nobackboard

Preface: Change the Game, Change Communities

Sun, 10 May 2020 22:26:47 GMT

"It is very dangerous to go into eternity with possibilities which one has oneself prevented from becoming realities. A possibility is a hint from God. One must follow it." Sören Kierkegaard

I call this book Version 1.0 because it is not a finished product. Change relevant to this topic is inevitable. From my observations of technology companies' product launches, I have learned products and services are constantly being improved; they are never finished. More importantly, technology companies use end-users to help develop their products through alpha and beta testing phases. These companies also maintain an open, candid dialogue with end-users through forums and blogs. Change the Game Change Communities is not a finished product and I invite your feedback.

Change the Game to Change Communities asserts that African-Americans can and should create, support and sustain a niche basketball league. Basketball is a multibillion-dollar industry supported by 450 million fans globally. Basketball is, second only to soccer, the world's most popular sport. Basketball affords thousands of African-Americans college educations, access to corporate America, world travel and more. However, if one balances African-Americans' contribution to the development and growth of the game against what African- Americans have received in wealth, their participation significantly outweighs their returns. Why?

The critical question is why do African-Americans continue to support athletic – economic – models that do not benefit our communities? The National Basketball Association had the opportunity to start its league with a black-owned franchise in 1949. When you consider this fact, celebrating Bob Johnson's and now Michael Jordan's ownership of the Charlotte Hornets is anti-climatic. What if the NBA had included a black-owned team from the outset? How many black-owned teams would there be today? How about black-owned football and baseball teams? Hip-Hop music shook the record industry and created wealth for countless young urban men and women, "Basketball-the-Remix's" goal is to do the same in basketball. Our mission is to provide an avant-garde game track for urban communities to adopt and through said adoption, to create alternative platforms from which new and expanded opportunities can be launched. Sports franchises, strongly rooted in African American communities, provide healthcare and life skill services to and employment opportunities for our young people.

Change the Game Change Communities advocates professionalizing what "Coach" is already doing. You know him/her the community servant, who shapes our youth. They are at your local community center; they work with the kids after-school, help with college applications and provide assistance securing overseas opportunities. Communities across the country use basketball as a tool to help youth stay in school, off the streets and learn the basics of life. Change the Game Change Communities believes the time has come for a for-profit sports franchise with a social mission. We focus on creating competitive athletic entertainment that creates a revenue stream that supports community service initiatives and empowers community coaches to more effectively pursue their passion for developing our youth.

Change the Game Change Communities proposes a new game of basketball, with a new business model, purposed to redirect some of the game's wealth into our communities, which so eagerly support professional basketball.

New Game -- New Model

Sun, 10 May 2020 22:21:00 GMT

"When Pharaoh defines your Promised Land, you can bet you'll never reach it." William C. Rhoden , 40 Million Dollar Slaves

Basketball-the-Remix is a faster, more challenging and more entertaining game of basketball. Twenty innovations to the game force more intense play and demand a higher level of basketball skill. Through playing Basketball-the-Remix, players play at a faster pace, increase their stamina and improve their scoring ability. The United States patent for Basketball-the-Remix represents the first sport invented by an African-American in over 100 years. Most importantly, if you can play basketball you can play Basketball-the-Remix.

Basketball-the-Remix further provides the opportunity to build a new business model within the sports entertainment industry. Our model is a hybrid of the Closed League System that predominates in the United States and the Club Promotional System that predominates in Europe. The European club system provides a blueprint for integrating athletic facilities and services into urban communities, providing intensive athletic training, community service and developing gifted athletes.

Basketball-the-Remix franchises will promote semi-professional and recreational competitions that provide inexpensive family entertainment as well as create job and internship opportunities for young people and other members of the community. Finally, each franchise will build and maintain an elite community team that barnstorms against other "Basketball-the-Remix" franchises and street-ball crews, as well as college and semi-professional basketball teams.

In essence, "Basketball-the-Remix" represents the creation of a network of professional community basketball franchises that field competitive professional teams, provide local recreational and fitness services and, most importantly, serve their communities through leveraging basketball to occupy our young people while providing the additional benefits of both academic and life skills training.

In "Basketball-the-Remix", Change the Game Change Communities is reinventing the game of basketball. We desire to plant this new game of basketball in urban communities across the country through partnerships with local business and community leaders. Growing these franchises into independent, branded basketball organizations with professional ranking, respect, and receipts. By modeling pre-NBA black basketball franchises and leveraging technology and our abundance of available athletic talent, "Basketball-the-Remix" is building a network of competitive franchises that will solidify to form a powerful new league. The "Basketball-the-Remix" model is crucial to breaking the economic stronghold on basketball and redirects some of those billions of dollars the game generates into our communities.

Both Dr. James Naismith, who invented basketball and Holcombe Rucker, the father of modern Streetball, impacted millions of lives but reaped little financial gain for their significant contributions to the game. Today there are many examples of prospering for-profit businesses whose mission is to make a positive impact. "Basketball-the-Remix's" primary goal is changing communities by becoming the game of choice across African America, which by extension changes the game of business in African America. These changes will foster the emergence of new urban basketball brands, which both fulfill the original intent of basketball and expand that intent into greater economic participation among African-Americans and urban communities.

This booklet is my thesis about why African-American community leaders, educators, and disenfranchised urban basketball players should support "Basketball-the-Remix"; in the following pages, I will demonstrate the power of basketball to build lives. Improving lives was Dr. Naismith's intent in inventing basketball. Blacks have made tremendous contributions to the game of basketball; yet, professional basketball does not honor the entrepreneurial heritage of pre-NBA black basketball. I will show that streetball's original intent and example hold the key to breaking the stranglehold that the NBA, FIBA, NCAA, and NIKE have on basketball, reconnect the African-American community with the heritage of black basketball and redirect billions of dollars into urban communities across the country.

