Donald Trump's polarizing political rise over the past decade has divided many groups — and some families.

But a long-standing pickup basketball game I participated in, which featured people of varying political leanings, including Trump supporters, remained intact. I explored the dynamics of the group in my 2020 memoir. In March 2025, we will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

As a former psychology professor who has written about the effects of participating in team sports, I think one of the secrets to our longevity is simple: We don’t talk about politics.

The evolution of the game

There have been some changes to our semi-weekly pickup game. It began in 1975 as a teacher-student game at Guilford Academy, a small Quaker school in Greensboro, North Carolina. We played at an old gym called Crackerbox, which had been home to former NBA players Bob Kauffman, ML Carr and World B. Free.

Over the next 35 years, games were moved to newer stadiums, from half court to full court and back to half court. Students and faculty moved on, while others joined the game, including many from the Greensboro community.

As we grow older, our games are called "Old Man Games." Today, the average age of players is 64, with an age range from 32 to 79.

Since 1975, apart from an 18-month period without meeting due to COVID-19 restrictions, the competition has been held three times a week before COVID-19 and twice a week since pandemic restrictions were lifted.

everyone plays

I believe there are several reasons why we have lasted as long as we have.

From 1975 until around 2013, the game was co-ed, although there was usually only one woman, a former colleague from the psychology department. Holds a Ph.D. She came from Yale, was 6 feet tall, athletic and competitive.

More importantly, she brought a civilizing influence to the court. This prevents these men from letting their macho tendencies take over. Because of her presence, and the occasional presence of other women, I think we are all less likely to exhibit disgusting behavior.

This phenomenon is well documented. As scholar Gerard J. Degroot has shown, women's social skills have a calming effect on male groups. Regarding men in the military, he told the New York Times: "When women are present, it's more like real life, so men are more inclined to behave. Any conflict, if you have an all-male army, then It’s like a break from reality and if you bring women into the situation, they really have a civilizing effect.”

Another secret to our longevity must be that everyone plays.

Many other pickup games feature the winning team on the field while the losing team sits on the sidelines. But when we have extra people, we rotate every 10 points. If we had 14 players, we would split it into two games, one 4 vs. 4 and one 3 vs. 3. Because we don't have to win to stay in the game, it reduces the likelihood and intensity of controversy.

Author Thomas Beller talks about this in his book Lost in the Game: A Book About Basketball. He wrote in the article: "The thing about these street games is that if you win, you get to play again. If you lose, you watch. Considering the time and effort required to get to the playground in the first place, the winning The stakes are high."

Here’s another way we reduce conflict: Whenever we do get into an argument – ​​is it a foul or an accusation? - We call it jump balls and rotating possessions. No need for long arguments that can never be resolved.

We haven't completely eliminated conflict - we've had a few skirmishes - but they're very rare. We've had our fair share of injuries, but rarely from overly aggressive play.

A few months before our 18-month hiatus due to COVID-19, I wrote "Geezerball: The Longest History of North Carolina Basketball" based on what sociologists call "participant observation" research on the sport. 》 book. I write in the book that some people, particularly my female colleagues, became important role models. Some of the rules we implemented, such as those that determine when new players enter the game and how we handle disputes, have proven to be important.

politics

The game has survived the past decade because we don't talk about politics.

Yet in other settings, perhaps especially on college campuses, sharing conflicting political views with others might reduce disagreements, but we are there to collaborate, not to educate one another.

In the fall of 2016, there was some talk of a presidential campaign. One die-hard Republican admits he doesn't like Trump. But, as he said, "I could live with him."

Another Republican player proudly declared that he plans to push Trump supporters to the polls on Election Day.

Trump won, of course, but many of the participants, probably most, did not reveal their political views.

Due to COVID-19, we did not compete during the 2020 election.

Unlike 2016, there was virtually no talk about the election last fall. But as someone who sees Trump as an authoritarian threat to democracy, I honestly don’t want to know if the people I hang out with voted for him.

Avoiding politics, especially Trump, allows the game to continue without the animosity that might arise.

But the political climate is having an impact on the team off the field.

Prior to 2016, we had regular get-togethers, sometimes with our spouses. We ate pizza, drank beer, gave out joke awards and celebrated birthdays. We enjoy each other's company. Although some smaller groups have continued to meet for lunch or a beer since then, we are now less likely to have social gatherings.

It seems, then, that the larger collective spirit has been weakened by the polarized political world in which we now live.

But the game continues.