some guy is starting an all-white basketball leagu

[drabley]

Fact is, basketball is an awful sport whether it's played by blacks, whites, or whomever.

Any game that you can score on your opponent upwards of 50 times is a bit lacking in the excitement department.

[saxamaphone]

Finally, the Washington Generals have a shot at winning a game.

[soysquad]

Finally, the Washington Generals have a shot at winning a game.

zing!

[imaxcowboyx]

where in WV are you from??

I've been living in Shepherdstown for about 4 years now (right off of I-81 through the buttcrack of West Virginia, Martinsburg. hah) and I love it. I actually grew up near Winchester, VA in Hampshire county, WV.

[drabley]

where in WV are you from??

I've been living in Shepherdstown for about 4 years now (right off of I-81 through the buttcrack of West Virginia, Martinsburg. hah) and I love it. I actually grew up near Winchester, VA in Hampshire county, WV.

I have a very good friend in Winchester. I always fly into BWI and drive from there when I visit. What little I've seen of WV along that route was very nice.

[imaxcowboyx]

yeah, Winchester is a surprisingly fun place. I still live about 40 minutes from there. Plus, we have a sweet new movie theater called The Alamo where I can get DFH Raison D'Etre served at my seat. what could be better?

[mcm1610]

Outside of the blatant racism, you can pull a legitimate point out of his tirade.

The NBA sucks asshole. It's a bunch of showboating with very few examples of legit teams and systems. It has had it's fair share of ridiculous events go down, and maybe a splinter league is in order. Guns pulled?! Over gambling debt?!? Really?

To say it should be whites-only and keep those "people of color" in their own trash is absurd though.

But really, fuck the NBA.

[mcm1610]

And when I was a sophomore in college I remember reading a study done where they determined the most popular sports according to income level. It tended, comically, to be an inverse relationship between income and ball size used. The rich love their golf, followed by tennis, baseball, football, then basketball.

The problem with the NBA is that you get a lot of low-income people who suddenly fall into a lot of money. I'm sure a lot of people have heard the phrase "New Rich" and it's negative connotations. If you get a kid who knows nothing but street life from the inner-city, he's not going to change overnight. Why this always comes across as racist is because of the obvious achievement/income gaps in the US which you can link to everything from laws, to courts, to public education, to housing, to gerrymandering. That doesn't mean if you keep out minorities you won't have the same issues creep into a whites-only league - after all, there are poor white people who play basketball in the same neighborhoods.

[soysquad]

And when I was a sophomore in college I remember reading a study done where they determined the most popular sports according to income level. It tended, comically, to be an inverse relationship between income and ball size used. The rich love their golf, followed by tennis, baseball, football, then basketball.

The problem with the NBA is that you get a lot of low-income people who suddenly fall into a lot of money. I'm sure a lot of people have heard the phrase "New Rich" and it's negative connotations. If you get a kid who knows nothing but street life from the inner-city, he's not going to change overnight. Why this always comes across as racist is because of the obvious achievement/income gaps in the US which you can link to everything from laws, to courts, to public education, to housing, to gerrymandering. That doesn't mean if you keep out minorities you won't have the same issues creep into a whites-only league - after all, there are poor white people who play basketball in the same neighborhoods.

It's an interesting study, but it works based on the amount of equipment you need also, not just ball size, and the amount of space you need to play. You can put a basketball hoop just about anywhere, so it can be played just about anywhere. That's why kids on farms can play, and kids from the projects can play.

[mcm1610]

And when I was a sophomore in college I remember reading a study done where they determined the most popular sports according to income level. It tended, comically, to be an inverse relationship between income and ball size used. The rich love their golf, followed by tennis, baseball, football, then basketball.

The problem with the NBA is that you get a lot of low-income people who suddenly fall into a lot of money. I'm sure a lot of people have heard the phrase "New Rich" and it's negative connotations. If you get a kid who knows nothing but street life from the inner-city, he's not going to change overnight. Why this always comes across as racist is because of the obvious achievement/income gaps in the US which you can link to everything from laws, to courts, to public education, to housing, to gerrymandering. That doesn't mean if you keep out minorities you won't have the same issues creep into a whites-only league - after all, there are poor white people who play basketball in the same neighborhoods.

It's an interesting study, but it works based on the amount of equipment you need also, not just ball size, and the amount of space you need to play. You can put a basketball hoop just about anywhere, so it can be played just about anywhere. That's why kids on farms can play, and kids from the projects can play.

Well, yea, obviously. Basketball - you need a ball and a hoop. Football is a little more expensive because you need pads, but generally those are provided, but you need a larger playing area. And so on..

[soysquad]

It's an interesting study, but it works based on the amount of equipment you need also, not just ball size, and the amount of space you need to play. You can put a basketball hoop just about anywhere, so it can be played just about anywhere. That's why kids on farms can play, and kids from the projects can play.

Well, yea, obviously. Basketball - you need a ball and a hoop. Football is a little more expensive because you need pads, but generally those are provided, but you need a larger playing area. And so on..

growing up as a kid, we never needed any less than a decent sized yard, at least 4 kids, and a ball. Obviously, it grew from there. but pads? We never had pads.

[mcm1610]

But with why I hate the NBA - Sports Center just showed a throwback game - Jan 22nd 2006 when Kobe scored 81 points in a game. One player gets 81 points... I don't find that exciting at all. I know some people do, and that's fine, but "get the ball to that guy!" isn't fun to watch in my opinion, and it doesn't matter who the other 4 guys on the court are.

I understand in other team sports a certain player can heavily influence a game - a pitcher, a quarterback, even a player like Ovechkin, but the other people have so much more of a role to play (unless the pitcher throws 27 strike outs).

I dunno, I would just rather watch a system work in basketball, a la college.

[danthemjfan23]

i think a lot of it also has to do with how you're able to practice.

to run a true football practice with any sort of meaning, you'd need 10 guys at the BARE minimum (5 on 5). you can run through tires and block dummies all you want, but that will only mean so much.

for a true baseball practice, yes you could do it alone (at the batting cages), but that costs money, and there isn't always a place in the area that's accessible. so at the bare minimum, you'd need 2 people who are truly motivated to succeed, and good enough to throw pitch after pitch in the strike zone with some velocity. a good baseball practice has at least 7 guys though.

basketball you can practice any time. anywhere. you don't need another person. you don't even need a hoop. you just need a ball to practice dribbling/ballhandling skills. if there's another person, so be it, that only increases the value of the practice. it's a lot easier to organize getting together with one person than it is to organize getting together with 6, 7 or 20 other people.

[mcm1610]

Well, yea, obviously. Basketball - you need a ball and a hoop. Football is a little more expensive because you need pads, but generally those are provided, but you need a larger playing area. And so on..

growing up as a kid, we never needed any less than a decent sized yard, at least 4 kids, and a ball. Obviously, it grew from there. but pads? We never had pads.

Fair point, but you're not going pro from backyard football.

[jayeffscene]

Fuck this guy.

[jawbroken]

oh augusta...