The Hub City Street Hoops vs. First Responders Playoff Game
The Hub City Street Hoops vs. First Responders Playoff Game
Low risk but high stakes fun in the Heart of the ELBK
On 9 March 2024, we witnessed pitched battle in the middle of the E-LBK. Familiar figures on opposite sides yet again. On one side, a squad of “shooters” from the Lubbock Police Department.
Facing them undeterred, some boys from the hood, this time up to nothing but good.
Watching these young warriors square up on the court, so many thoughts presented themselves. So many comparisons. So many “what ifs”.
One thing is clear: Leditt Butler has the right idea. Put these young men together on a battlefield where the outcomes are less final than life and death. Much lower than Freedom or Bondage.
How about "braggin’ rights”? How about sportsmanship? How about “yeah them “Laws” was ballin’?”. How about “man them young brothers had game”?
Seems like that is the whole point of the Hub City Street Hoops vs. First Responders Playoff Game. The event is the brainchild of Mr. Leditt Butler.
Butler says the tournament is “an open door for our kids and our first responders to communicate, come out here and have fun; it’s a lot of laughing and a lot of competition going on”. The game is all about “bridging the gap between ‘our kids are a certain way, or our first responders are a certain way’”.
He recalls how, “when we were young, they asked you what do you want to be when you grow up? It was police, firefighters, teachers, lawyers…our kids don’t have that any more”. Now, “it’s rappers, it’s other stuff”. He notes that, “if you you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem”.
We used to have be inside by the time the streetlight came on. “But if these kids are going to be out, they need to know who’s out there with them. We all call the Police and the Fire Department, so why not come out here and see them in a different light?”
Many of the Officers and Firemen present had participated in this tournament several times over the years. This was Officer Ryan Mauch’s second time. He thinks “it’s a lot of fun to hang with the members of the community and kind of show the human behind the badge. We like playing ball too, and a lot of these kids are good players, too!”
Officer Mauch also mentioned that today, “we’ve won so far, but I think we’ve got a few more games to go, so we’ll see if they can pull one out.”
We were only able to spend about 30 minutes courtside, but we really had a good time. The air was cool and crisp, the kids were chomping at the bit to play, and the first responders appeared relaxed and happy to be there.
We sure hope that any comradery and mutual respect that may have been generated on the court translates to better relations between these two not so different sets of brave, talented young men.
