This App Does Not Get Enough Attention.

By Matt McCurry

December 3, 2022

What is the 'Courts of the World’ App?

This is a platform style app that helps you find basketball courses around the world using the platform’s geo-locater and court repository. Once you find your court, the app will give you how many people are at a court in each time, the reviews for the court, and photos and videos from the court. The unique thing about the app is that is managed by its users. This means you can add basketball courts that have not been added to the platform, then add the remaining details mentioned before. In fact, I added a court in the neighborhood I stayed, when I had a summer internship in Norfolk, Virginia.

Image showing my CoW account with the number of courts I’ve added and other activities since I’ve joined.

Image of the profile for the court that I added to the platform in July 2022.

Image of the photos I’ve added to the platform for the court that I added.

The app and the desktop site are free to use. To be able to contribute to the platform, like adding a court, you must sign up for an account, though it is free. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) endorses the app and is a big contributor to registering basketball courts for the app. In fact, any basketball that FIBA has built is on the app.

Why do I enjoy it?

All of these photos from Google Maps have basketball courts in them. But some are easier to identify than others.

When I travel, I always need something to do, like exercising, exploring the town, you name it. I hate sitting in my hotel room doing nothing. In addition, I love to play sports like baseball, basketball, and golf. For traveling, the easiest thing to travel with of those 3 is a basketball. My problem with being able to play is not being able to find a basketball court. Before finding the app, I would use google maps to try to find courts. This would be difficult because the images on Google maps were not always clear and sometimes the basketball courts would be covered by other objects. This would make it hard to see the indicators of a basketball court, like the lines of the court or the hoops. With the Courts of the World app, these problems all go away. It allows me to do the things previously mentioned and see details of the court like how many hoops are available, is it indoors or outdoors, does it have lights for night games, are the hoops regulation height, and much more.

Why it needs more attention?

The motivation behind writing this article is to bring more attention to Courts of the World and other apps like it including, Fullcourt and Just play. I believe these apps are important for communities around the world because it can help bring attention to places that need restoring and it can help people learn about different cultures. For many communities, a basketball court is the bedrock of the community. It provides health, wellness, and social benefits for the community. The disappointing fact is a lot of courts are neglected with cracks in the court, tears in the hoops’ nets, and dents and bends in the hoops. These things ruin the enjoyment for playing basketball, thus more difficult to attract people to the courts. Community leaders and governments do not want to reinvest into refurbishing basketball courts because fixes can cost in the $100s, up into $1000s for major repairs. Although, what is always convincing for investment is seeing demand. The bright thing about the Courts of the World app is you can see how many people have checked into the court and left reviews for the court. If many players are leaving data for a neglected court, then community leaders can make the decision to reinvest into it. For example, Buckets and Border, a national non-profit, used the Courts of the World app to find neglected basketball courts to restore into beautiful places in communities across the world.

Image of Buckets and Borders restored basketball court in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

The other great thing about this app is it fosters engagement with people of different cultures around the world. The wonderful thing about basketball is it does not require you to learn a language to play with other people. The most you need for playing is understanding the movements of others playing with you. For example, it’s very universal to know a player wants you to pass them the ball when they put their hands up. This is a wonderful app to use for visiting places across the world. On their website, Courts of the World even gives you a list of popular courts to visit in different countries. For example, Courts like the Sports Center of Sepolia Athens are pieces of art from above and a place to meet new people of different cultures through basketball.

Athens Burear. July, 2021. Sepolia basketball courts transformed to honour Giannis Antetokounmpo. Greek City Times.

If you get the chance to download the app help contribute by checking into the existing courts of on the app, leave reviews, add basketball courts that are not already seen on the app, and tell your friends about this great app! By doing this you can improve the community around you, and you will have the opportunity to explore different cultures. The app is available on I.O.S and Android and is FREE to download.

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