Court Connections: Using Basketball to Connect Two Worlds

This is an essay I wrote on my patio.

Chicago is one of the few places in this country where one minute you are in the high-end shopping capital of the world and the next you find yourself in a very dangerous part of the city. The differences between the posh neighborhoods along Michigan Avenue and the depressing and frightful slums of Englewood on the south side of town, are something you can only truly appreciate if you have experienced both. Amazingly, the basketball court is common environment that allows people from all different ethnic groups and social backgrounds to get together.

When I went to Chicago for a mission trip in middle school, I traveled the Magnificent Mile. While taking pictures of the groovy sculptures and historic statues, I noticed the gigantic granite pots that showed off colorful plants and flowers near every doorway. never in my life had I seen so many Bentley’s cruising the street with hired drivers chauffeuring executives wearing shiny cuff links. I walked along the tree-lined streets and admired the Coco Chanel posters, Louie Vuitton suitcases, Rolex watches, and an Adidas store with a three-story banner of Derrick Rose draped for all to see. Then my youth group headed to Guggenheim Elementary School on the South side to begin our mission in a completely different environment.

Within an hour, I saw Derrick Rose again, but this time he was spray painted on a brick wall overlooking the used syringes spread across the chipped concrete…