It was high school. 2011. Same gym. Same drills. Same faces. But something was different that day. Not on the court. In my head.

I noticed something. Subtle… but loud once I saw it. Something that would follow me long after that gym.

“Have you ever really looked around and thought—what do I let people get away with? And what do they let me get away with?”

I hadn’t. Not like that. Until one moment during that practice.

I was tired. Checked out. Going through the motions. Someone made a lazy pass. I didn’t say anything. Another one came. Same energy. Same silence.

But if that had come from someone else? Someone I respected? I would’ve said something. Given the look. Raised the standard.

And that’s when I realized— This isn’t just practice. This is politics.

Not the kind with teams or sides. The kind with presence. With weight. With silence.

Because practice isn’t equal. It never was. We don’t treat everyone the same. We don’t even treat ourselves the same depending on who’s across from us.

Some players sharpen you. Some players slow you down. Some disappear and you don’t even notice.

It’s not about skill. It’s about permission.

Who do you let coast? Who do you challenge? Who do you expect more from? Who do you protect?

That spectrum—Below You. At Your Level. Better Than You. It’s real. Emotional. Behavioral. Psychological.

There’s always that one player who forces you to lock in. Not with noise, but with presence. They don’t let you hide. They raise the room just by being in it.

And there’s the other side—the one you carry. Or the one carrying you. Sometimes, that’s you.

And no one says anything. They just adjust around you. Lower the standard.

That one hurts. But it’s real.

So now I ask different questions: Not “Did I go hard?” but… Who did I make better today? Who made me better? Who did I let off the hook?

The real game is the one beneath the reps. The one you don’t see on stat sheets. It’s not about execution. It’s about influence.

Because the real practice is quiet. The real hierarchy is silent. The real standard is invisible.

So next time you step into the gym—ask yourself: How do you shift the room? And who’s silently shifting you?