Athlete Vs. Mathlete

“We waited for Jason, but he was silent.

‘Your turn,’ Nitu said.

He frowned. ‘I’m trying to think of something that rhymes with squirrel.’

‘Seriously?’ Nitu groaned. ‘There’s a whole animal kingdom out there, Jason.’”

Here, Russell meets with his Masters of the Mind group, and the kids are warming up their brains by performing a rhyming exercise where they must form a sentence using an animal name and a word that rhymes with it. There have been several successful attempts at this point, showing both the competitive nature of the group and how they are more like the basketball team than they want to admit. Jason’s determination to find a word that rhymes with “squirrel” shows he isn’t satisfied with a simple rhyme. He wants to come up with a difficult one and impress his friends, much like Owen does in later chapters when he hogs the ball during a game. The similarities between Jason and Owen show that Masters of the Mind has sports-like qualities, and this foreshadows Russell finding his place on both teams.

“‘But they got two players in exchange for one,’ Russell pointed out.

Geez, it wasn’t about math.

‘Yeah, one awesome guy for two old guys.’

Russ pointed at the TV. ‘One of the ‘old guys’ just scored.’”

During this conversation between Owen and Russell, the boys are watching a professional basketball game on TV. Owen’s team recently traded a star player for two other players, which has left Owen annoyed at the team because his idol doesn’t play as often. Russell’s math analogy annoys Owen further because it brings math (something Owen dislikes) into basketball (something he loves). Russell’s analogy also illustrates the differences in how the boys think. Where Owen sees an emotional disappointment, Russell sees a mathematical advantage—getting two players in exchange for one. Russell is also unbiased by his love for the team, which lets him acknowledge that the two new players are good, something Owen struggles to admit.

“I woke up on Saturday morning and stared at my map of the solar system, which was always comforting. Earth was only one of all those planets and stars. And I was only one of billions of people on Earth. And of those billions, millions of people had bigger problems than basketball tryouts. I couldn’t help smiling.”

These lines come the morning Russell will start preparing for basketball tryouts, and they call to the ideas present in Mindset Matters. The map of the solar system provides a clue about the appearance of Russell’s room and the predominantly science and math-related décor. Russell’s ability to use the map to feel better about the impending day shows his positive mindset and outlook. Instead of dreading a new experience and going into it with a negative attitude, Russell chooses to view the situation as an experience that could be worse: Basketball tryouts were nowhere near the worst thing that could happen to a person. This foreshadows Russell putting his mindset to good use once he starts getting interested in basketball and shows that mindset can affect how one views any situation.

“‘I’m serious,’ I said. ‘Maybe he’ll bring something new.’

My teammates’ jaws all dropped at the same time. ‘Like a major headache?’ Jason asked.

‘No, like fresh ideas,’ I told him.

‘You’ve got to be kidding,’ Nitu said, crossing her arms.

‘He’s smart,’ I reminded her.

‘So he says,’ she replied.”

Here, Arthur has recently expressed interest in joining Masters of the Mind, and the current club members, with the exception of Russell, view this as a completely negative thing, again showing how Mindset Matters. Russell demonstrates his ability to view any situation from a positive angle by refusing to give into his friends’ negativity. While the others can only see how Arthur’s presence would make things worse, Russell sees a chance for expansion and growth. Ultimately, things don’t work out as Russell suggests, showing that positive thinking doesn’t always lead to a desired outcome but that it is still important to be open to new experiences.

“Being on the court felt amazing. I loved the sound of the ball hitting the pavement; the guys shouting back and forth to pass, shoot, or block; and feeling like my lungs were on fire from running so hard.”

This excerpt comes while Owen is playing basketball with his friends, and it shows Owen’s love for the sport. Through the ideas present in It’s Okay To Be Who You Are, these lines show how Owen has made basketball a part of his identity. Playing the game transforms Owen into the best version of himself. He plays hard, focuses, and becomes part of something greater than himself, all of which bring out his best qualities—his willingness to participate for the good of everyone and his dedication to something he cares about. These lines also explain Owen’s later aggravation. When Russell joins the team and starts getting recognition, the feelings Owen has here are threatened, and he becomes willing to do whatever it takes to find these feelings again because they make him feel like himself.