If my argument is sufficient to prompt consideration of my assertions, I have accomplished my purpose in writing this booklet. I want to create a dialogue, incite a discussion that will lead to support and momentum for "Basketball-the-Remix".

Dr. James Naismith – Basketball's Original Intent

Sun, 10 May 2020 22:10:34 GMT

Original –noun: a primary form or type from which varieties are derived

Basketball was born in the mind of Dr. James Naismith. He invented the game and stayed involved with developing the sport, through which he promoted his beliefs on the purpose and benefits of athletics, specifically how the game of basketball should be played. Naismith's thoughts on the objective of athletics are reflected in his concept of fair play. Change the Game Change Communities' "Basketball-the-Remix's" new game of basketball is more aligned with Naismith's intent and his ideas are important to keep in mind.

Naismith was a P.E. teacher with a thirst for information; he studied both theology and medicine. Today, he would be called an Interdisciplinarian; in his time he was a modest man using his vast knowledge to impart moral values and practical wisdom through physical education." "Dr. Naismith believed games are played for fun and exercise and that intense competitiveness should be avoided and he strongly believed that spirituality could and should be achieved through physical education. Naismith wrote several magazine articles about his views on physical education and published two books: The Basis of Clean Living and Basketball: Its Origin and Development. He suffered a lot of criticism from clergymen who felt that theology did not go with sports, but Naismith held firm his beliefs."

Dr. Naismith was challenged to create an activity to occupy rambunctious young men during the cold New England winters. His answer was basketball. His writings and life work make it clear that his objective with basketball was to use the game to make a positive impact in the lives of young people. The current focus of basketball is developing players that strengthen the pool of college-qualified athletes who can provide the NBA, NCAA, AAU, and FIBA a direct return on their investment

Heaven is a playground, a place where young men and women escape, for a moment, and experience freedom, fluidity, and a focused mind. Athletic competition creates moments of active meditation and participation in sports like basketball promotes personal and educational growth, neither of which is a part of today's titian agenda. Basketball's power to facilitate personal growth is demonstrated by Holcombe Rucker's original "Each One Teach One" program.

The reader must understand, from the outset of this discussion that inventors, Dr. Naismith and Holcombe Rucker's purpose for basketball were the impartation of moral education through physical education. From its creation, basketball's purpose has been to help young people grow to live healthy lives, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically.

If I can help the youth translate the joy of experiencing athletic success, as the result of their participation (time) and their practice (repetition), into the principle of sowing and reaping has not basketball taught a spiritual lesson? We can teach young athletes that the processes of learning to dribble, pass and shoot are principals to apply to all areas of their lives.

An interesting fact about Dr. Naismith is that he was the University of Kansas' first basketball coach and their only coach with a losing record. The University of Kansas is third in all-time NCAA wins and is one of three Division I institutions to win over 2,000 games.

The Evolution of Basketball

Sun, 10 May 2020 22:02:53 GMT

"To everything, there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven… A time to keep, And a time to throw away…" Ecclesiastes

"Dr. Naismith, with all of his imaginative planning, could not have dreamed his "Peach Basket" game would become the world's greatest indoor sport. Although the original 13 rules have expanded to over 100, the spirit and principles of the original rules are still in effect today. Major rule changes over the years addressed the number of players, the court boundaries, dribbling, and the elimination of the center jump after made baskets. In the mid-1930's inter-sectional competition led to a standardization of rules throughout the country."

Basketball's Evolutionary Time Line

¨ 1891 A soccer ball, two peach baskets nailed to the balcony and 13 rules. There is only one rule from the original 13 that remains as it was in 1891. Originally, a successful goal was counted as one point, and one point was given anytime three consecutive fouls were called on the opponent.

¨ 1892 Peach basket is replaced by a heavily woven wire rim.

¨ 1893 Cast iron rims replace woven wire rims.

¨ 1894 The first basketball manufactured. Spalding took over as the official manufacture in the late 1890s.

¨ Free throws introduced. Both free throws and goals counted for one point. The free-throw line established at twenty-one feet from the basket and anyone on the team could shoot the free throw.

¨ 1895 Wire mesh backboards introduced to prevent spectators in the balcony from interfering with play.

¨ The free-throw line moved to fifteen feet.

¨ 1896 Rules adjusted to count made goals to count as two points.

¨ 19871897 Five player teams become standard after years of experimenting with up to 50 players per team. Initially, teams had nine players.

¨ 1901 The dribble was introduced with a rule that allowed a player to bounce the ball once. However, a player could not shoot the ball but had to pass it.

¨ 1904 Wood backboards replaced wire mesh with backboards becoming standard equipment.

¨ Straight lines defined Court boundaries, however, possession of the ball, once out of bounds, determined by the first team to the ball.

¨ 1909 Continuous dribbling and shooting the ball out of the dribble allowed. Double dribble instituted at this time, which means a player could dribble the ball with both hands simultaneously.

¨ 1911 The number of fouls required for disqualification increased from two to four.

¨ 1912 Open-ended nylon nets approved for use. Opening the rim and allowing the ball to free fall had a significant influence on increasing the pace of the game.

¨ 1913 Out of bounds rule changed to the current rule: The team who last touched the ball loses possession.

¨ 1916 The backboard extended two feet from the wall to help prevent players from running into the wall.

¨ 1932 The half-court or midcourt line established to prevent teams from using the entire court to stall the game.

¨ 1933 The 10-second rule was established requiring teams to advance the ball up the court and over the midcourt line within 10 seconds.

