sportsjabber.net

I recently read a book about the psychedelic drug movement in America during the 1960s. Though it made me feel like I should be wearing Birkenstocks and not showering regularly, it turned out to be an awesome read. Aside from just being a damn interesting book, The Harvard Psychedelic Experiment was also relatable to my job as a professional basketball player, and mind you, I’ve never done any type of drug in my entire life, nor do I even drink alcohol. In my world, the only time acid is dropped is when I spill fresh OJ on the floor, and the only mushrooms I ever consume are of the Portobello variety. Okay, I’m guilty: shitake, too.

The real reason I was drawn to this book from the start is because it explores the workings and possibilities of the human mind, an important topic for any athlete, and one that I am very interested in. While this book discusses the mind through the lens of psychedelic drugs — something I definitely don’t get down with and am definitely not advocating — the idea behind it is nonetheless fascinating: that the human brain has no boundaries, only possibilities (theme song for the previous concept: “I Believe I Can Fly,” R. Kelly). I do not believe in using drugs (have I mentioned that?), but I do believe that, as an athlete, it’s valuable to learn about the brain in an attempt to discover how its full potential can be (legally) unleashed. Everyone knows how important the mental side of sports is, but I think Yankee legend Yogi Berra described it better than anybody, albeit without a great sense of mathematical accuracy: “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.”

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/11/8/2542762/basketball-mind-dan-grunfeld