“What if I made the team?

I’d never even considered the positive side of trying out.

Could my brother and I play with each other? Could me and my twin manage to win?

I never dreamed I’d be rhyming about basketball, so I couldn’t help smiling.”

Here, Russell has tried on the Nikes for the first time, and the shoes have begun to impact his mindset. Up until now, Russell has viewed basketball as a completely negative thing because he didn’t want to participate. Now, though, he starts to wonder if basketball could enhance his life and improve his relationship with Owen. Drawing on the rhyming exercise he does as part of Masters of the Mind shows the different parts of Russell starting to come together. He doesn’t realize it yet, but he doesn’t have to just be one thing; it is okay to be an active, positive participant in both groups. Russell’s shifting thoughts in this passage illustrate how Mindset Matters and how mindset can help one adjust to new situations and experiences.

“I thought about all the times he’d explained math assignments that made no sense. Then there was my fifth-grade science project, when I mixed up my bug types and labeled them all wrong on my poster. Russ had stayed up late, helping me fix it, even though he had an English essay due the next day.

Russ always looked out for me, and it was my turn to look out for him (even if it was mostly so he wouldn’t embarrass me).”

Toward the end of the book, Owen learns that winning and being the best are less important than being a good teammate, and this passage foreshadows those discoveries. Owen’s thoughts about how Russell has helped him show that Owen truly cares about his brother, even if he doesn’t fully yet understand what that means. His concern with Russell embarrassing him reveals that Owen still grapples with his selfishness and insecurity. He appreciates Russell, but he isn’t yet willing to admit it without qualifiers, because he feels threatened by the impending tryouts and how Russell’s performance will reflect on him. Owen’s mindset here shows the challenges that come about when we focus on how others see us instead of just being who we are.

“‘Do you want to watch?’ he asked, hopefully. ‘I’ve got three kids in this house and no one likes basketball.’

‘Thanks, but I should get to the meeting.’

‘Masters of the Mind,’ he said, with a big sigh. He sounded just like my dad.”

This conversation takes place between Russell and the father of one of his clubmates, and it offers an opposite view to the situation at Russell’s house. Russell’s family (Owen and his dad in particular) are hardcore basketball fans, which makes basketball an important topic in their house. This friend’s house is the exact opposite—most of the people in the house have no interest in basketball, which makes the person with an interest in basketball feel left out. Together, these two households show that anyone, even someone with an interest in a popular topic like sports, can be left out. Russell’s observation that his friend’s dad sounds like his own father shows the universal similarity among people who wish things were different. Both dads want their kids to be interested in what they like, and the evolution of Russell’s father shows the importance of accepting the interests of others, even if they aren’t interests we share.

“‘I see,’ he said. ‘So, you’d like me to join a losing team.’

‘No, we wouldn’t,’ Nitu said, and I turned to see a dangerous look in her eyes.

I quickly jumped in. ‘What Nitu means is that we don’t want you to join a losing team. We want you to join a team with the potential to win.’”

Here, Arthur has come to his first Masters of the Mind meeting and informed the group that they are trying out for him, rather than the other way around, and that they need to convince him why he should join the club. These lines are the response, and the difference between Russell’s and Nitu’s responses affirms how the group members view Arthur differently. Nitu’s response has a double meaning—she doesn’t want Arthur to join a losing group (because they aren’t a losing group), but she also doesn’t want him to join the group at all. Russell’s interjection illustrates his ability to smooth over conflict and be diplomatic. He recognizes that Nitu’s words could start a fight and make Arthur leave, which would mean the group wouldn’t have enough members to qualify for the competition. Russell’s answer is a sales pitch and a way to get what he wants.

“I closed the box and shoved it into my backpack, trying not to think about it. I was supposed to be supporting Russ, just like he supported me. It wasn’t about shoes. Or T-shirts. Or those awesome shorts with the stripes down the sides that he got two pairs of. Or the sweet hoodie I wished was hanging in my closet.”