¨ 1936 Basketball is an Olympic sport for the first time. The United States won the gold.

¨ The three seconds in the key rule implemented.

¨ 1937 A jump ball followed every made basket.

¨ 1944 Goaltending rule implemented making it a violation for the defensive player to touch the ball on its downward arch.

¨ 1945 Unlimited Player Substitutions allowed. Before 1945, basketball had gone through several changes, moving from players cannot return to a game after substitution to the current approach to player game management.

¨ 1949 In-game coaching allowed. Before 1949, coaches could only coach before the game and at halftime.

¨ 1951 The "key" or "Lane" was widened from 6 feet to 12 feet wide (International and NBA Keys are 16 feet in width)

¨ The number of fouls required for disqualification increased from four to five.

¨ 1954 The NBA introduces the 24-second shot clock. The International Basketball Federation introduced a 30-second shot clock in 1956.

¨ 1958 Basket interference for offensive players was established.

¨ 1961 The ABA introduced the 3-point line. The International Basketball Federation adopted the 3-point line in 1967. The NBA adopted the 3-point line in 1977; the NCAA followed in 1980.

¨ 1967 – 1977

¨ The Lew Alcindor Rule implemented in college basketball, which outlawed dunking.

¨ 1981 Jump ball after each basket eliminated and alternate possessions were established.

Variations of Basketball

Sun, 10 May 2020 21:49:08 GMT

Vary – verb: to change or alter, as in form, appearance, character or substance.

International Basketball is not the same game played in the United States. Rules and court demarcations differ, but the similarities are close enough that players easily transition between the United States and International versions of the game.

There are many variations on the game of basketball, some so diverse that all they have in common is the use of a basket and a ball. Familiar variations include Streetball and wheelchair basketball; there is also Water, Beach and Unicycle basketball. Horseball is a hybrid, which combines elements of Polo and Rugby as well as basketball and is played on horseback. A variation on this variation called Donkeyball has come under attack from animal rights groups. Less familiar variations include Slamball and Beach basketball, which is played without a backboard.

Netball

Netball is a limited-contact sport in which two teams of seven try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a high hoop without a backboard. Formerly called "women's basketball", Netball now includes men's teams as well.

Netball is a direct decedent of Dr. Naismith's original basketball game. Clara Baer, a sports teacher from New Orleans, wrote Naismith asking for a copy of the rules, which he subsequently sent her. The doctor included a drawing of the court with pencil lines to show the areas various players could best patrol, but Baer misinterpreted the lines and thought players were confined to those areas. Her mistake was ratified into the rules of women's basketball as zones in 1899.

Slamball

Slamball is full-contact, invented for television in 2002, version of basketball. Four-player teams vie to score by putting the ball through the net, as in basketball, with some modification. Slamball's main difference from its parent sport is the court; below the four padded basketball rims and backboards are four trampolines, which propel players to great heights for spectacular slam-dunks.

Streetball – The Urban Game

Streetball is a distinctly urban variation of basketball that is tightly integrated with the Hip-Hop culture. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the basketball company "AND1" exploited the Streetball market to grow its brand from $40 million annual revenues to as much as 213 million dollars and in the process uncovered a strong yet disjointed urban niche market.

Basketball has evolved from the original game with 13 rules, two peach baskets and a soccer ball into a variety of versions, each serving distinct markets and distinct cultures. The game of basketball is alive and continually birthing a variety of versions of expression in both methods and strategies of play and as with any living entity, the capacity for evolution and a better expression is always possible.

What makes "Basketball-the-Remix" different and more compelling is its modern interpretation of the original game. The essence of the games rules, equipment, and court demarcation aligns with the original game and provides the modern athlete with the skill challenges inherent in Dr, Naismith's original game, many of which have been eradicated by technology and rule changes.

Basketball's Change of Philosophy

Sun, 10 May 2020 21:27:30 GMT

Change - verb: to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone. Philosophy - noun: a theory underlying or regarding a sphere of activity or thought.

In 1907, KU hired one of Naismith's players, Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, as head coach. Naismith provided Allen with a now-infamous piece of wisdom: "You can't coach basketball; you just play it." Allen set out to prove Naismith wrong and through unrivaled coaching success, he has become known as the "Father of Basketball Coaching". "Phog" passed on his knowledge of the game to some of the most well-respected names in the history of college basketball, including National Basketball Hall of Fame coaches Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith, Dutch Lonborg, and Ralph Miller' The style of basketball "Phog" Allen promoted is still utilized by the top college programs like Kansas, Duke, and North Carolina. Still, Dr. Naismith's sense of, "…you just play," is echoed on every playground in the world.

From personal experience, my college basketball coach fast- break system is the closest marriage of coaching and "…you just play." Paul Westhead, who is the only basketball coach to win both an NBA Championship and WNBA Championship, has been an evangelist for the fast-break system for decades. Profiled in ESPN 30 for 30 entitled the "Guru of Go", coach Westhead spoke of how his fast-break system is based upon a handful of rules but no set plays. Paul Westhead's Loyola Marymount Lions hold the NCAA single-season record for points per game with an average of 122.4 points as well as the top five NCAA Division I record for points per game.

Phil Jackson with the Tex Winter's triangle offense has won 11 NBA championships. His triangle offense also reflects a balance of Dr. Naismith's belief that basketball is something that you, "… just play."

The triangle offense provides structure but no set plays; it allows the team to flow and make decisions based upon what the defense offers them. Jackson is known for not calling time outs when the opposing teams seize the momentum and begin to makes a run; he allows his teams to figure the game out on the fly amid the adversity. The most successful NBA coach in History, with 11 NBA championships, Jackson's approach to coaching basketball is closer to Naismith's than that of Naismith's pupil Dr. "Phog" Allen. “Father of Basketball Coaching.”

