The long contentious tale of outdoor hoops in Northeast Ohio has been well documented by many outlets, including this rag. Gone are the wholesome days when kids gathered for healthy pick-up games and a spot of cardio. This ain’t rural Indiana, with pristine backboards and eager youngsters learning the three-man weave and proper free-throw techniques.
No, basketball courts — in Lakewood, Euclid, Cleveland, and other suburbs — have become ground zero for debate. A handful of issues are at the center of public complaints — that the ever-worrisome “wrong crowd” gathers at courts; that drugs, guns, violence, and other elements are attracted to the blacktop; and that the kids who use the courts for actual basketball games are exposed to all those dangers. Residents have stormed city council meetings, those more fond of the pen have fired off letters, and there was the infamous incident in West Park where someone managed to pull down a hoop as a sort of vigilante exhibition that future Allen Iverson’s are not welcome there. (You can make your own inferences about who tore the hoop down and what element they were trying to dissuade from frequenting the area.)
Lakewood took a trial run at a court earlier this year. That seems to not be going so well, according to Patch.
This article appears in Jun 8-14, 2011.
baseball bat nuts needs to chill the “FUCK” out. Hahaha..