Mixed-age ballers play through pandemic for mental health

By Nathyn Gilgeous
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer

ROCKVILLE, Md. – The thumping sound of a basketball reverberated through the halls of the sprawling Rockville sportsplex at the edge of Rock Creek Regional Park in Montgomery County. The 90s sound of R&B singer Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative” permeated the air as sneakers squeaked on the blue colored court and the middle-aged men called out screens and shouted at their teammates to get back on defense.

For the 10 men sporting T-shirts and NBA jerseys, some wearing masks, chasing each other up and down the court is their therapy, their outlet, their escape. 

“It’s really about sweat and your mental health,” said Rodney Dixon, 60, a financial manager for the federal government.

Dixon is the commissioner of the “Injustice League,” a men’s pick-up basketball group that had been operating out of St. John’s Episcopal School in Olney on a semi-weekly basis for more than 20 years. The league, which has members ranging in age from 20s through early to middle 60s, had to shut down last March when the deadly coronavirus pandemic began its trek through the state and the governor called for a lockdown.

Montgomery County officials closed all schools, forcing the league to bounce around from several locations. The group ultimately ended up in Rockville at the Michael & Son’s Sportsplex, which is a recreation center with three full-sized soccer fields, a practice field, and three basketball courts separated by dividers. 

The sportsplex is home to a number of different sports leagues; it is not owned by the county so it is free to operate outside some local policies and rules. For example, Montgomery County removed the rims from basketball hoops in parks, leaving many with no place to play during the worse period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The league has been playing on a regular basis since August and has yet to have a player test positive for COVID-19. Dixon credits a sense of personal responsibility among the players. Also, the league, unlike most pickup basketball groups, is invitation only, which makes contact tracing easy because there are no strangers on the court.

“People need to be responsible,” said Jack Cullen, 62, the co-commissioner of the league. “We have to be smart. If you feel sick, if you feel something is wrong, you can’t show up.”

Although Cullen said he recognizes the risks of playing, he stressed the benefits of comradery, physical activity and play. The release that comes with all of this is worth it, he said.

“I want to live my life, and there are certain things I am willing to take some degree of risk on,” said Cullen. “There is no guarantee that if I caught this [COVID] it wouldn’t be devastating. But I cross the street every day. I drive on the highway every day. For me, this is my mental health. If this place was two hours from me, I’d still go.”

Cullen added,“Enjoying basketball with my close friends is something I’ve done for 20+  years. I need it, and just to have some place to go is really a blessing.”

The league has been shut out of its original location, St. John’s Episcopal School, twice since the beginning of the pandemic and for a time, league members were playing at Dixon’s backyard court.

“People still wanted to play but also wanted to be safe, so we’ve tried to create a safe environment for people to play,” said Dixon.“We played at our normal location up at St. John’s through March, then they shut us down. Then, we played through June until we were shut down in August.

Dixon added, “We ended up playing outside at my house, which had ventilation because we were outside. We played there from August until November when it got too cold. Finally, we ended up here at the Sportsplex.”

Since returning to play, the IJL members have rigorously followed measures to protect each other from COVID-19. Masks are required before entering the building. Once inside, players must get a temperature check at the front desk. Anyone with a temperature above 99 is not allowed entry.

Despite excitement to get back on the court, players still are taking the coronavirus very serious and acknowledge the gravity of the situation.

“I was scared coming out at first, you gotta take this virus serious. My dad passed away from it,” said Larry Dechter, 57, a league member for 15 years who earned the nickname “Shotmaker.”

Dechter, a Towson University alum and executive sales person, said he plays basketball and tennis two to four days a week.

“You gotta live and get exercise,” Dechter said. “If you don’t exercise, your mental health is the next step to go.”

 Cullen, who owns an IT staffing company, said he recently switched his operation to completely remote work. Basketball, he said, is an outlet for stress from work and life.

“I’m a better person in the workplace and the home because of these social engagements that fulfill me in other ways,” Cullen said.

“There is something special about basketball, you’ve gotta think about what you’re doing, your teammates are doing, and what the defense is doing,” Cullen explained. “For me, that removes me from all the other things I could be thinking about. In basketball, you don’t have time to think about other things.”

Randy Brown, nicknamed  “Downtown,” expressed similar sentiments to that of his fellow league members.

“You get to get [out] all the frustration of being in the house and not being able to talk to your family on a face-to-face level,” said the 52-year-old Brown who has been a league member for two years. “I feel like I’m in jail sometimes; it’s good to get out here and be able to shoot the jump-shot on somebody, get that energy out.”

Brown works at a law firm as a records manager.

Dixon added, “It’s all about your mental health. You think about the folks who have been isolated, from their friends and family, and the fact that they haven’t been able to interact and engage with people. It’s been helpful being out here and people appreciate that.”

As the federal and state vaccine efforts expand and as more and more players get inoculated, the commissioner said he expects the league to go back to some semblance of normalcy.

“Folks are starting to get their shots, and we’re starting to get more comfortable in reference to what is going on [the pandemic],” Dixon said. “It’s been a challenge not knowing what is going on in everyone’s life. It’s gonna be great when we can all get back together and catch up on each other’s stories.”