Basketball is a continuous flow with players solving in-game problems among themselves and the opponent in the course of the game. Imagine the personal growth required to make a decision with the game on the line and time running out. It is important to understand that the time outs and coaching intervention, that is so prevalent in today's game, is the polar opposite of what Dr. Naismith envisioned. Dr. Naismith created a fluid game where players assume ultimate responsibility for responding to the adversity inherent in the ebb and flow of a game.

The First - Harry "Bucky" Lew

Sun, 10 May 2020 21:10:56 GMT

"Black Americans have "invented" basketball just as much, or more than, Naismith did. Basketball has become a reflection of black ghetto culture, much in the form of jazz and blues music represented black culture in the American past..." Basketball: The Black Game

In 1902, Harry Haskell "Bucky" Lew became the first African-American to play in a professional basketball game. "Lew played in a New England League game for Lowell against Marlborough on November 2, 1902, the first documented instance of an African-American playing in a professional basketball game. "

Lew was the extra man and supposed to spend the game warming the bench. Then a starter was injured and at first, the manager refused to put him in. "He let them play us five on four," Lew remembered, "but the fans got real mad and almost started a riot, screaming to let me play. That did it. I went in there and you know... all those things you read about Jackie Robinson, the abuse, the name-calling, extra effort to put him down ... they're all true. I got the same treatment and even worse ... I took the bumps, the elbows in the gut, knees here and everything else that went with it. But I gave it right back. It was rough but worth it. Once they knew I could take it, I had it made."'

After Lew played one year with the Lowell team and two years for a Haverhill team, the New England League disbanded. Lew formed and traveled with his team, playing and coaching, for another 20 years.

"Bucky" Lew was a man of courage and perseverance. "He didn't talk much about basketball," his daughter told a reporter, "but sometimes, if things weren't going so well for one of us, or if we were having difficult times, he'd talk about how things were for him back then. He used his athletic experience to teach us what life was about."

Lew's relationship with basketball provided the platform for him to grow as a person and to earn a living playing and coaching his basketball barnstorming team. Bucky made a significant contribution to the integration of basketball and society as a whole. His experience help provide wisdom and insight into life that he could use to motivate and strengthen his children.

"The Black aesthetic has not only changed basketball but, after a rough period in the seventies, has been the catalytic force behind the sport's extraordinary growth in popularity and profitability ever since." To many blacks in inner-city America, basketball is much more than a sport -- it is a form of education and expression. African-American culture from the city has brought a much more graceful, speed-oriented, physical, all-around skill aspect to basketball. Basketball, especially in these areas, teaches social skills, rites of passage, creativity, and cultural identity.

African-Americans have leveraged the game of basketball to enhance lives, solidify communities and participate in the free market system for over a hundred years. The most identifiable basketball franchise in the world is not an NBA team, but the Harlem Globetrotters. Consistent with the modern story of black basketball, the Harlem Globetrotters only enjoyed a few years of African-American ownership; Manny Jackson sold 80% of the company to a growth fund in 2005 after 12 years of majority ownership by an African-American.

Black Basketball: Pre-NBA Time Line

¨ 1904 All Black YMCA's, settlement houses, culture clubs, and churches created basketball teams, which were referred to as "Black Fives".

¨ Bucky Lew, a Black player, played in a white professional league in New England with the Newberry Haverhill. Frank Wilson integrated the Mohawk Valley League the same year. The Eastern Pro League had Black players from 1911 to 1917.

¨ 1905 The first known organized Black Five was the Brooklyn Smart Set Club.

¨ 1909 The Loendi Big Five was organized by Cumberland Posey, who also owned the Homestead Grays of the Negro Baseball League. They dominated the Black basketball world for 10 years until the Harlem Globetrotters and the New York Renaissance Big Five arrived on the scene.

¨ 1913 Black Fives became widely known for their innovative play and superior skills, which helped popularize and change the nature of the game. Black Fives, such as the Incorporators of New York City, the St. Christopher Five and the Monticello Five organized barnstorming tours across the country and played thousands of exhibition games against popular mainstream opponents.

¨ 1922 The New York (Harlem) Renaissance Big Five was formed by (Robert) Bob Douglas, considered by some to be the father of Black basketball. The "Rens" became the first salaried professional Black Five.

¨ 1925 The American Basketball League refused to admit the Harlem Renaissance. As a show of support for the Renaissance, the Original Celtics refused to join the league

¨ 1927 Savoy Big Five (Harlem Globetrotters) are organized

¨ 1930's Pro Basketball meant barnstormers (New York "Rens" and Original Celtics). No organized Black leagues but white leagues were glad to play host to the "Rens" to improve their gate.

¨ 1939 Globetrotters lost to the "Rens" in the second round of World Championship. New York "Rens" won the World Championship.

¨ 1940 Harlem Globetrotters win their first and only World Championship

¨ 1942-43 Many NBL players were called into the military. Chicago Studebakers team tapped a pool of Black players, bringing integration into the NBL (Al Price, Casey Jones, Shannie Barnett, Sonny Boswell, Hillary Brown, Duke Cumberland, Rosie Hudson, and Bernie Price).

¨ 1946-49 Before the merger of the NBL and the BAA, no team signed a black player even though there were no rules against it. In 1946, the BAA denied a request for the Harlem Renaissance to become the leagues' tenth team.

¨ 1946-47 Brought Black players into the NBL for the first time since 1943 ("Pop Gates" and Dolly King signed with the Rochester Royals, Willie King, former Harlem Globetrotter signed with the Detroit Gems, Charles Perry signed with the Gems, and Bill Farrow signed with the Youngstown Bears).

