Street ball on neighborhood basketball courts used to rule summer nights in the District. Crowds of 500 would swell around the edges of Turkey Thicket, Luzon and Edgewood for a glimpse of Adrian Dantley, Elgin Baylor or JoJo Hunter as teen phenoms.
One neighborhood against the other. No colors or uniforms, officials or coaches. Just community sports in its purest form. Too bad 30 years have elapsed since the game went indoors as an organized league.
When debating whether U.S. high school sports could be privatized like European counterparts that rely on local club teams and academies, few prep or community coaches believe interest would follow a Bethesda or Chevy Chase rec team like B-CC High. That Fairfax community teams would come close to the crowds of Fairfax High.
“I’ve seen the club stuff at its best. The competition is very good. There’s great rivalries in club basketball, but I believe in the U.S. the high school rivalries can’t be copied,” said retired DeMatha basketball coach Morgan Wootten. “I’ve seen the AAU teams, but there’s no crowds that follow them. I can’t see anything taking the place of good high school rivalries.”
It’s a stark contrast to European communities where the soccer team is tantamount to the Redskins. Where town rivalries spanning centuries are poured into the game. U.S. basketball and football might be the only potential fan attractions on a community level. Otherwise, few coaches see spartan rec league followings outside relatives and friends.
Maybe Laurel versus Maryland City would create a ripple of interest among parents, but it won’t attract fellow students to a non-school event.
“A community rivalry can’t match high schools,” Blake athletic director Butch Hilliard said. “It’s about pride in schools. When you have kids devoted to and aligned with their school, then sports is an extension. I don’t think you’ll have that in club teams. You don’t get the generic student population at those games.”
Rivalries still draw big crowds even if many schools see few fans the rest of the season. Homecoming versus a soft opponent was once the top football draw, but arch-rivals are now the gate breaker.
“When Good Counsel plays DeMatha in football, Landon plays Georgetown Prep, Robinson plays Westfield — there’s lots of great rivalries — [it’s big,]” said Landon football/lacrosse coach Rob Bordley. “You may not get the 20,000 in the stands in Miami for high school football, but those programs have spring football for three weeks.”
Big games still draw parents and business leaders to schools where networking in the stands can match the fervor on the field. While the average Fairfax County high school has 624 athletic events over the 183-day school calendar, football and basketball are the only ones drawing sizable crowds.
“It would be a shame if there was no high school football,” said Maryland men’s basketball coach Gary Williams. “What makes a good high school is spirit and sports is a great way to get people together.”
Tomorrow: P.E. classes turn healthy.
Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at [email protected].
