CULVER CITY, Calif. — As the late James Brown once sand, “This is a man’s world.”
And the same can still be said at almost any local park, where for decades public courts have been largely dominated by men.
But if you look a little closer on the courts of Veteran’s Park in Culver City, you’ll find a special group of women who are looking to change that.
“It’s a typical day,” said Serena Green of the men on the court. “It’s what we go through, but at the same time, we know what we signed up for. It’s what society is, but we’re here to change that.”
Because nowadays, for every men’s pickup group in Los Angeles, there’s an all-female equivalent called SheHoopsLA, an idea sparked by Green’s desire to play basketball with other like-minded women.
“I had a tough time finding an all-women’s group,” she explained. “LA has a lot of leagues, but most are co-ed, so then I thought if it’s not existing I’m gonna make it myself.”
It started off slowly, with a simple post on MeetUp.com.
“The first event I had two people RSVP,” Green said. “No one showed up.”
But over the last year, it’s blossomed as women like Tina Kang found a place they could both foster community and continue playing sports.
“I think the height of the pandemic made me feel isolated,” Kang said. “I felt that I needed a community of my own and when I started to play with this group, I realized sports can be fun again.”
For many women, it is organized sport that dominates their athletic careers.
For former high school and AAU players like Elaine Owusu, there’s not really much of an option to keep playing after college.
“So much of our sports background or how we play comes through organized games, like we have to sign up for a team or be in a league,” she explained. “Where for guys, it’s easy to go to a park and find random dudes playing and join in.”
SheHoopsLA is setting what they hope will become a new standard — making sports more accessible for women of all ages.
Their goal is to create a space where you’re not only going to find a place to hoop, but a place to find connection.
“SheHoopsLA is a home for a lot of people,” Green said. “It’s a home for me.”
Because while it may still largely be a man’s world, on this court, it’s a women’s game too.