Rucker Park is a basketball court in Manhattan New York. Many professional basketball players in the United States consider it as the Mecca of basketball, having been the home of some of the greatest basketball professional and “underground” players since its creation in the 1950s. It has also been a spot wherein the hip hop culture has mashed up with the sport, and has given rise to this street, urban hip-hop basketball subculture that is now famous in the United States and worldwide.
It has been “controlled” or “marked” mostly by its hometown heroes who “protected” their home courts against players ( professional and “street”) who come from different places to play in this court. The park is rich in history and in stories of legends playing against each other in this court. Given such a huge following in such a small place, gave the park this “unwritten exclusivity code” wherein only the best can play, and on huge games, only the friends and “VIPs” can sit in the benches and stands, all other “fans” can just be seen watching from the fences to as far as the top of buildings near the area.
The place used to communicate a certain raw and urban feel, having just metal backboards and nets and just a few seats. But its popularization in urban culture made it a “hotspot” for corporations to “advertise” and “own” this area, which gave about a tremendous amount of development, from glass boards, better surfaces and shot clocks, as well as a load of advertising and events conducted in the area (it even has its own website!).
As a young basketball fanatic back in the day, it was my dream not only to visit this place, but to be called “worthy” of playing in it. In addition, I had aspirations not only to be as good as the players at Rucker Park where, but to belong with them at the same time.
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