Here, Owen prepares for school the day of basketball tryouts. The box contains the basketball shoes his parents bought for him at the beginning of the school year. Initially, Owen was going to save them for the first game of the season, but the situation with Russell has made him change his mind because Owen now feels he needs a boost to get through tryouts. These lines are a key turning point for Owen’s selfishness becoming jealousy. Up until now, Owen has been content with his basketball gear, but after realizing how much cooler Russell’s stuff is, Owen feels like his dad pushed him aside to build Russell up. After a lifetime of getting attention for playing basketball, Owen doesn’t know how to deal with this, and his jealous thoughts are a sign he’s not coping well.

“I couldn’t concentrate in any of my classes. There was way too much going on in every part of my life, and tryouts were the least of it. I’d lost my Masters of the Mind confidence, I had no idea how to keep Arthur off the team, how to raise the money for our registration, or how to drop an egg from two stories without breaking it. What kind of a leader was I?

A well-dressed one, apparently. I’d been complimented all day on my new shoes, and I couldn’t believe how much impact a bit of rubber and nylon had on my popularity. Of course, it was an incredibly cool blend of rubber and nylon, but still. Those shoes got me more attention than my honor roll appearances or my perfect score on the sixth-grade math exam.”

This passage and the previous one are mirrors for one another—both being places where Owen and Russell struggle to deal with a host of new emotions. Where Owen’s emotions shift from selfishness to jealousy, Russell just becomes more and more overwhelmed, both by everything going on and by how his Nikes are getting him attention. The second paragraph is another comparison between Russell’s two sides (athlete and mathlete). His Nikes have gotten him the most attention he’s ever gotten, even though he feels his other accomplishments are much more noteworthy. Russell’s idea of importance doesn’t match what many other students view as important, which brings out Russell’s individuality and foreshadows him rediscovering his confidence.

“Owen’s friends kept staring at me. I waited for someone, anyone, to say something, but nobody did.

I couldn’t think of a time when I’d felt more out of place. More wrong.”

Here, Russell has just arrived at basketball tryouts. He is face-to-face with Owen’s friends (who’ve been making fun of Russell behind his back), and Russell feels the tension in the air, showing how stress and the mindsets of others can influence a space. Russell doesn’t feel like he belongs here, and that coupled with the judgment from the other kids upgrade his feeling from not belonging to “wrong,” even though there is nothing at all wrong about him. Russell’s mindset suffers here, which means he doesn’t have his usual ability to shrug off how others view him. Instead, he succumbs to judgments and allows those judgments to change how he feels about himself.

“I gave him a thumbs-up as he went by, and I watched him get into starting position, his awesome Nikes toeing the line. He was all alone. With a crowd staring at him, waiting for him to fail. I took a deep breath, wishing I didn’t have to watch.

And then it hit me. I didn’t have to. When I stood up and walked toward my brother, everyone started whispering, but I ignored them.”

This moment at basketball tryouts is a turning point for Owen. Throughout tryouts, Owen has focused on doing his best and also on keeping Russell from making a fool of them both. Here, Owen has a moment of clarity about his relationship with Russell, and he takes the opportunity to show solidarity toward his brother, even at the expense of how others view him.

“After so many years of being divided into brains and brawn, Owen and I had both been fine with our roles. But when Coach Baxter called my name, I realized that I’d only been fine with being the brains because I never imagined I could be both things—a mathlete and an…athlete.”

Here, Russell has just made the basketball team, which is the catalyst for his realization that his identity is not written in stone. Being good at math and science has pigeonholed Russell as an academic his entire life, and he accepted this characterization because it fit his interests and his personality. Once he realizes there’s more to him than brains, though, Russell’s world opens up. He suddenly wonders what more there is to his identity, and he wants to explore how basketball enhances who he is. This passage represents the journey of self-discovery that many never embark on because they don’t think there’s a reason to do so.

“‘I made them, but there was a complaint, so I can’t sell them.’ Her face was bright red.

‘A complaint from who?’ I asked.

‘Whom,’ Arthur Richardson the Third corrected, from behind me. ‘And the answer is me.’”

