Pull ten people
from the street and ask them to perform a task - say raising the wall of
a house - without any introduction or instruction, and it would likely
be a futile effort. But take ten hoopsters without an introduction, put
them on a 94-foot court, add a ball, and the result is a remarkable unrehearsed
ballet of patterns and passes. When I play pickup basketball at a local
park, I often do not know the names of my teammates. But this is irrelevant.
Communication is done through shouts starting with "yo", a quick point
of a finger, and a look that tells the ballhandler that I have beaten my
man to the basket. Of course, if I do learn the names of my teammates,
it is on a first-name basis, regardless of their social status off the
court. There have been many fellow players who I later learned were doctors,
priests, police officers and even a judge. And even if I do learn the first
names of my teammates, last names are forbidden.
But the "first
name only" rule is only one part of the social etiquette that is closely
followed. The cry of "I got next" is usually respected and when it is not,
fierce arguments erupt. Since there are no refs on the playground, the
games are self-umpired and players must honor the calls to make the game
work. Even if you don’t follow the rule of law - and I’ve played with a
number of people I later learned were felons - you have to respect the
call. And it is universal that if your team wins, you are entitled to stay
and play the next team.
The hoops court
is also a great and unique American social mixing bowl of races, ages,
religions, languages and ethnicities. The doctor who makes a quarter million
a year is on the same team with the guy who left school after ninth grade.
I also find the court is one of the few places where the athleticism of
women is respected. If she can play, she’s on the team.
Despite the
universality of pickup basketball, I also enjoy the regional differences
on the various playgrounds. In some areas, to win a game of "21", you have
to hit 21 exactly or slide back to 11. In other locations, if you have
your shot blocked, you lose three, five or even all of your points. In
other regions, there is no penalty for a stuffed shot.
On a cool July
afternoon or a winter evening indoors, there are tens of thousands of these
impromptu games occurring. And there is no place I’d rather be about 5
o’clock most afternoons than at a local park with a blend of America, pointing
to unnamed teammates, yelling "yo" and winning games.
