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Author Topic: Death of Playground Basketball  (Read 12847 times)


brandx

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2014, 11:05:34 PM »
Sadly, it isn't just playgrounds for basketball.

When I was a kid, we played baseball every day in the summer. We would bike around to different parks in the city and could always find a new game. Today, it is hard to find even one park where ball is being played.

starting5

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2014, 08:26:32 AM »
and even the backyards are not used for sports anymore.  Rare to see a wiffle ball game take place in my neighborhood full of kids.
Then one of my favorite games when we only had a few was strikeout.  kids now have no clue what strikeout is, they only play sports if it is organized for them by adults

Chicago_inferiority_complexes

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2014, 08:51:34 AM »
Are they all playing video games? All the time?

Cannot imagine how that is physically healthy.

MU82

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #4 on: July 28, 2014, 09:29:39 AM »
Are they all playing video games? All the time?

Cannot imagine how that is physically healthy.

It's not only that. As a previous commenter said, it's that every athletic activity now must be organized by adults.

I'm not THAT old. In the summer and on weekends, I used to get up in the morning, wolf down breakfast, yell to my mom that I was going to play basketball (or baseball), promise to be back by dinnertime, jump on my bike, ride a mile or two to the nearest playground, and play for hours. When thirsty, we'd drink from the fountain. Nobody had bottled water or Gatorade.

In most cities - even most dinky little towns where crime is nonexistent - that's practically unheard of today.

My kids are half my age and, while they had their share of organized activities, by the time they were 11 or 12, they were allowed to meet up with friends for pickup basketball, baseball or whatever. And we lived in the city of Chicago. I guess if anything had happened to them we'd have never forgiven ourselves, but they knew to stick to the areas they knew and we trusted.

We now live on a white-bread suburban cul de sac, and our next door neighbor won't even let her three boys go three houses down to play basketball without her standing there. She and her husband race all over town taking the kids to soccer and basketball and baseball practices and games, every minute of every day organized.

Sigh.
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mu03eng

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #5 on: July 28, 2014, 10:02:22 AM »
It's not only that. As a previous commenter said, it's that every athletic activity now must be organized by adults.

I'm not THAT old. In the summer and on weekends, I used to get up in the morning, wolf down breakfast, yell to my mom that I was going to play basketball (or baseball), promise to be back by dinnertime, jump on my bike, ride a mile or two to the nearest playground, and play for hours. When thirsty, we'd drink from the fountain. Nobody had bottled water or Gatorade.

In most cities - even most dinky little towns where crime is nonexistent - that's practically unheard of today.

My kids are half my age and, while they had their share of organized activities, by the time they were 11 or 12, they were allowed to meet up with friends for pickup basketball, baseball or whatever. And we lived in the city of Chicago. I guess if anything had happened to them we'd have never forgiven ourselves, but they knew to stick to the areas they knew and we trusted.

We now live on a white-bread suburban cul de sac, and our next door neighbor won't even let her three boys go three houses down to play basketball without her standing there. She and her husband race all over town taking the kids to soccer and basketball and baseball practices and games, every minute of every day organized.

Sigh.

It's funny because my wife and some friends were just talking about this stuff the other day.  It's not even just the lack of pick-up "sports" games....it's outdoor exercise in general.  A summer day in the late 80s for me and my friends on the block would be to grab breakfast by 8am then be out the door to play some sort of pick up game(usually soccer or football) then we'd "cool" off by playing four square or pickle or some other game.  By then it be lunch time where we'd all pile up at someones house who'd feed like 12 of us.  We'd wolf down the food then ride our bikes the 3 miles to the local outdoor pool where we'd play marco polo or sharks and minnows for at least 4 hours with a couple of snack breaks thrown in like Nerds and Push Pops.  Then we'd ride our bikes back home where we'd all disperse to eat dinner with our families then we'd all meet back up to play something like kick the can or pickle again then as it got dark we'd play ghost in the graveyard and then by 930 we'd all have to head home to get ready for bed.  Rinse and repeat for the next day.

We had one friend who had every video game and system known to man(so it wasn't like we didn't have the access), but the only time we played video games was when it was raining and we couldn't get anyone to take us to the bowling alley where we all had summer passes for unlimited bowling.

Maybe even then for most it was different because we lived in a "suburb" of the air force bases where my dad was stationed, but 80% of the families in the neighborhood were either stationed or worked at the base.  Maybe it was tighter knit and communities are a lot less tight these days.

Part of the decline I blame on the over hyping of bulling and part the general increase in laziness within the population.
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GGGG

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #6 on: July 28, 2014, 10:07:17 AM »
Your memories are a lot like mine from the late 70s / early 80s, but there was a lot of dead time that caused a great deal of boredom as well.  Since we didn't have cable television, I had to wait for the soaps to be over and for the cavalcade of game shows to begin.