¨ 1946-47 The NBL had better players but they played in small cities and small arenas. The BAA had major cities and major arenas so they decided to merge. The BAA promotes double hitters with Harlem Globetrotters as their second attraction and gate receipts soared.

¨ 1949 The NBL and the BAA merge into the NBA. The NBA was born with ten teams from the BAA and seven teams from the NBL. There are no black players in the league.

¨ 1949-50 Ned Irish, New York Nicks owner, threatened to leave the NBA if the other owners refused to allow him to sign Sweetwater Clifton, a black player. Thus, the Board of Governors voted six to five in favor of signing black ballplayers.

¨ 1950 In the spring college draft, Chuck Cooper and Earl Lloyd joined Sweetwater Clifton to become the first black players to play in the NBA.

¨ 1953 The first NBA television contract was for 13 games for $39,000.

Between 1904 and 1950, the two top basketball franchises (black or white) consisted of teams with all black players. The Harlem Renaissance is considered by most basketball historians to be the best basketball franchise of the pre-NBA era. The Renaissance was black-owned and hold the distinction of the first black-owned basketball franchise with players on salary.

Harlem: The Mecca of Black Basketball – Renaissance and Globetrotters

Sun, 10 May 2020 20:57:20 GMT

"To this day, I have never seen a team play better team basketball…" John Wooden on the Harlem Renaissance

'Robert "Bob" Douglas, originally from St. Kitts, British West Indies, was the coach of the Spartan Braves, an amateur team in the New York area. He is often regarded as the "Godfather of Black basketball" because of his many innovations including, monthly contracts with players, a custom-designed team bus and tours in the South. In 1923, Douglas decided to organize a professional basketball team. He approached William Roche, another Caribbean immigrant, about allowing his team to play Sunday evening games at Roche's Casino and Ballroom, the Renaissance on 138th Street and Seventh Avenue, in Harlem. Douglas named the new team the Renaissance, making a constant advertisement for the casino. Says Nelson George, "As was typical of the era, games were played right on the ballroom's dance floor with two portable baskets set up—one right in front of the bandstand—and portable wooden chairs on either side"'

Urban music and community social events are also parts of black basketball's origin and evolution. The origin of a "Streetball Tour" can be traced to early black professional sports. Both Negro baseball teams and basketball teams traveled throughout the country and eventually around the world to compete. Both the Rens and Harlem Globetrotters played most of their games on the road, barnstorming across the country out of necessity because they were unable to join any professional white leagues due to racial discrimination.

Between 1932 and 1933 the Rens compiled a record of 120 – 8, including an 88 game winning streak. An accomplishment never matched by a professional basketball team. In addition to being the first all-black team to win the Basketball World Championship in 1939, the Ren's compiled a franchise record of 2,588 wins and 539 losses over its 30 years history. Dominance!

One interesting piece of information I uncovered. Robert (Bob) Johnson recruited or personally drafted John Isaac right after high school in the 1930"s. John Isaac would go on to play on the World Championship team. "Isaacs, who was born in Panama but learned his game on the playgrounds of Harlem, was offered a contract by Douglas straight out of Textile High School in Manhattan, which he led to the Public School Athletic League championship as a senior.

Douglas, who paid Isaacs $150 a month with an additional $3 a day for meal money, once said that Isaacs had ''the most natural ability of any man ever to play for me.''

Globetrotters

"There is no clear consensus as to the beginnings of the Globetrotters. The official history [1] contains several details, which seem contradictory, such as the team being organized in 1926 in the Savoy Ballroom, which opened in 1927.[2] What is clear is that the genesis of the Globetrotters takes place in the South Side of Chicago, Illinois in the 1920s, where all the original players grew up. Most of the players also attended Wendell Phillips High School. When the Savoy Ballroom opened in November 1927, one of the premier attractions was the

Savoy Big Five, a basketball team that played exhibitions before dances. Hinckley, Illinois was home to the first Harlem Globetrotters game on January 7, 1927. "…Hudson brought in a booking agent, Abe Saperstein, who helped book the team in a barnstorming tour of Wisconsin and Michigan. While the group was in Michigan, Brookins heard that Abe Saperstein had formed another squad of Globe Trotters to tour Wisconsin. Saperstein called his team the Harlem Globetrotters, thus marking the founding date of that legendary team to be sometime in January 1929."

It appears that internal conflict among the founders of the Savoy Big Five resulted in Abe Saperstein to influencing some players to break from Savory to play for his team.

"This team blew up the in the winter of 1934, when Saperstein changed the compensation structure, from the team splitting the gate (which could go as high as $40 a game) to being paid a fixed sum of $7.50 per person. The Globetrotters were now Saperstein's employees with greatly reduced compensation. Pullins and several other Globetrotters immediately quit."

"The Globetrotters beat the premier professional team, the Minneapolis Lakers (led by George Mikan), two years in a row, 1948 and 1949, with the Lakers winning later contests. The February 1948 win (by a score of 61-59, on a buzzer-beater) was a hallmark in professional basketball history, as the all-black Globetrotters proved they were on equal footing with the all-white Lakers. Ironically, this high-water mark in Globetrotters' history hastened their decline as a serious basketball power. Momentum for erasing the National Basketball Association's color line grew. In 1950, Chuck Cooper became the first black player drafted by an NBA team, along with Earl Lloyd and Harold Hunter, two other signees. That same year, Saperstein also lost one of the key players to the New York Knicks, their big man Nat Clifton. From that time on the Globetrotters had increasing difficulty attracting and retaining top talent."

