Recently, Converse and Black Fives staged a vintage basketball cage game re-enactment — a game between the New York (Harlem) Rens and the Washington (DC) 12 Streeters played inside a wire mesh cage.

These are some of the highlights presented in a slide show:

The game was played according to vintage Black Fives Era rules: there was a center jump after each made basket, and a player who had already dribbled the basketball could no longer shoot. Additional vintage basketball rules can be viewed here.

This event was produced as a backdrop for Converse’s international sales meeting, but it was also a rehearsal to find out whether or not vintage cage games could be entertaining to watch, easy to stage, fun, and educational too.

For example, what if we staged such an event at a YMCA or at a playground, had a DJ spinning, food and beverages, merchandise, two vintage squads set up in full throwback gear, and included a clinic on the old rules as well as modern day tips, and even had a history lecture combined with a motivational piece.

Would you be interested in attending? What else would you want to see as part of the event?

PS – The above video is also the very first one on our new YouTube channel, which you can visit at YouTube.com/BlackFivesTube.

Photos: Courtesy of Converse and Black Fives, Inc.

(Music: Jersey Jump Off performed by Cozy Cole on The Legends of Savoy)