What I am about to say may be shocking…

Basketball and baseball are falling by the wayside in this great nation. Not only are they no longer getting the participation they used to revel in, but we are no longer the best at it in the world. If the World Baseball Classic taught us anything is that we are no longer dominant in a sport we introduced to the world. Basketball struggled for a bronze medal in the last Olympics. The only thing the U.S. has to offer is money so athletes come to our leagues for a big payday. Ironically, the U.S. invented both sports and was so dominant in each just a decade ago that we hesitated to allow our professionals to play against the world’s best. Now, our best doesn’t even compete very well. How does this happen?

I grew up in the basketball capital of Washington State, Grandview. Boys and girls grow up eating, sleeping, and dreaming basketball so I am definitely biased when I say, “I hate what has happened to two of our sports.”

I now live in Redmond, WA and I am a little disappointed in what I am seeing. I went to the park, actually several parks, looking for a pick-up basketball game. I was hoping for a little exercise and a little competition. It was a beautiful Saturday and I figured it would only take about 5 minutes to find a good game I could get into. Little did I know, kids don’t go out and shoot hoops anymore. Matter of fact, after driving around for half an hour, I found nothing. At every park I went to there were soccer games, kids playing tennis, and even cricket. Not a single game of basketball to be found. Instead of a sweaty game of b-ball, I went to the range and pounded some therapeutic range balls. How can this be? Are we giving up on traditional American sports and becoming a nation of soccer moms?