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Streetball back in great outdoors |
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Written by Steve King
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Saturday, 21 July 2007 |
 There are always a few good ways to tell when summer has arrived. The days get longer but, dreadfully, hotter; kids often roam neighborhoods in search of a cure for boredom, and, well, quite simply, it's hot.
 But for hoop heads, summer officially arrives once the heat waves above the playground blacktops become more visible and streetball is in full swing.
Today, the AND1 Mix Tape Tour invades Penns Landing, as it continues through its 10-city summerlong tour, featuring some of the world's best streetball players.
What started off as an underground fad in the late 1990s has blossomed into one of the summer's hottest tours nationwide, attracting basketball fans of all kinds at every point on the globe.
Fans accustomed to the typical AND1 Mix Tape Tours of the past, played inside NBA and college arenas, might notice a difference this time around. In an effort to reach back to its streetball roots, AND1 created a portable outdoor arena that seats more than 5,000 fans and is designed to bring back more of a streetball feel...
"We felt we had to get back to the roots of where it really all came from," said Mark Woolsey, AND1's chief marketing officer and general manager. "With the new outdoor experience, the game itself just seems more accessible and personable than what it would be inside an arena."
In addition, AND1, which previously selected the best talent from the opposing team to join the tour and compete for a roster spot in the next city, Team AND1 will play against a prearranged roster of Philadelphia-area players. Most are former college standouts or local playground legends with a previous relationship with the footwear and apparel company.
The rap on AND1 is that its players cannot play "real" basketball. But while the national telecasts - now in their fifth year on ESPN - obviously focus on the trickery and outlandish moves made for the viewers' delight, many of the players on the 12-man roster are making it their goal this year to show people they can really play the game, Woolsey said.
"A lot of these guys are legit basketball players in their own right," he said, adding that more than 80 percent of the roster has played college or professional ball.
"To me, it says something about them as a player to be able to come out and compete at a high level and still provide that entertainment factor that the fans paid their money to come see. That entertaining aspect of their game is a gift not many basketball players can say they have."
Entertainment won't be a problem once the game begins at 3 p.m. Nationally known and Philadelphia-bred rapper Cassidy will perform at halftime.
With Philadelphia being the birthplace of AND1 and possessing one of the stronger followings in the country, Woolsey expects a sellout crowd.
Philly.com
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