heaven is a playground

The playground had a significant impact on the urban youth of NYC. The playground was to them what sports is to us, a getaway from the world, a place to relax and showcase your skill. The kids in Heaven is a Playground, were not particularly good in school and most of them had little or none parental influence. Therefore the basketball court was a place where they felt like they belonged, a place where they could excel and hang out with their friends in the meantime. Most of them dreamed of going to college, thanks in large part to Rodney who did his best to send the urban youth to college through basketball. Although Rodney was a tad bit selfish because he did want players to make it to the NBA so that he could collect some money. This however was not his main objection, just an added bonus if the opportunity presented itself. His main objection was to get these kids off the streets of New York, so that they wouldn’t end up getting caught up in drugs. Due to the lack of education these kids received, basketball was there way out. Even smart kids did not have sufficient grades for an academic scholarship because of the hardships these kids went through. These kids focused more on surviving then on their studies. Hanging out on the basketball courts was even more appealing because there wasn’t the gang violence on the court that there was in the street.