Faster-Stronger performance goals. Scandals, for the most part, enhance popularity.

As everything speeds up, toughens up and leaps exponentially ahead, the social and sports psychologists continue to opine that the “everything now” attitude leads to alienation, loneliness, fierce global competition and produces universal disillusion, not to mention an ever-increasing focus on the question, “Why Am I Here?”

As a BonesBaller, I say everybody calm down and get into what we call ”The Need” –“the need to get beyond the limits of a body that could break or die.” It’s normal.

BonesBallers ask, “Who would sell- who would buy that kind of need?” Now that’s the question we really want answered.” Because a BonesBaller sees life as a constant game of Higher- Faster- Stronger but ¬¬– we play that game on our own terms, focused on our personal goals. Manufactured needs get rejected

Today, we present Kim Spradlin as our Higher- Faster- Stronger obsession survivor. In fact, for those who may not know, Kim was just named the “Survivor One World“ million dollar prize winner! Jeff Probst, in his “post – game” interview, praised Kim as one of the best contestants ever – but her win left him a little flat. Kim was just too normal.

A quietly distraught Jeff somehow got the words out and said, “I actually think Kim is in the top grouping of winners. She was great at the social game. So many faces and great at reading a situation and equally good at stopping a disaster before it starts. The challenge with Kim is she is not as dynamic – ie, she’s normal. She did it all without raising any fuss at all and so though one of the nicest and most well rounded players, she may be less remembered than others.”

Jeff is saying that regular old normal is not good enough. “Where’s your edge Kim?” he’s asking. In his view she did not help the ratings as much as an outsider, an anarchist, someone who was totally disruptive but touched a nerve. The “winners” we want to cheer today, whether we love or hate them, touch a psychological nerve in us that says, “I’m so tired of being normal.”
Barry Orms

The Olympics are coming. The Olympics are the ultimate expression of our universal need to transcend “normal.” The entire premise of the Olympics is that someone can and will reach “Higher-Faster-Stronger” than anyone in history.

The same holds for the NBA playoffs. Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are on individual quests this year to somehow surpass Michael Jordan’s six NBA championships. They feel that will make them the greatest NBA player of all time.

We BonesBallers know that the quest not be normal has always been there and is now at a fever pitch. Kim, please allow us to see you as a BonesBaller. You took it “beyond a body that would break or die.” You did it your way and still won.