I was surprised to discover basketball was the national sport of the Philippines. It seemed like every telephone pole, every palm tree had a basketball backboard attached. Games were everywhere. As a clueless foreigner, it was my entry into their culture. How could I join?
While standing at the edge of a basketball court watching the game in progress, I pondered the politics of pickup in Manila. Did I need to bring my own team to a pickup game? Did I need a formal invite, a recommendation, a reference? Was it an exclusive neighborhood only event? A league? Did I have to win on another court before I qualified to play on this one? At a loss for what to do, I just stood there trying to look tall, hoping someone would see me and throw me the ball.
To see how this early effort turned out, read: http://www.geocities.com/billfink2004/PoliticsofPickupinManila.html
While standing at the edge of a basketball court watching the game in progress, I pondered the politics of pickup in Manila. Did I need to bring my own team to a pickup game? Did I need a formal invite, a recommendation, a reference? Was it an exclusive neighborhood only event? A league? Did I have to win on another court before I qualified to play on this one? At a loss for what to do, I just stood there trying to look tall, hoping someone would see me and throw me the ball.
To see how this early effort turned out, read: http://www.geocities.com/billfink2004/PoliticsofPickupinManila.html
No comments:
Post a Comment