A few months back when the Olympics was on TV I had a sudden urge to pick up a basketball again and just shoot around. Nothing serious – just wanted to feel the ball in my hands again and enjoy the sweet sound of it swishing thru the net.

So I went to Rebel Sport and bought a ball – then went to our local park and had some fun just playing around. Along the way I also realised just how much capacity had been lost. My last semi-serious tilt at basketball was in our Lesmurdie days, I was 38 and playing veterans. I was one of the youngest and it was so easy to step around, or shoot over a guy who looked at least 50 (which seemed quite old back then.)

Following on from my solo fun I wondered if I might be able to find half a dozen locals who’d be up for a game of 3 on 3 or similar. So I booked the local rec centre, started a Facebook group and from night 1 we have had 20-30 people showing up. I didn’t expect a crowd like that, but it has been a lot of fun! Most of those present are either high school kids or in their 20’s with one or two exceptions and now I’m that guy who is getting stepped around, rebounded over and shot over.

It’s the simple reality of being 60 years old. The body cannot behave in the same way as it did when I was 21 or even 31. These days I’m happy if I make it through the hour without damaging myself in the process, but I also have to accept that the younger guys are way better players than I am. Even the ones who aren’t that good are better than me… And now I’m that guy, that if we picked teams old school style, would be picked last as the liability.

Imagine I told you I was going to take on one of these guys 1:1. You’d immediately know it wasn’t a fair match up. The physical capacity of a 60 year old body – even one in good shape – is far less than that of a healthy 20 something.

And yet Mike Tyson wants to fight Jake Paul…

Yeah the point of my post is not to lament aging. Not at all. It happens and our challenge is to be the best version of ourselves at whatever age we find ourselves. So this idea that Tyson can challenge Paul just seems like nothing more than a media stunt, or a way for Tyson to collect on some $$.

For some reason my algorithm keeps shooting me the latest news on this fight, but all I can think of is ‘why?’ And who actually thinks this is a good idea?

Tyson was one of the most feared heavyweight boxers of all time – but at 58 – even with a significant amount of training it’s hard to imagine him being any match for a 27 year old man in the prime of his life. If it’s not just about money, I wonder what is driving Tyson – is it a refusal to accept the limitations of aging? Is it a genuine self belief that he can win?

We don’t do well at accepting the physical constraints that go with aging, and most Tuesday nights I end up a little frustrated that the shots I used to make now rim out and the moves I once used to slip past defenders are now blocked at every turn.

I’m getting better at accepting my limitations, but I know I have also been infected with that ‘anti aging’ virus that keeps telling me I should expect more… Reality is I’m 60 and I bring some good stuff to this world. High level basketball just isn’t it…

So this whole Tyson / Paul schmozzle just has me shaking my head… Mike – maybe it’s time to accept reality. Jake – why not just walk away… There is no honour in laying out a 58 year old!