Magic: Bigger than Basketball

By Stephen Cameron

Dedicated to Steve Bailey

What does it mean to be a Magic fan? Is it putting on a Magic hat when going out? Is it cheering for the team at the bar while wearing your favorite player’s jersey? Having a random conversation with other fans on twitter? Or going to games? Does one have to have a player’s autograph and collect memorabilia to be a fan? The truth is, it can be all of the above. Wikipedia defines “sports fan” as the following:

“A fan, or fanatic, sometimes also termed aficionado or supporter, is a person who is enthusiastically devoted to something or somebody, such as a singer or band, a sport or a sports team, a genre, a politician, a book, a movie or an entertainer.”

To me, I like to think I am not just a Magic fan but a part of the Magic family. That means after a debate with another magic fan, it really doesn’t matter whether we have opposing views, because we have mutual respect for each other and always come back to an agreement that we just want our team to do well. We are family because we both deeply care for the same team. Well, recently, I was blown away by the power of my Magic fam, and here’s the story.

I am in a few Magic group chats. One of them consists of all the contributors to my website, The Close Up Magic. One of our best, most consistent writers and podcasters, Phil Harlow, has always been very active in that group. He is a Magic fan from the UK and more passionate about this team than most people in Orlando. He is always ready to discuss thoughts on the team, and ways to improve our content as a site. Over the summer, he suddenly stopped responding. We all figured it was the off-season and he needed space. But then it when on too long without a response. A few of us got worried and reached out after weeks of not hearing from him. We came to find out he was dealing with some family issues.

Ok, no problem on our end. We let Phil know to take his time, let us know if we could help, and when he was ready we would be here for him. We are in fact apart of the same Magic Family after all, and we often talk about personal stuff as well. Our group did not know what was about to hit us.

A few weeks went by as normal. Phil was doing his thing, focusing on his family and we were all enjoying the off-season until Phil finally popped back onto twitter with a post and it was by far way more serious than I had imagined. In his post, he told us that his girlfriend’s father had been diagnosed with Carcinoma Unspecified Primary cancer at the age of 62 and that they needed financial help for his treatments. It was devastating to hear the news. So I went on to the Go Fund Me page and gave a donation. Here is part of what the Go Fund Me said about Steve.

“In May 2019 Steve was unexpectedly diagnosed with Carcinoma Unspecified Primary Cancer at the age of 62. Anyone that knows Steve will know that, as a proud 3 Queens Veteran, he has always been active, hard-working and a true fighter. The illness came as a complete shock to all of us. It was found in his spine, lung, and bowel. Despite weeks of radiotherapy, in mid-August, he was declared terminal and untreatable due to his current state of health.“

Phil and Steve

The Go Fund Me had a massive goal to reach but it was just getting started. Twitter rallied behind Phil’s post. It was getting likes and retweets left and right. Organizations and individuals were being tagged for help. The Magic family was coming together for this. A few donated right away. About 2 hours into it, a comment was made with a bunch of the Magic players tagged. Well, to our surprise, Nikola Vucevic saw what was happening. He saw the original post, checked out the Go Fund Me page, and fulfilled the goal! But it was so much more than just giving some money. The word got out quick that he donated and other fans took notice. It inspired quite a few others to give as well. Still, that was not the end, Magic TV personality Dante Marchitelli also gave a nice donation and reposted the Tweet. The original goal had not only been met but had now surpassed what Phil and his family were hoping for. It has grown to almost double the original goal, and from what Phil has told me, it allowed them to look at other treatment options.

At this point, they have had over 80 different people donate and a good amount of those people came from the Magic community. From Magic personnel to fans, we came together for a cause bigger than basketball to help out one of our own. This is why the Magic community is bigger than basketball. This is why we are not just fans, but a family. I still get blown away just thinking of how this all came about.

In the words of Phil

“Everyone’s response has been overwhelming. We’re blown away to have surpassed our initial target already! As the donations continue to come in, we are now able to look at further treatments that were beyond our hopes due to cost. You people are giving us hope and I feel so blessed”

This is what it means to be a family. Coming together to help one of our own. The amazing thing is most people in the Magic family had never met Steve or even Phil for that matter. They both lived in the UK but because of the Magic connection, it did not matter.

Unfortunately, Steve did not make it. He passed away on September 6th, 2019. Here are Phil’s words.

“It’s with great sadness that I must say that Steve lost his battle with cancer this morning. Thank you so much to everyone’s support and donations. The Magic family have been unbelievable and have been a source of strength to us 🙏#MagicAboveAll”

Phil and Steve will always be a part of the Magic family and this story will always be remembered in the community. It will be remembered with positivity on what feats can be accomplished in the power of numbers and community. It will be remembered as a time when we brought cancer awareness to others. It will be remembered as a time of hope. But most importantly it will be remembered as a time of love and a time where we could all honor the memory of Steve Bailey and Phil’s family.

So remember- Magic Above All, and cherish our Magic Fam.

#MagicAboveAll #MagicFam