Can I Ball? An Observation of Community and Diversity at the
Basketball Courts of the University of Miami Very few activities in the world attract people together from wherever they are from more than sports. The second most popular sport in the world is basketball and is played plenty at the campus is basketball. The most popular place to play basketball is the Herbert Wellness center where there are plenty of indoor and outdoor courts and plenty of basketballs. Here you will see almost every race and every walk of life over here catching a pick-up game and even language is not a barrier between interactions. The court is truly an amazing place to see the community of the university interact with each other. Friendships can be gained from just picking up and playing one game of basketball because of the way interaction takes place. The gym is akin to a volunteer service and everybody has a goal regard of another’s social status, race or ethnicity. After studying and interviewing several players from several teams at the wellness center it is evident that community and diversity however very evident in the groups who play does not play a critical role in the gym. The communal aspect is very evident as basketball is a game of teamwork and communication and creates an open area for creating acquaintances. Pickup basketball is one of the most socially inviting activities on the campus. The image that is portrayed when someone enters the wellness center is that of people who take care of their well being through physical activity. On the website of the wellness center uses this statement to inform people about what the center is about. “The Department of Wellness and Recreation strives to foster a lifestyle of responsible choices supporting the mind, the body, and the spirit in educational, wellness, and recreational programs through services and facilities for the University community.” (Patti and Allan Herbert Wellness Center) The wellness center was made to be a place where community is established and can be created with likeminded people. The community is about people who want to better themselves in physical and mental states. Hundreds of students and faculty use the center on a daily basis. The basketball courts on campus are the most active spot for pickup sports on campus. When starting my observations on the basketball courts a had to bring think about my experience on the outside basketball courts around my neighborhood and the brief experience I have had immersing myself in games since I’ve been at the university. In my upbringing I have been labeled ”court rat” for staying at the basketball courts so often. Most of the time it was the neighborhood kids who go to schools in the local area. However when I became a freshman in high school I began to venture out to new courts and therefore meet new people. The court became a true bonding spot for me and became a prime commune spot for the community. The same goes for the bonding that I see from at the courts at the wellness center. There is plenty of diversity on the courts as well. There tends to be a higher percentage of African Americans at the courts than the 9% figure the university publishes out. However other nationalities is represented. In the 4 different games I sat through about 50 people that I saw playing most where above 6”0. None of them were female and most were college students. There were some older men who jumped in the game but their performance was lacking. People wearing shirts of the Greek alphabet was quite common. I noticed a lot of teams put together were of the same fraternity. Certain people identifies each other with people that they had known before but it even seemed the best of friends would get on each other about skill. It seemed skill is what a person wanted to be judge and identified upon at the gym. During the gameplay of several teams the gameplay was quite competitive and intense at times. James, is a frequent basketball