A Street Basketball Mecca Gets a Face-Lift

By BY JONATHAN ABRAMS AND ANTHONY GEATHERS from NYT Sports Rucker Park in Harlem has been a proving ground for amateurs and professionals for generations. “We don’t come there giving you roses,” one player said. “You got to earn it.”https://nyti.ms/3arrLvW

Basketball Is Nothing Without Net

By BY DAVID WALDSTEIN from NYT Sports “It is just not good,” Anibal Amador says of bare rims at New York City’s playgrounds. As a result, the self-described “Net Changer” buys and hangs nets at his local courts.https://nyti.ms/3B2qcRk

He Just Wanted to Play Catch. They Got Relief From Troubled Times.

By BY MIKE WILSON from NYT Sports A callout on social media for a game of catch in Dallas drew a varied group of strangers who found escape from society’s turbulence in the most banal ritual.https://nyti.ms/2XKGUlT

As Hiking Surges During the Pandemic, So Do Injuries

By BY GILLIAN R. BRASSIL from NYT Sports Novice hikers and climbers have flocked to the outdoors, but some are unprepared for the dangers on the trails.https://nyti.ms/37h4kDO