Canned Goods n Ammo

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #7 on: July 28, 2014, 10:15:33 AM »
I live across the street from a baseball diamond.

Little league? 3 nights per week.

Dads pitching to kids for practice? at least a couple times per week.

Organized football? Everyday starting Aug-Nov.

Kids pitching to kids? Kids organizing their own HR derby? Pickup game?  Pick-up football? Soccer? NEVER. Nope. Nada. None.

I don't want to get into an old guy rant (because I'm not really into those), but it does seem like parents spend a lot more time entertaining their kids these days. Lots of organized actives, lots of parents participating with their kids (pitching, playing basketball, etc.)

Maybe it's better, I dunno. I guess we'll see how these kids turn out in 15 years.

swoopem

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #8 on: July 28, 2014, 10:47:43 AM »
It's funny because my wife and some friends were just talking about this stuff the other day.  It's not even just the lack of pick-up "sports" games....it's outdoor exercise in general.  A summer day in the late 80s for me and my friends on the block would be to grab breakfast by 8am then be out the door to play some sort of pick up game(usually soccer or football) then we'd "cool" off by playing four square or pickle or some other game.  By then it be lunch time where we'd all pile up at someones house who'd feed like 12 of us.  We'd wolf down the food then ride our bikes the 3 miles to the local outdoor pool where we'd play marco polo or sharks and minnows for at least 4 hours with a couple of snack breaks thrown in like Nerds and Push Pops.  Then we'd ride our bikes back home where we'd all disperse to eat dinner with our families then we'd all meet back up to play something like kick the can or pickle again then as it got dark we'd play ghost in the graveyard and then by 930 we'd all have to head home to get ready for bed.  Rinse and repeat for the next day.

We had one friend who had every video game and system known to man(so it wasn't like we didn't have the access), but the only time we played video games was when it was raining and we couldn't get anyone to take us to the bowling alley where we all had summer passes for unlimited bowling.

Maybe even then for most it was different because we lived in a "suburb" of the air force bases where my dad was stationed, but 80% of the families in the neighborhood were either stationed or worked at the base.  Maybe it was tighter knit and communities are a lot less tight these days.

Part of the decline I blame on the over hyping of bulling and part the general increase in laziness within the population.

Very similar to my childhood in the 90s and early 2000s. I lived in Evanston, IL, Akron, OH, a suburb of Philly, outside DC (Virgina side), and then eventually settled outside Detroit and did all the things you mentioned in each city. I was also lucky enough to always have woods behind our house or very close by so we were really into fishing, building treehouses, and paintball.
Bring back FFP!!!

starting5

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #9 on: July 28, 2014, 10:50:48 AM »
yes parents have to entertain kids all the time now.  That contributes to the wussification of kids today.  Dad or mom is always there to get them water or wipe a cut or make sure little Johnny is treated fairly.
I coach my kids in Baseball and Basketball and I am constantly preaching to their teams that the couple practices we have each week should not be the only time they pick up a ball.  

This summer has been very cool compared to others and anytime the temp hit 80 the kids would complain it is too hot lets go in teh shade and sit down.

CTWarrior

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #10 on: July 28, 2014, 10:57:00 AM »
I grew up in the early 70s and my memories are a lot like all of yours.  Mom wouldn't let me out of the house until 9 and had no idea where I was but I better be home for dinner at 6 and she'd feed whoever showed up for lunch, like the other Moms would do.  

How kids just don't play with kids anymore hit home with me when my brother-in law rented out a gym for my nephew's birthday (somewhere between 10th and 12th birthday) and the kids needed my brother-in-law to pick sides for a pick-up basketball game, because they were arguing so much and couldn't figure out how to do it.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2014, 02:10:03 PM by CTWarrior »
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keefe

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #11 on: July 28, 2014, 11:05:48 AM »
I grew early 70s and my memories are a lot like all of yours.  Mom wouldn;t let me out of the house until 9 and had no idea where is was but I better be home for dinner at 6 and she'd feed whoever showed up for lunch, like the other Moms would do. 

How kids just don't play with kids anymore hit home with me when my brother-in law rented out a gym for my nephew's birthday (somewhere between 10th and 12th birthday) and the kids needed my brother-in-law to pick sides for a pick-up basketball game, because they were arguing so much and couldn't figure out how to do it.

Not sure if this is true of everywhere but in Seattle parents now arrange "Play Dates" for kids. I mean, WTFO?


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mu03eng

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #12 on: July 28, 2014, 11:26:21 AM »
Not sure if this is true of everywhere but in Seattle parents now arrange "Play Dates" for kids. I mean, WTFO?

