--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When it's played the way is supposed to…" description: "\"When it's played the way is supposed to be played, basketball happens in the air; flying, floating, elevated above the floor, levitating the way oppres..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/john-edgar-wideman-7347_air_when-it-s-played-the-way-is-supposed-to_2465004.jpg" --- # When it's played the way is supposed to be played… ![“When it's played the way is supposed to be played, basketball happens in the air; flying, floating, elevated above the floor, levitating the way oppressed peoples of this earth imagine themselves in their dreams.” quote by John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/john-edgar-wideman-7347_air_when-it-s-played-the-way-is-supposed-to_2465004.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/john-edgar-wideman-7347_air_when-it-s-played-the-way-is-supposed-to_2465004.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/john-edgar-wideman-7347_air_when-it-s-played-the-way-is-supposed-to_2465004.jpg) > “When it's played the way is supposed to be played, basketball happens in the air; flying, floating, elevated above the floor, levitating the way oppressed peoples of this earth imagine themselves in their dreams.” [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Basketball can feel transcendent, lifting players and viewers beyond ordinary limits, echoing dreams of freedom for the oppressed. **In simple terms:** Basketball feels like flying and symbolizes hope for the oppressed. Key Takeaway Embrace sport as a way to imagine freedom. Themes sports freedom imagination hope Mood inspirational reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - team games - community events - personal reflection - social activism Key Concepts transcendence social metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How does sport inspire personal freedom? - Can athletic metaphor translate to real social change? A Different Perspective The metaphor may romanticize sport, ignoring systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) [Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [Basketball Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball-happens-696793/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Floating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/floating/) [Flying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Good basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-basketball/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Levitating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levitating-696795/) [Levitating Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levitating-way-696794/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Oppressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressed/) [Played Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/played-basketball/) [Playing basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-basketball/) [Supposed to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supposed-to-be/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [I played basketball in fourth, fifth and sixth grade because it was what my friends did. 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You are the only one in the room levitating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dakota-cassidy/honestly-im-having-trouble-with-the-fact-that-youre-having-difficulty/) [Dakota Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dakota-cassidy/) > [I played basketball in high school, and I love watching sports - I'll watch everything except maybe hockey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-roddick/i-played-basketball-in-high-school-and-i-love-watching-sports-i-ll/) [Andy Roddick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-roddick/) ## More by John Edgar Wideman > [My mother loved my father. From my view, she let him get away with too much. It broke my heart to see him in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/my-mother-loved-my-father-from-my-view-she-let-him-get-away-with-too/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [Too much is made for us; too much is given to us - even those of us who are underprivileged. 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