A basketball player hangs up the high-tops.

(from Captive Audience)

Sports stories can be a tough sell, but I bought it that Tim was a pro athlete who built a career out of filling holes and playing roles. He’s not a star, but he’s always had luck finding a place to play until now, when he’s gently pushed into retirement and fatherhood by disinterest around the league. This transition turns out to be difficult, and I found myself hoping, like Tim did, that he’d get one more shot at glory. This story pulled me in.