Some guys dream of running through narrow, cobblestone streets, a herd of enraged bovine clattering after them. For others, each March conjures the image of gas fumes and relentless, mind-numbing noise that accompanies a trip to Daytona-the Speedway, not the beach. The point is, for most sports fans, whether you quiver at the sight of Azaleas in Georgia, the taste of strawberries and cream in England, or the chill of an "Ice Bowl" in Green Bay, there is a sports moment each year that you spend the remainder of the year looking forward too. For me, that moment looms, disguised as a celebration of ghosts and goblins, but with a hang-time far greater than any bag of candy. Welcome back NBA.

So any new NBA season would be welcomed with enthusiasm in my universe. But this basketball season, like most things American, will be different. The truth is that Americans are in the process of recalibrating what we judge to be important-really important-about family, country, and life. And this process of re-evaluating priorities has already created a new atmosphere at football and baseball games across the country. 

The same thing will happen when the NBA season opens. This season we’ll all feel uncomfortable loving to "hate" the New York Knicks. Indeed, rivalries in general will probably seem less important. I suspect that fans will be disinclined to rally around the regional pride that is at the root of most sports rivalries. A powerful new nationalism, born from our shared tragedy, will for the moment, buffer our sometimes hard-edged local pride. 

We can, and should, still have our favorite teams. We can, and should, still root for our favorite players. And we can, and definitely should, attend sporting events and buy hot dogs, nachos, sodas, and beers. Paint your face, break out your old Chicago Bulls Jordan jersey, or your new Washington Wizards Jordan jersey, laugh at the struggles of the Celtics, grimace at the struggles of the Nets, shudder at the pitiful chemistry in Portland, and marvel at the steadiness in Utah. 

Professional basketball has a unique opportunity. No other sport brings such a diverse group into such an intimate setting. The new urban arenas in particular seem to naturally embody the modern goal of a colorblind, religion blind, and class blind society. From Canada to Mexico and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, fans from all walks of life and from all parts of town, although perhaps drawn for different reasons, find a common interest, and enjoyment, in the shared experience of the NBA.

I congratulate those who make an annual pilgrimage to Pamplona or to the Brickyard. I support in principle those who prefer baseball and football. I’ll even offer my unqualified, if sympathetic, kudos to fans of wrestling and figure skating. I offer this unprecedented accommodation because, as all of us have been so vividly reminded, in the United States of America, we enjoy the freedom to determine our interests and we respect the right of our fellows to pursue them. Personally, I’m glad the NBA season will begin soon and, more importantly, I’m proud to be an American.