THIS STORY WAS WRITTEN FOR MEDIUM’S DAILY CUPPA, A PUBLICATION WITH A STORY LIMIT OF 150 WORDS.

I love crafting a story, what Anu Maheshwari describes as “something new entirely, with our perspective and style.”

Even though not many people will read this tale, and a few of those will be family and friends.

A small audience, like the attendees at the women’s basketball game in the first photo, who also stayed to watch the men’s teams.

My former employer, Luther College, is a small, liberal arts school in northeast Iowa. It gives no athletic scholarships. Luther’s athletic department includes 22 teams that compete against other schools: 11 men’s and 11 women’s.

Luther will never produce a Caitlin Clark or a Magic Johnson, who will become a professional athlete.

Caitlin and Magic played with an unusual passion, which catapulted them to the top. Scholarships, endorsements, and large crowds accompanied their journeys.

The athletes in the photos compete with a purity of motive that earns our admiration and cheers.

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