[pristineshatter]

My dad passed away and I was raised by an older sister, mom, and maid. I didn't like watching sports, never caused any trouble, and listened to anything I was told. My mental health was shit. It wasn't till I started playing basketball, pushing around and making shots on 'Jocks' who were bigger and more athletic than me, that I felt my mental health completely cured itself.

Basketball is an amazing game because you can go to almost any court in the evening and you will find guys who want to play. I often play with scrawny, pimply faced guys who I don't doubt have had thoughts of violence at one point or another, but on the basketball court they ball hard and earn the respect of everyone on the court through teamwork and hustle. It's totally evident to anyone who has experienced it how one good play can do away with anger, resentment and doubt, do the work of years of therapy.

[wizofaus]

Is there actually any real evidence that males brought up without exposure to that particular vein of masculinity are more likely to suffer mental health issues? It's a testable enough hypothesis, though I'd be pretty surprised if a significant correlation was demonstrated, based on my own observations (including of friends with mental health issues that at least partly stem from toxic relationships with their dads. Curiously, one of them was a basketball player).