While the Ren's desired to play within the top professional leagues, the Harlem Globetrotters desired to maintain independence. Therefore, to adjust to the rise of the NBA, the Harlem Globetrotters slowly transitioned from a highly competitive basketball franchise to the Clown Princes of Basketball. Though early players resisted the transition to an entertainment first basketball second approach, the tactic has allowed the franchise to survive for over 90 years.

The most interesting development in black basketball pre-NBA is the purchase of the Harlem Renaissance by Harlem Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein. "Saperstein would assume controlling interest of the Rens in 1949 and used them as a secondary club, having them play in the preliminary game before the Trotters performed. However, the double bill was short-lived as the Rens ended up disbanding that year, leaving the Trotters as the only all-black basketball team.

For the Rens, it was the end of nearly 30 years of groundbreaking achievement on and off the court. But the team had earned the right to be called one of the greatest -- if not the greatest -- pre-NBA teams."

Rucker Park , Streetball

Sun, 10 May 2020 20:34:32 GMT

"Today, perhaps more than at any other juncture of their long, rich journey, black athletes are lost" William C. Rhoden , 40 Million Dollar Slave

Harlem, New York has had one of the greatest influences on the NBA and the game of basketball overall. Legacy of Rucker Park extends onto the NBA's greatest 50 players list. More importantly, the legacy of Holcombe Rucker extends to every basketball coach in community centers around the country. It was also the Legends of Rucker Park that provided the myth and mystique that fueled the swag and rise of the AND1 brand and the rise and fall of the Streetball market in the mainstream.

'Some consider Rucker Park to be the center of the world of Streetball. NBA stars who have played Streetball at Rucker Park include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Dr. J, Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Connie Hawkins, and former Senator

Bill Bradley. Nevertheless, it's not about them. It's about the amazing players who, for whatever reason, never made it to the professional level.'

Rucker Park is named after Holcombe Rucker, a New York Park and Recreation employee who helped over 700 young boys and girls earn college athletic scholarships. Rucker grew up in Manhattan, attended Benjamin Franklin High School, and between 1948 and 1964 worked for Parks as a playground director in numerous Harlem locales.

"In 1947 … he started a basketball tournament in Harlem. The Rucker League's motto was "each one, teach one," and it stressed education in combination with recreation. Rucker taught participants reading fundamentals, graded their homework, and let success on report cards influence who would play. Throughout the tournaments, Rucker helped obtain over 700 college athletic scholarships for participants. He continued his education as well. Rucker attained his degree from the City College of New York in 1962 and went on to teach English at J.H.S. 139."

Mr. Rucker used athletics to promote education and those who have or do work with youth know the subject of "life" was taught as well. Rucker is also the creator of, what is called today, the Pro-AM Leagues.

"In the 1960s, Rucker transformed his local league into a basketball institution by organizing games where his best players shared the court with professionals such as Wilt Chamberlain. Although Rucker died at age 38, due to complications from cancer, the 1960s and 1970s represented a high point for the Pro Rucker League when greats such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came to play. By the early 1980s, professional athletes became reluctant to risk injury during non-season play, and the league returned to its amateur roots; Rucker's original tournament, however, is still played today on the Colonel Charles Young Playground.

Several basketball tournaments for children, high school, college, and professional players now take place on Rucker's Playground, including the Entertainers Basketball Classic and the Each One Teach One tournament…."

The Rucker is best known for its impact on basketball's evolution and some of the game's greatest players. Holcombe Rucker's legacy and therefore Streetball's legacy is building communities through serving youth. This was Rucker's original intent and it is wholly consistent with Dr. Naismith's vision and purpose for the game.

AND1

"AND1 grew to more than $210 million in revenue in 2001, with licensees selling an additional $65 million. The connections Berger made obviously won't hurt Westtown. He said he would limit NBA interaction for his players but also said, "I think that it helps that I'm one call away – at most two calls away – from anybody in the basketball world I need to get."

"The legend goes that the people at AND1 first used the Skip tape, as it became known around the company's corporate office just outside Philly, merely to amuse themselves and people who came to visit the office. With just one or two TV's in the company's small office, it was easy to gather everyone to watch the tape repeatedly, accompanied by groans, screams and "no he didn't" every time Skip embarrassed a defender. While the marketing people at AND1 intuitively knew the tape had some value beyond personal amusement, they did not quite know what to do with it. It wasn't until the company shot a series of commercials and print ads at nearby Haverford College in the summer of 1999 that they fully realized the potential of the footage they owned."

AND1 began as a basketball database, but, after one year, they switched to selling T-shirts. AND1's association with Streetball was first and foremost a sound business move. AND1 became synonymous with Streetball and when Streetball began to take on a "negative image" among basketball's mainstream, the brand suffered. The founders of AND1 solved the problem by selling the company and washing their hands of the problem. Again, it was business, not service to the community or the culture, which motivated AND1's decisions.

AND1's business entrance into the market, for brand expansion, resulted in the development of contentious relationships with streetball tour players. It was AND1 players that built the brand, they understood their value to the brand, and felt entitled to a greater share of the company's growing revenues. AND1 presented the Mix Tapes as an opportunity to bring their style of basketball to people who otherwise would never see it and give great ballplayers the exposure richly deserved. AND1 accomplished their goals, but did they exploit their players in the process?

Mitchell and his Push Company are not driven by strictly monetary gain. He is an old school player, who laments that he has seen too many of his peers being taken advantage of over the years. He plans to make a stand. How? Mitchell wants to organize a Streetball labor union, a Streetball player-owned corporation under his guise, and help the new generation, as well as the old, protect their rights and business opportunities.

