A Sports Field Trip To NYC
Rucker Park in Harlem, New York is a spot worth taking a trip out to. Located on 155th Street and Frederick Douglas Boulevard, this legendary basketball court has had some popular NBA players play on this court like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant. Hip hop artists, including Jay-Z, Rihanna, and many others, have also performed here.
The park was originally named after Holcombe Rucker, who was a local teacher and playground director for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Basketball tournaments are held every summer from June through August between 3 to 10 p.m.This was put in place to keep kids out of trouble by giving them a positive activity to occupy their time with. Rucker was also featured on the TNT film On Hallowed Ground: Streetball Champions of Rucker Park, which came out in the year 2000 and also ended up winning a sports Emmy award.
Courtesy of courtesy of imjustwalkin.com
The cool thing about taking a field trip to Rucker is that it’s free to get in. The only things that you’ll have to pay for is the train and bus fare, with the option of purchasing food and basketball merchandise.
Ethan Goodrich, a sophomore at HCC, thinks that a field trip here would be a “fun trip for college students to go out to as long as it’s well supervised.” He goes on to say that “it would be fun to go out and watch these athletes perform crazy tricks, similar to watching a Harlem Globetrotters game.”
Courtesy of Bleacherreport.com
These events can be a lot of fun to watch but they can also be a little dangerous as well which is why they have a lot of police officers and security guards who search you before you enter onto the court. So when or if you do decide to go, don’t feel like your life is in danger. However, be respectful towards others and be aware of what’s around you.
Orlando Smith, a student at Mercy College, has been to Rucker a couple of times. He described the court as more of an urban setting that can be a lot of fun not just for basketball fans, but all sports fans and even people who don’t follow sports that much. He also goes on to mention that “Rucker Park is a historical landmark in New York City.”
There’s also live entertainment such as dancers, cheerleaders, and comedic scenes just to keep the people who aren’t into sports entertained. So the next time you go on a field trip, this legendary basketball court could be the first destination that comes to mind.