Basketball Jones

Perhaps it's because I lived and ministered in an inner-city environment that basketball bothers me so much. Every kid was going to be the next LeBron James and they went nowhere that they weren't dribbling a basketball. Thwank... thwank... thwank... the sound of dozens of basketballs echoed off every wall and windowsill until everything vibrated with the jarring staccato thwank of the basketball against concrete; against asphalt; against dirt; against anything the ball could be bounced against.

And where there are basketballs there are hoops. Every parking lot in the inner city has at least one basketball hoop. Sometimes there are as many as 6 of them in a parking lot that would hold no more than 20 cars. The church parking lot had 4 of them - two immediately outside my bedroom window in the parish house. Thwank... thwank... thwank...

So here I am, 1000 miles away both literally and economically - surrounded now by expensive McMansions and townhomes instead of the projects - with 2 basketball hoops immediately outside my office window. But here's the catch... no one's playing basketball here. Wealthy suburban kids don't look to bball as their way out of poverty. These two poles stand as silent sentinals over several acres of parking lot. So when I suggested to the church council the other night that we remove them because they are eyesores it was with great surprise the vehemence of their outrage.

"No!" one businessman shouted, veritably pounding his shoe on the table in Khrushchevesque fashion, "the kids play here all the time."

"Oh, that's right," added one of our blue-haired charter members. "The kids enjoy it and so many of their fathers come with them and teach them the game."

Now, I know I'm new here... I've only been sitting in this chair looking out this window at those two basketball hoops for 10 years... but just when exactly are these good people looking at the hoops and seeing them used? Let's be honest: I'm here morning, noon, and night. I'm here Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. No one is playing basketball here. Period.

But I can't argue with the council. They were here before I got here... they'll be here after everyone else has forgotten my name - and those two damn hoops will be here forever also...

Maybe I need to start dribbling a ball around here. Perhaps if they hear enough thwank from me they'll realize they aren't hearing it anywhere else.

ACC