"You gotta understand, all these years of playing street basketball, we weren't rewarded for them," Mitchell explains. "I told [the players I know] they need to protect their moves. I told everyone. AND1 came up and sweep them all away, gave them a little funky $10,000, $20,000, and then they went bananas. Years later, they made shoes, the videos, and stuff, and they didn't pay them. They didn't because they weren't SAG. No one represented them -- their publishing, royalties and all that stuff. They all came back and said 'Donye, you were right.' Of course, I was; it was a no-brainer. Business is business. Protect your moves. Now, they're like 'Whatever you do, I'm with you.'

"It's time for us to organize and give the ownership back to their players. The players need to organize, form their own companies -- under one umbrella -- and hire a marketing firm to shop their talent, but at a fee. All the royalties from all the distribution deals, that has to come back home to us, so that we can distribute that through the culture," he adds.

AND1's contribution to the Streetball culture is confirmation that the urban market can support urban orientated independent, competitive basketball franchises. The market AND1 uncovered is global. Like the Harlem Globetrotters before them, AND1 took the Streetball story and game around the world. With the decline of the AND1 brand domestically, other smaller franchises have arisen with some attaining moderate success. These brands are following in the tradition of the Harlem Renaissance and Globetrotters barnstorming around the globe doing exhibitions and taking all comers. The Globetrotters traveled the world spreading goodwill and promoting basketball. AND1 traveled the world pollinating communities around the world with the seed of Streetball.

Titans of Basketball

Sun, 10 May 2020 19:33:28 GMT

Titan – noun: a person or thing of enormous size, strength, power, influence.

"A groundbreaking five-year, $50 million deal between the NBA and NCAA not only includes ambitious goals for overhauling youth basketball but also marks a new level in the relationship between two powerful organizations that, until a couple of years ago, had never sat down together"

"This is a historic deal," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who will coach the U.S. men's Olympic team in Beijing this summer and who has been a longtime proponent of revamping youth basketball. "It's going to make basketball in our country better. That's the motivation. To help kids, but to make the game better."

The former BAA and NBL is now the world's most powerful basketball organization. In 2008, the NBA and NCAA enter into their first joint venture to address the quality of basketball in the United States and begin to address the rise of European Basketball. This will produce a more consistent and higher quality of basketball player and possibly prevent some of the most talented players from slipping through the cracks. But, I question the motivation. The bottom line is both the NBA and NCAA make billions from basketball. The fuel for their engine is players. So, this initiative is about making money but also upgrading the quality of basketball to compete with the rapidly improving basketball in Europe and the emergence of the European Super Leagues

"It was never clear why we didn't have a relationship, but what we learned is that our agendas are very similar, and that is to grow the game of basketball," said NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. "For both business and basketball reasons, we needed to be brought together, and as everyone introduced each other, it became very clear how much everyone owed to the game."

The NBA is a multi-billion dollar organization, which operates various subsidiaries that promote the interest of the association. In a 2008 issue of Forbes magazine, the value of the NBA franchises exceeded 10 billion dollars; the league's annual revenues were $3.5 billion. To put the NBA's wealth into perspective, the league's annual revenues are equal to the Gross Domestic Product of Barbados and more than another 43 countries in the world.

"CBS is paying the NCAA $6.1 billion over 11 years for the rights to telecast March Madness. The economist Andrew Zimbalist notes that advertisers will pay CBS an estimated $100,000 for a 30-second spot in the first round of the tournament, and the rate will increase to $1 million for a 30-second spot in the finals. The NCAA will take in nearly $600 million between the TV rights and ticket sales, assuming last year's numbers are a reliable guide. This accounts for 96 percent of the NCAA's annual revenue."

Is there any question why the NCAA needs the story of the McDonald's` all-American, who is a guaranteed 1st round NBA draft choice playing for the national championship before he jumps into the NBA? As much as football is promoted as the lead sport in the NCAA, basketball funds the vast majority of the NCAA's activities. Without basketball, the NCAA is financially poor. The NBA, NCAA and to some extent the AAU are the self-appointed stewards of basketball and wield tremendous power and influence over basketball in the United States. Yet, the contribution of these Titan's in urban communities around the world is indefinable.

Limited Access to the Money Flow

Sun, 10 May 2020 19:27:21 GMT

"…the initial reason Brandon Jennings considered going overseas was far more mundane: his SAT scores. For elite players, grades and test scores have long been the highest barrier to entry for major college basketball." Jacob Leibenluft, The Great Basketball Exodus, Slate.com

The wealth of basketball is locked up in the NBA, NCAA, FIBA, Euroleague, and Nike. There are smaller leagues and basketball companies around the world, but these five basketball organizations run the show. These organizations offer the largest salaries to players, executives and supporting staff. Historically, an athlete in the United States has to graduate from high school and typically attend and play basketball in college, but we are beginning to see a trend where elite teenage talent in the United States will choose international basketball and getting paid over playing college basketball. The exercising of their freedom of choice is encouraging, but there is a potential backlash that must be anticipated. A larger population of young basketball players will become deluded that they too can avoid college and therefore begin to devalue high school. All the while, the NBA prepares to increase its minimum age limit to 20 years old.

In 2007, more than one in five blacks dropped out of high school, a dropout rate of 21%. A 2009 report by Alliance for Excellent Education stated that 71% of all students graduate from high school on time with a regular diploma; however, only 50% of African-Americans and Hispanics students earn diplomas. College enrollment for African-Americans and Hispanics has increased in recent years, but the increase in college enrollment represents only a fraction of the African-Americans and Latinos who attended high school during the reporting period. The fact is, for the average urban youth graduating from high school is a tremendous accomplishment particularly considering the distractions and dangers in our schools, our communities and at times, in our homes.

There are approximately 7,177 men's basketball scholarships and 9,285 women's basketball scholarships available in the United States. The average cost of college is $25,000.00 a year (taking the aggregate of in-state, out of state and private colleges and universities), which means the economic value of all the basketball scholarships in the United States is almost a half-billion dollars, $411,550,000.00, a year.

