Every industry has its own unique language, and sports is no different. Gone are the days where play-by-play announcers would merely describe the action with a little opinion sprinkled in to fill in the dead air, especially on radio. Game presentations have become more technical over the years and this … Read more
When none of the outdoor basketball options were available, when the older kids had kicked us off the court and the garbage cans were full or another group of kids had beaten us to the idea, when the basket had been ripped away from the backboard somehow or for some … Read more
As we progressed through the elementary school years in the late 1960s and early 1970s, we began to learn the importance of proper attire for every occasion. In school we had to wear a shirt and tie (and this was public school), we wore uniforms to Cub Scout meetings, and … Read more
There aren’t many athletes at any level — including youth sports — who have managed to escape the indignity of being dressed down in public by an angry coach. And as the stakes grow higher, the humiliation increases as larger venues and television cameras now capture the images of the … Read more
The National Basketball Association, like all of the major professional sports leagues, has its own set of challenges. One of the more pressing ones involves the perception, at least, that more than a few of its teams go into the regular season with the goal of winning as few games … Read more
For those of us who have grown weary of the Golden State Warriors’ dominance over the past four NBA seasons, there are some folks who were around during the Boston Celtics’ unbelievable run of 11 championships in 13 seasons from 1957 through 1969 — in addition to current fans of … Read more
Perhaps pickup basketball wasn’t/isn’t as disorganized as we thought/think. Many of the responsibilities that go into running an organized basketball game or tournament are assumed by participants of pickup ball out of necessity. Things don’t always go smoothly because they aren’t supposed to — it’s pickup basketball. But without certain … Read more
I haven’t played a game of five-on-five basketball that wasn’t part of an organized group in decades and didn’t play much even back then, but just being an observer reveals that not much has changed where some of the on-court personalities are concerned. I was probably in elementary school when … Read more
When growing up one of the more densely populated parts of a large city (Brooklyn, NY), the competition to find an open basketball court is almost as fierce as the games themselves. At least in the 1970’s, the local courts were always full, with more players on the sideline ready … Read more
If it’s summertime and we’re talking NBA basketball, then the discussion probably centers around rookies or free agents. The free agent signing period — at least the big news items — came and went rather quickly. The NBA Draft and the Summer League have now come and gone, but not … Read more
