Who is Jason McElwain, you ask? Jason is a young man with autism. But it's not just the autism that distinguishes him from his peers - he's been on ESPN.
McElwain, a Rochester, N.Y., senior nicknamed "J-Mac" by his friends, never made the varsity team because of his size and instead served as its student manager. But in the waning minutes of the final game of the regular season in February, his coach rewarded McElwain's dedication and attitude by putting him into the game.Oh, Magic. You liar.
McElwain's first three-point attempt was an air ball, which he followed with a missed layup. He then scored six three-pointers, his last one the final shot of the game -- a feat that Johnson said would be nearly impossible for a seasoned pro to accomplish, nevermind a high schooler not accustomed to playing time.
First, it's not nearly impossible for a professional basketball player to go 6-8 in garbage time. And it's not such a big deal to see a high school player do it, either. But that's not the main issue here.
The main issue is that everyone thinks autistic people act like Rain Man 24/7. They expect Jason to stumble out on the court, get hit in the head by a lob pass, then announce the exact number of toothpicks that fell on the floor (presuming someone spilled a box of toothpicks). Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your love for Dustin Hoffmanesque characters), not every autistic person acts like Rain Man. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests itself in markedly abnormal social interaction, communication ability, patterns of interests, and patterns of behavior. It has nothing to do with a person's ability to toss a ball through a hoop.
Rain Man was a good film; Jason McElwain's story will make a terrible film. We all know that Magic is no stranger to terrible entertainment, but can't someone reason with him? There's barely enough of a story here to warrant 30 seconds on ESPN - it can't be stretched into a feature presentation.
It's hardly noteworthy. The Wow Factor of an autistic individual scoring a bunch of 3's ranks somewhere below "Marc Summers hosting Nickelodeon's Double Dare for years, despite his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" and somewhere above "Marc Summers hosting The Food Network's Unwrapped for years, despite his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder".
So. Magic. I've been very good about my HIV jokes, so please do me a favor in return. Make this movie like your viral load - undetectable.
1 comment:
McElwain actually finished the night 6 of 10 from three point range with his other two points coming on a shot with his foot on the line. I think he was 7 for 13 overall. I think his most impressive statistic is managing to get off 13 shots in four minutes. Is being a ballhog a symptom of autism? It made a nice piece for SportCenter and probably got some extra attention because it happened in the void between football and baseball season. I really can't imagine how they can get a full length movie out of it.
-Chris
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