I'm convinced 90% of this is because the parents want to get together and hang out, using the kids as an excuse.  Unintended consequence is kids are over organized and can't do anything for themselves.

Here is what I wonder....if we all have these memories and all think kids should be doing the same things...how have we gotten here?  Are you MU folks with kids and these memories in the minority?  How did we all hump the bunk so bad?
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MU Fan in Connecticut

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #13 on: July 28, 2014, 11:28:19 AM »
In the summer in my neighborhood, we had pick-up baseball & wiffle ball regularly (baseball with a tennis ball, so as to not break any windows and the wiffle ball bats taped up with hockey tape to give the hitting some heft).  One summer we even created our own wiffle ball league of only 3 teams: Yankees, Red Sox & Brewers.  (Some Milwaukee crystal-balling with that one as my brother and I both ended up at Marquette.)  It also helped to spur interest to have the wiffle ball factory like 5 minutes from my house.


As always, The Atlantic has the pulse of the people.  Always very interesting reads in this Magazine.  This is from the May 2014 issue.  See link below.


The Overprotected Kid
A preoccupation with safety has stripped childhood of independence, risk taking, and discovery—without making it safer. A new kind of playground points to a better solution.

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/03/hey-parents-leave-those-kids-alone/358631/

GGGG

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #14 on: July 28, 2014, 11:40:25 AM »
I'm convinced 90% of this is because the parents want to get together and hang out, using the kids as an excuse.  Unintended consequence is kids are over organized and can't do anything for themselves.

Here is what I wonder....if we all have these memories and all think kids should be doing the same things...how have we gotten here?  Are you MU folks with kids and these memories in the minority?  How did we all hump the bunk so bad?


Well I wouldn't call it necessarily "bad," and I wouldn't call it "wussification."  It's just different, for better and for worse.  As someone who has older (early 20s) kids, most of their lives didn't consist of random play, but they were organized.  They would have to do stuff around the house in the summer, sat around and played video games or chatted online, then would go to practice, games, etc.

And they have turned out just fine.  Much more mature than I was at that age.  I had a better relationship with them during their teen years, and have a better relationship with them than I did with my parents back then.  I work with college kids every day of the week and find that to be the case by and large.

I think the biggest drawback in the lack of risk-taking and decision making in the article that MU Fan in CT linked to.  Some of my kids friends can't seem to get their lives going.  Completed some college, still living at home, etc.  And some started out that way and have slowly figured things out.  Some...notsomuch.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2014, 11:42:11 AM by The Sultan of Sunshine »

Canned Goods n Ammo

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #15 on: July 28, 2014, 11:55:00 AM »
Not to be weird, but I wonder if kids get bored enough anymore.

We've always talked about boredom being bad (which I guess is correct), but boredom can lead to creativity and curiosity. (ie How does this work? Can we make X into Z? etc.)

Give some kids a pile of junk and enough time, and they will figure out how to entertain themselves.

Give some kids an iPad and unlimited battery life, and they aren't likely to create much. (maybe minecraft is good though?)

I don't know if this is bad or good... I guess just different.

Cooby Snacks

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #16 on: July 28, 2014, 12:31:33 PM »

I think the biggest drawback in the lack of risk-taking and decision making in the article that MU Fan in CT linked to.  Some of my kids friends can't seem to get their lives going.  Completed some college, still living at home, etc.  And some started out that way and have slowly figured things out.  Some...notsomuch.

I don't think kids turning out that way is necessarily exclusive to this generation or how it was raised. It just seems that way because with more media available than ever before, kids not knowing what to do with themselves is apparently newsworthy.

Skatastrophy

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #17 on: July 28, 2014, 01:01:46 PM »
Meaux Park has basketball games going on every time I've been by. It's over on Green Bay & Villard.

MU82

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #18 on: July 28, 2014, 01:54:00 PM »
I'm convinced 90% of this is because the parents want to get together and hang out, using the kids as an excuse.  Unintended consequence is kids are over organized and can't do anything for themselves.

Here is what I wonder....if we all have these memories and all think kids should be doing the same things...how have we gotten here?  Are you MU folks with kids and these memories in the minority?  How did we all hump the bunk so bad?

When my kids were really young and had play dates (I'm talking early '90s here), we NEVER stayed to hang out with the other parents. We looked at it as an opportunity to finally have a few moments together alone without the kids - whether it be to go to a movie, to go shopping for major items or, yes,  to have a little sexy time.

As for your second paragraph ... I'm quite proud that we didn't coddle our kids, that we pushed them out the door to get some exercise and get together with their friends, or whatever. We didn't have video games until my son was 16, and they didn't have cellphones until they were well into high school. Neither kid had a TV in his/her bedroom.

