Sociology class at college
Professor: "One of the primary objectives of this class is to develop a sociological imagination-a term coined by C. Wright Mills. This concept encourages us to see the connection between personal experiences and larger social forces. It challenges us to look beyond our immediate surroundings and consider the broader context in which we live. For instance, when we discuss poverty, we won't just look at individual circumstances but will also explore systemic issues and historical contexts that contribute to economic disparity. When we examine gender roles, we will consider how cultural norms and societal expectations influence our behavior and opportunities."
In the last row, there was a disinterested guy about 6.8 feet tall. He wears glasses and a black short-sleeve shirt with the Hornets logo. His hairstyle is an elegant side part and his name is Hao. Under the desk, he was scrolling through stories, and one story immediately caught his eye-a flyer for signing up for a basketball summer league with a reward that the best player in the league would be eligible for the NBA (National Baseball Association) draft. A registered team must have a minimum of 5 players and a maximum of 12. Adding players during the league is allowed as long as the number of players on the team complies with the rules, and transferring from one team to another is also permitted. Up to 512 clubs can apply, and then the teams will be divided into 128 groups of 4 teams each, and 3 matches will be played between all the teams in the group. The first team in each group will qualify for the Basketball Summer League, which will have 32 teams playing 31 matches during the league, and the top 16 teams will go to the playoffs. Applications are open until the end of the week, and the requirements for registration are a minimum of 5 players and 500 euros also players must not be older than 23 years.
Hao was surprised and excited by this and immediately sent a message to Vinny to meet up after school hours. Hao eagerly awaited for the teacher to finish his lecture so he could meet with Vinny.
Vinny replied to Hao's message, telling him to meet in the park near his house. Hao arrived at the park after school and waited for Vinny for a few minutes. In the distance, a figure about 6.3 feet tall could be seen wearing Adidas slides, a short black shirt with "Chicago" written on it, plaid pajama bottoms, a bucket hat, and some orange sunglasses with black frames. Vinny was carrying two iced coffees, drinking one while handing the other to Hao.
Vinny: "Why are you calling me this early? I just finished school; let me rest a bit. Here, I got you a coffee. I rushed over here because I woke up so late that I didn't have time to get ready or fix my hair, so tell me what you needed."
Hao: "Thanks for the coffee. It's not early at all; it's already 1 p.m., but that's not important. Listen, I was scrolling through stories and saw that there's going to be a Basketball Summer League, and the best player in the competition will be eligible for the NBA draft. The registration lasts until the end of the week, and we need 5 players for a team. You were the first one who came to mind since you're done with school and not playing anywhere. I think this will be great because it's summer and we don't have anything else to do."
Vinny: "Sure, we can try, but where will we find three more players? And how many players can we have on the team? If there are five of us, maybe someone won't be able to play, or someone might get injured. Is there a rule that allows us to have more players?"
Hao: "No, no, the minimum is 5 players, but we can have up to 12, so we can have substitutes. However, I'm not sure if we can find more than 5. Do you have anyone we can call?"
Vinny: "I think I can call Kobbie, but he's working right now, so we can go to the restaurant where he works since I haven't eaten anything. Do you have anyone else? I'm not sure if Kobbie will want to join since he's working, and his family situation is complicated, which is why he lives alone. I don't want to cause him any problems by asking him to join us for a casual tournament."
Hao: "Alright, we'll give it a try. If Kobbie wants to join, great; if not, we'll find someone else. I can call little Ace, but I'm not sure what position he could play since he's quite short."
Vinny: "Ah, that guy is completely non-athletic. I think we can invite him to sit on the bench, and if we don't find anyone else, we can put him in as shooting guard (SG) or power forward (PF)."
Hao: "Why don't we put him at point guard (PG)? He's too short for both positions you mentioned, and I was planning on playing power forward (PF) since I don't have the height for center."
Vinny: "Bro, where do you think we'll find someone taller than you? You'll be the center. Little Ace can't play PG because that requires someone who can handle the ball; his greatest physical activity is moving a mouse. He can play SG since we're not sure if we'll find someone for that position, and he can play PF because he's tough and can set screens."
Hao: "Alright, you're right. Let's go visit him and ask if he wants to play."
Vinny: "Let's go."
Current Team:
PG - Vinny (6.3 ft, 18 years old, finished high school this year)
PF/C - Hao (6.8 ft, 21 years old, third year of college)
Vinny: "Hao, how come you still don't have a car and a driver's license at 21 years old? You need to step up your game a bit. Let's go by bus then since that idiot lives outside the city on some mountain. If we walk, it'll take us 4 hours to get there. But first, let's go to Ahmud Kebab for a kebab because I haven't eaten anything. It's on me."
(Note: "Ahmud Kebab" is name of a local place for a kebab shop.)