Season One, Chapter 20: Why Penny Hardaway mattered
Vivian Chalmers, 78, is a dedicated University of Memphis fan who has been diagnosed three times with cancer. Chalmers became a fan as a therapeutic way to deal with grief after losing her daughter to AIDS years ago. “It’s my therapy. I have had some hard times, but I didn’t really go through counseling, because the Tigers games are my counseling sessions. It’s true. Rather than going to a psychiatrist or a psychologist, I just go to the games and release all that is within me. It makes me happy. This year has given me so much hope.” (Houston Cofield/Daily Memphian)
Why did the return of Penny Hardaway matter? Because of people like Vivian Chalmers, 78, who draws on Memphis basketball as a source of community and hope.
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Geoff Calkins
Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. He is host of "The Geoff Calkins Show" from 9-11 a.m. M-F on 92.9 FM. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press sports editors, but still figures his best columns are about the people who make Memphis what it is.
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