PB&J in the NBA

Last week in class somebody briefly mentioned how peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a huge NBA obsession; I had never heard of this, so I decided to investigate. Several sources implicate Kevin Garnett as the spearhead of this revolution, and it quickly spread to his team (at the time, the Celtics). As players were traded, ex-Celtics players spread the fad all over the league as a pre-game, halftime, and post-game "snack". The  original ESPN article talks about the importance of the meal in terms of evolutionary anthropology, how the salt, sugar, and fat attract the human imagination and taste buds in a quasi-addictive manner, as per cocaine, as they stimulate the same brain areas. There was even talk of a "war on PB&J", as a trainer forbid PB&J consumption on an effort to cut his team back on sugar.
But this was all very complex, and our course has taught me that food as an identity can be the most salient factor in choosing what we consume. As eaters and professional athletes, NBA players have strict schedules and specific nutrient quotas to fulfill as a part of a complex performative lifestyle, either practicing, playing, recovering, or traveling. The key word here is control; there are so many factors outside of NBA players' control in order to perform their best. The article touched on how PB&J's are associated with childhood, but then quickly brushed it off as a meaningless concept and went straight towards science. But the ability of food to take us to different times, places, and people is what makes food so powerful as an identifier! I believe that the NBA's obsession with PB&J's reflects a desire from players to be known as kids at heart, with dreams and aspirations and although they have more tangible drives and goals as professionals, they want the same thing; it is simply still in reach and is constantly being performed. PB&J's, by consumption from professionals, reflect a simpler time free of constant nutrient tracking and performance enhancement that can be stressful and exhausting. If there is one thing that PB&J's give NBA players, it is the freedom to grasp onto that time.