Empty Streets

When I was a kid, my friends and I would play sports every afternoon. We didn’t necessarily play the sports you see on TV. We played variants of those along with made up games that used rules that fit the geography. If a friend’s house had a wall with no windows, we’d make up a game where you’d chuck a ball off the wall or maybe bounce them off the roof. For a small house, we’d throw balls over the roof to a guy on the other side. In a cul-de-sac, we’d play stickball. In a yard, kickball, soccer or football.
Every day, we’d play something. Some seasons, like in the fall, we’d all play organized soccer or basketball, but most of our games had no coaches, leagues or uniforms. And we loved it.
Today, it seems like kids will only play sports if they are part of some league. Actually, the kids probably don’t care, but the parents sign them up. So many kids play in so many leagues that if you want your children to have friends to play with, you have to sign them up. That’s where the other kids are.
I’m writing about this because I just read the SportsProf’s excellent article on this subject, The Dead End. His stuff is always good, but this one particularly hit me. Not only is it very well written, but the subject is something that concerns me. I want my two young boys to play sports, but I hate to think that they may never play a game where you get to make up the rules as you go along.


2 responses to “Empty Streets”

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