Not long after we moved into our little house on the North Side, I decided that our backyard was so small I might as well make it useful, so I paved almost the whole thing and had one of those 1000-dollar-plus in-ground basketball hoops put in (even though money was very tight for us). Our yard became a place where kids all over the neighborhood gathered for games.

When our kids started high school, at Payton High on the near North Side, they took the el all by themselves and learned how to navigate around the city. If my daughter had basketball practice and didn't get done till after dark, I would meet her at the el stop and walk her home, but otherwise we taught them how to fend for themselves. Whoever got home first was supposed to start to get dinner ready.

I know I sound like an old man from a long-gone era, but THAT WAS ONLY 10-12 YEARS AGO! I'm not talking about the 1950s! Still, today we might get arrested for child neglect - or at least be judged by our peers for being neglectful parents. But our kids learned how to live without having their hands held by us all the time.

We were strict about bedtime, homework, and especially about letting us know where they were. If my son was going to Bobby's and plans changed and he ended up at Sean's, he was expected to call us and let us know. If he didn't, there was hell to pay. So yes, they had freedom, but we were still their parents.

They are now young adults, on their own living in different parts of the country from us and each other. Our 4-5x per year reunions are filled with love and joy. I'm incredibly proud of them.

I coach middle-school girls basketball now and I swear these kids aren't allowed to wipe their own noses! Mommy and Daddy do EVERYTHING for them!!!
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ChicosBailBonds

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #19 on: July 28, 2014, 09:10:23 PM »
Careful, a few posters here are going to level you guys for thinking life was better back in the day.

Canned Goods n Ammo

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #20 on: July 29, 2014, 08:28:11 AM »
Careful, a few posters here are going to level you guys for thinking life was better back in the day.

Chico's,

You've officially turned into Skip Bayless. Congrats.

You're a smart guy, but every topic/subject/post becomes about you personally... not unlike Skip.


Galway Eagle

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #21 on: July 29, 2014, 09:06:40 AM »
I'm not that old so I don't understand where you guys are coming from with the kids don't play sports thing anymore. I mean when I was young my grandpa would give us some boxing gloves and head gear, push the furniture aside and have a cousins tournament.  Or my best friend and I would put on our lacrosse gear and have a one on one game for a couple hours. 

The decline in baseball is probably related to the need for constant activity in this generation.  I know that's why i never enjoyed the sport.  Basketball i still see constantly as I drive through the west side of Chicago to get home from work... Perhaps we stay too secluded in our suburbs or perhaps society put too much influence on basketball being a "street" game so kids from the majority of our neighborhoods have trouble dreaming of playing in big big sold out arenas etc.
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Boone

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #22 on: July 29, 2014, 09:32:51 AM »
Our town has a summer program thru the rec department titled 'Baseball for the fun of it.' The program is distinct from little league and entails pre-teens meeting at the little league diamond in the afternoon, where a high school kid organizes ball games. I find the title and concept of this officially structured program ironic, funny and absurd. The same exact thing existed when I was a kid, but my folks never had to pay $$ for me to participate. Kids ran it and whoever showed up at the field to play, played. 

Canned Goods n Ammo

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #23 on: July 29, 2014, 10:00:20 AM »
Our town has a summer program thru the rec department titled 'Baseball for the fun of it.' The program is distinct from little league and entails pre-teens meeting at the little league diamond in the afternoon, where a high school kid organizes ball games. I find the title and concept of this officially structured program ironic, funny and absurd. The same exact thing existed when I was a kid, but my folks never had to pay $$ for me to participate. Kids ran it and whoever showed up at the field to play, played. 

You're right, however, I think the program is a good idea because it does provide a level of safety.

I don't think Parents want to turn their kids into hermits, but I think there is a significant amount of fear out there (right or wrong). Parents aren't going to let their kids roam around the neighborhood/city like they used to. (again, I'm not saying this is correct, I just think it's a fact).



mu03eng

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Re: Death of Playground Basketball
« Reply #24 on: July 29, 2014, 10:23:51 AM »
You're right, however, I think the program is a good idea because it does provide a level of safety.

I don't think Parents want to turn their kids into hermits, but I think there is a significant amount of fear out there (right or wrong). Parents aren't going to let their kids roam around the neighborhood/city like they used to. (again, I'm not saying this is correct, I just think it's a fact).




I think it's worth discussing if it's right or wrong.  I think that is one of the key drivers in that so many parents are trying to prevent bad things in life from happening to their kids that they prevent life from happening to their kids.

If you don't know the bad, you don't appreciate the good.  I really do think with creation of this data and communications we have given the illusion of full control of things when really we don't have any more control on life happening than we did before.

Just my 2 cents
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