The lifetime earning difference between a high school graduate and college graduation is about $450,000.00.

Under the current economic and administrative structures of the dominant basketball institutions, a large portion of athletically talented youth and young adults cannot afford to participate in the sport they love. Our objective is to leverage "Basketball-the-Remix" to create economic and educational opportunities for this "basketball" disenfranchised part of our community. Holcombe Rucker used basketball as a community activism tool to build contributing citizens, their communities and send over 700 urban youth to college through athletic scholarships. "Basketball-the-Remix" is taking Rucker's example and providing a modern approach to "Each One Teach One" using basketball to secure academic scholarships and provide life skills education and employment opportunities.

Sport is big business but not for African-Americans urban communities. "However, the economic activities of sports in modern society are not just bigger than ever, they have also become socially significant."

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the measure of a country's economic output. The Sports Industry represents approximately 2% of the United States GDP, contributing upwards of $152 billion annually. Sport is the 11th largest contributor to our country's GDP. The majority of the revenue generated by Sports is from recreational participation. Entertainment makes up 30% of the Sport Industry. Basketball has over 450 million participants globally according to a survey conducted by FIBA; the more than 35 million Americans that participate in basketball make it the most popular recreational team sport in the country.

Basketball is an amazing game because, in many ways, the game has fulfilled the inventor's original intent. Millions of lives are positively impacted daily through basketball. As American as the game of baseball, basketball is uniquely and fairly associated with the black community, black culture, and the black athlete. Basketball was a platform for civil rights. Basketball is a platform to access higher education. Basketball is a platform to travel the world. Basketball is a platform to educate the youth. Basketball is a platform to build and strengthen communities. Basketball is a platform to create employment and participate in the economy of Sport. Unfortunately, the love the black community has for basketball and the economic scales are out of balance.

Since the formation of the National Basketball Association in 1949, there have been only two major professional basketball franchises in the United States with majority ownership held by an African-American. Those teams are the Harlem Globetrotters and the Charlotte Bobcats. Interestingly enough the rise of the NBA also marked the death of an era of the black-owned, independent basketball franchises. An important fact to keep in mind, as an African-American watching the NBA, is that the league could have been founded with a black-owned franchise in the Harlem Renaissance.

For the last 60-years, the majority of African-Americans participating in the economy of basketball are students, contractors or employees. The titans have dominated and influenced the entire industry. This influence has minimized the opportunities for talented young urbanites through the policies and attitudes that are prevalent in today's basketball industry.

The only way for young urban athletes and the Streetball industry to grow from thousands of dollars of revenue to billions of dollars in revenue is to increase our economic participation in the sports industry. Increasing economic participation requires the creation of something new, something with greater value so significant it can win the hearts, imaginations, and eyeballs of our communities and the nation at large. I believe "Basketball-the-Remix can serve as the bridge to move the disjointed Streetball industry from summertime leagues, summer tournaments, and tours into a year-round niche basketball industry.

Change the Game Change Communities

Sun, 10 May 2020 19:09:07 GMT

"The players who broke away from AND1 recognized they were contributing to the problem. Their decision to take ownership of their destinies and have a positive impact on the game of basketball is a monumental step for not only revitalizing street basketball in the marketplace but also in sports entertainment"

I have not described "Basketball-the-Remix" as a game. This is intentional as the objective of this booklet is to get you to this point and these three questions:

1. Is basketball big business?

2. Do you think the basketball industry can support another independent black-owned franchise?

3. Do you think positive basketball experiences can help people expand and grow?

Over the past decade, both the global and domestic markets have shown the capacity to consume basketball content and a product in a variety formats other than those provided by the NBA, NCAA or FIBA. A variety of playground and alternative basketball programming has been broadcast. AND1's Mixtape programming on ESPN was the most popular and strongest franchise during the height of the Mix Tape Tour. Ervin "Magic" Johnson produced "Who Got Game," and ESPN produced "City Slam." In 2002, Spike TV introduced Slamball. This same market supported Hoop-it-Up 3-on-3 tournaments, local recreational leagues, and tournaments, the AND1 Mixtape Tour events as well many smaller barnstorming streetball crews.

Between 1998 and 2007, AND1 exploited the Streetball market with its MIX Tape Tour and Mix Tape DVDs to establish itself as the leading street basketball brand. Through connecting with the urban streetball culture, AND1 grew its company revenues to $213 million in 2001 and average annual revenues above $150 million until its acquisition by American Sports Good, Inc. However, unlike extreme sports like skateboarding, BMX, and snowboarding that have been able to grow and institutionalize their respective sports, Streetball is in flux.

Though AND1 helped define the market potential of Streetball, AND1 never viewed itself as a steward of the game or the Streetball culture. The founders of AND1 stumbled upon the business. This exploitation of the culture without responsibility to the culture has left Streetball without a defining brand or leader.

I see a tremendous opportunity to identify "Basketball-the-Remix" with the Streetball culture, become a voice, grow the sport and mature the Streetball market. If urban communities adopt "Basketball-the-Remix" as their game, an entirely new athletic form can be created and exploited as sports entertainment. This exploitation is not of players or communities but of the game to create opportunities to serve the players and the community, secure more educational opportunities and build a niche basketball market. The building of a niche basketball market provides the vehicle to participate in the $152 billion annual Sports market.

Image multi-million dollar basketball franchises located within urban communities around the country leveraging their influence and resources to serve their communities. Simply, I believe we can have the best of both worlds. A network of profitable African-American owned basketball franchises with a social cause to prepare young people for life and improve the health and fitness of the community members we serve.