It All Started On The Playgrounds

[bigunreal]

Reflecting back on my experiences playing a lot of pickup basketball during the early 1970s, I think that much of what we bemoan here today started about that time. I played with and against many black teens back then. With very few exceptions, they were identical in the way they acted on the court. We white teenagers especially hated to have any talented blacks on our team, because that meant we were going to have to really fight to touch the ball, except for throwing it in to them from out of bounds. Also, this is where and when the concept of "white defense," what we still see today, was born. I saw so many examples of shoving, cursing and punching on the part of blacks who had the ball stolen by, or were stuffed by, a white defender. They simply had something in them, culturally, which didn't allow for any "white boy" to stop them on the court. I think that was the major reason why we started seeing so many timid white defenders in organized basketball about this time. Even outside the playground, white players could not depend on authority figures to back them up and hold blacks accountable for their behavior. For instance, my neighbor went to the infamous T.C. Williams High School in the 1970s (the school the entirely p.c. and ridiculous movie "Remember The Titans" was based on-that's another post in itself), and he had a disturbing incident there. During gym class, he had the nerve to steal the ball from a black youngster. The black kid hauled off and punched him in the face. The black gym teacher actually laughed at him and did nothing to the black kid!

Anyway, I'm sure any of you who played a lot of basketball will be able to relate to what I'm saying. I don't think there is any other aspect of life in which we see the common stereotypical black behavior any more clearly than during pickup basketball.

 

[riggo]

Big,

You are right. White kids just learned to avoid those confrontations and settings. If there was a dispute between a black and a white you could bet that every black within a mile would show up ready to fight. Blacks just would not allow whites to show them up on the court. That's why white kids today are off kicking soccer balls and taking karate lessons in the suburbs.Edited by: riggo

 

[Kaptain]

The great thing about pick-up basketball is that you call your own fouls. The foul that is called in games you watch on TV half the time seem to be called on the white statuesque player. You know, hands straight up in the air and feet planted. That foul doesn't fly in pick-up basketball. I'll call it the WSF (white statue foul). Some other observations from my pick-up games:

1. Blacks are rarely recognized as the best player on the court.
2. More often than not blacks are incredibly soft on defense.
3. Most can't or won't pass.
4. Their loud (big surprise)
5. Younger pick-up games(ie colleges) tolerate their behavior and older leagues have none of it.
6. Not many actual play pick-up ball that doesn't involve a chain net.
7. Some actual have decent behavior and fit in with the white guys playing. No jive talking and chest pounding.

I'm going right now to my atletic club for Saturday morning pick-up games. About 40 guys show and usually their is only one black guy and he's OK.

 

[KG2422]

Yesterday I played ball at the local health club and dominated. I guess I was taking out my frustration for Black Thursday. I hit about four game winners for emphasis, one from almost half court. The Blacks who were on the other teams were trying to foul me, make false calls, but none of it worked. I stuck it in their ear and let them hear it White style. They don't get too out of hand with me because it's rumored that I'm crazy and they know I'll knock the piss out of them if they push me too far. I wish more Whites that play basketball were more aggressive. Blacks bleed just like we do. Well the day made me feel better ,and to be fair there is one Black who plays ball there who has been cool to me every since I was the only White playing streetball at a rough park 10 years ago. It's too bad that it is only one in a hundred that are like that.

 

[Alpha Male]

Too true. I haven't played pick-up ball since highschool really and now four years later I'm starting to get back into it. I played yesterday against blacks who play three times a week. I played solid defense and stuffed a "afflete" twice and came back and hit a jumper in his face. That's after not playing much in four years. Of course when he blocked my shot all his black friends screamed their head's off.

Later, I heard one loud mouthed one talking about how J.J. Reddick isn't a real "afflete." (He actually prouned it like that, lol) Apprently this guy's cousin is the backup point guard for Jerry Mcnamara and he's pissed about that as well.

I agree with KG2442, that more whites need to play with a chip on their shoulder and not be intimadated by anyone. Edited by: Alpha Male

 

[white lightning]

I have to agree with all of you guys.You cannot back down to these guys.They will almost always try to intimidate you to make themselves look better.The hardest part is that usually you are outnumbered these days.Hang in there,play hard and don't take crap from anyone.We do need to have a chip on our shoulder.It's also they same competetive drive that will make some of these kids into stars.I've also always said,if you can score almost at will in street ball while being constantly hacked/fouled,you will dominate in the leagues.

 

[white tornado]

I play pickup ball alot, whenever theres a game in my area Ill be there. This has lead me to play at almost all black courts and mostly white gyms. Ive discoverd intresting things from this. Whites try to orginise competitve games where as all the best black players band together and form defacto teams that play with eath other every day. Also no suprise blacks love to argue about calls. Being white subjects you to tuff defence and hard fouls, and if you make a call your call won't realy be respected. but If your realy good you will recive "special white boy states". If a white guy is going agest a black that other blacks don't like the other blacks will pull for the white guy so they can roast the black over being burned by a whit guy.

 

[Realistic]

Try calling a walk or palming and see where it gets you, you'll either end up in an argument that lasts all afternoon or a fight.

I've gotten so disgusted by the lack of passing that I've just walked off the court and told somebody else to take my place.

 

[white tornado]

I took my high school nephew to the local park today and I was proud of him because he did not back down from the most obnoxious blacks in an argument about a foul. My nephew is a sophmore and is already 6'4 and a realy good player. he's going to go d-1 hopefully. He's from the counrty so I took him to the getto to play ball, because he's going to have to play agenst those kinds of people in college so he might as well be prepared.

 

[The Duke]

This has been a very informative thread to read. As a suburbanite I've only played against whites but much of what you write rings true, because the same things happen at the college and pro levels just not quite as blatantly.

 

[white tornado]

Being white you have zero respect. I have as much talent as inydody at the park but no respect. I can beat most of the players one on one but I'll get picked up after girls sometimes. Also you never get passed to and if you make one bad play your going to hear about it. Most blacks are what are called volume shooters by people who cover the nba. They will take ten shots to make two and think there doing good. They have no concept of what is a good and bad shot. They also have no understanding of team play. They will yell at their team mates and act like spoiled children. My nephew was amazed at how they play ball in the hood and said he had never seen worse basketball ever.