This exchange takes place at the Masters of the Mind’s bake sale. One of the girls was going to bring peanut butter bars, but Arthur lodged a complaint, citing a peanut butter allergy, which keeps the girl from selling the treats. It is unclear whether Arthur’s allergy is real, but regardless, his actions leave the group at a disadvantage, especially since there wasn’t time for the girl to find a new treat to sell. This lets Arthur maneuver himself into a necessary position among the group with the sale of his dad’s donuts. The fact the donuts are a well-known brand attracts customers and keeps people from buying the other items, and this is an example of how Arthur uses his power and influence to get what he wants. The sale of his donuts allows the group to pay the entrance fee for the competition, and the club ends this chapter feeling indebted to him, even though he is a toxic presence.

“The drills were brutal, but I ‘borrowed’ Russ’s digital watch so I could measure my improvements. And I was definitely improving. I was getting faster at running lines, and even though it was the drill I hated the most, I was proud of being one of the fastest guys on the team. The scrimmages were my favorite part of practices, and it was pretty cool to see our passing game coming together, too.”

Here, Owen takes Russell’s watch (without asking first) to monitor his improvement. This is a selfish reason to take something that doesn’t belong to him, but Owen feels he’s justified because Russell wasn’t using the watch and Owen needs to improve his game so he can get the recognition he feels he deserves. Owen clearly cares about his teammates, but he is still too focused on his own success to avoid selfish acts. This incident foreshadows him taking Russell’s Nikes later in the novel.

“‘Can you teach me some of your moves?’

‘My moves?’

‘Yeah, that jump shot is awesome.’

‘You want me to teach you?’ I asked, stunned.

‘Sure. You help me with the jump shot and I’ll help you with your dribbling.’”

This exchange between Russell and one of Owen’s friends shows how changing ourselves prompts others to treat us differently. Prior to making the team, Owen’s friends viewed Russell as unimportant unless he was doing something they found funny. Now that Russell has proven his worth on the team, Owen’s friends have a new view of him. They recognize there is more to Russell than the academic kid they’ve known for years, and this opens them up to seeking him out to benefit the team. Russell’s surprise shows another way one’s mindset can be challenged. Up until now, Russell has viewed his place on the basketball team as insular—he’s on the team to perform a specific function and nothing more. Here, though, Russell finds he’s actually part of the team, accepted by the other kids, and included in team improvement.

“‘Well, I didn’t coach Michael Jordan,’ Coach Baxter said. ‘And here’s an interesting fact you might want to consider. In his sophomore year of high school, nobody did.’

‘What?’ Chris asked.

‘He got cut from the team,’ Coach Baxter said, then looked at me. ‘Which is exactly where you’re headed if you don’t shape up.’”

Earlier in the story, Owen led his friends to believe Coach Baxter coached Michael Jordan. Owen did this to increase his own social standing amid the group when he felt they were judging him for Russell trying out for the team. Here, that action comes back to haunt him, making this moment an example of how not to deal with feeling insecure. Rather than being impressed, Owen’s teammates and Coach Baxter are just annoyed that Owen used such an obvious fabrication to bolster himself. This action is not an example of teamwork, and Owen’s friends notice this, which only serves to dampen how they feel about him—especially in conjunction with how Owen just played. Coach Baxter’s lecture about Michael Jordan is a teaching moment, as well as an observation about how greatness doesn’t mean always being the best or most celebrated. Jordan is known for being a world-class basketball player, but even he was not immune to failure.

“There were the bicycles my grandparents had given us for our birthdays in the second grade. I took special care of mine to make sure it always looked as good as new. But when Owen crashed his identical bike into a fence while he was goofing around, bending the fender and scratching the paint down one side, he secretly swapped it for mine in the garage. He put a sticker with his name on it under the seat and pretended it had been his all along.

The sad part was, I would have traded him if he’d just asked me.”

This passage from Russell’s perspective digs into the background of his relationship with Owen and shows that Owen’s selfishness is not a recent development. Russell knows this but does not let it bother him because he loves Owen and understands that selfishness is just a negative aspect, not the entirety of who Owen is. Here, Russell is reeling from the knowledge that Owen took the Nikes, believing Owen did so in some way to get even with Russell for playing and getting attention. The bicycle incident shows how comfortable Owen is about doing what he feels is best for himself. According to Russell, Owen never discussed taking the bike with Russell or even acknowledged that he made the switch. Russell’s admission that he would have traded if Owen asked shows Russell’s enduring understanding and highlights how much growth Owen still has to undergo at this late point in the novel.

“When I made the Pioneers roster, it felt like a dream I never knew existed had come true. I’d felt like I was part of something totally new and different and that I could be more than anyone expected. I was happy when I put on that jersey, when kids wished me luck in the hallway before the game and when the crowd cheered for me.”

This section of Russell’s thoughts borrows from the ideas in It’s Okay To Be Who You Are by showing that it’s okay to be excited by trying something new. Russell never realized he wanted to be more than a mathlete, because he never let himself think there was more to his identity. Living the life of a basketball player after years as an unseen honors student introduces him to a world of new experiences, and Russell finds he likes these experiences just as much as he likes being part of Masters of the Mind. Here, he is coming to terms with enjoying the attention basketball brings him, even though he recognizes that not all of that attention is good (specifically from Owen).

“When I invited him to watch a game on TV, he shook his head and went upstairs. When I asked him to pass the potatoes at the dinner table, he handed them over without even looking at me. I even tried asking him questions about science, just to get him talking, but even that didn’t work.

The house felt quiet and lonely.

I missed my brother, and he was right there in front of me.”

Owen has realized the mistake he made by taking Russell’s Nikes and by being mad that Russell made the basketball team. Owen’s identity and sense of self have felt jeopardized by sharing interests with Russell, and this has driven a wedge between the brothers. Here, Owen is experiencing the results of that wedge, specifically as its been made worse by his own actions. The pain Owen has caused Russell has led Russell to withdraw, and Owen realizes that there’s more to being a twin than just having a brother. For years, the two of them have been a team, even if they didn’t always realize it, and Owen’s final thought here calls to how someone can be physically close but emotionally inaccessible, especially when one has done something to push them away.

“Nitu raised an eyebrow at me. ‘Are you really trying to decide whether you’re a basketball player or a Master of the Mind?’

‘Yes.’ And whether I’d accidentally taken over Owen’s role as the family athlete. Maybe he was having an identity crisis, too.

If I was the athlete and the mathlete, what did that leave for him?”

This exchange between Russell and Nitu gets to the crux of It’s Okay To Be Who You Are and shows the importance of acknowledging how others feel. Russell’s recent argument with Owen has made him backtrack into thinking he can be either an athlete or a mathlete. Deep down, he knows he can be both, but he feels as though he is encroaching on Owen’s athlete territory by playing basketball, and Russell doesn’t want to hurt his brother by overtaking the thing he uses to identify himself. Russell hasn’t yet realized that his athlete status has no bearing on how Owen chooses to define himself. Russell sees how Owen is pressured by feeling like his identity is threatened, and these thoughts foreshadow both brothers learning to coexist in the same space (the basketball team).

“‘Look, you’ve got skills and I’ve got skills. Separately, we’re good, but together, along with the rest of the Pioneers…we’re dangerous.’

‘But when you and I played together before—’

‘That was before,’ I told him. ‘From now on, two Evans brothers on the court at the same time is going to be…’ I searched for the right word and it only took me a second to find it. ‘Magical.’”

This exchange between Owen and Russell shows Owen at the end of his character arc. Owen has realized that he doesn’t need to be threatened by having Russell on the basketball team, because Owen’s individual playing strengths are different from Russell’s. Further, Owen now understands that they can be a team and use their skills to complement one another. This represents the power of individuality and It’s Okay To Be Who You Are. Owen has both expanded and narrowed his identity. Within basketball, he has narrowed it to a player with an exact skill set, but he has expanded his identity to be more than just a kid who plays basketball. He is also Russell’s brother and someone who understands his worth independent of how he is viewed by others.