San Francisco voters decided they didn't want to build a new arena for the Warriors. San Francisco Police declared the basketball ring unsafe, and did what they could to put it out of commission, before they have the time to take it down Probably the owner locked the club on the hoop to not allow the neighborhood kids play with his hoop. Maybe to thwart late night pickup games. or the owner might be a night shift worker and has to sleep during the day so they wouldn't want the noise while trying to sleep. Clearly having a basketball hoop in SF is illegal. In response to a complaint the police locked the hoop. The people got sick of neighborhood kids playing with their hoop so they decided to lock it. My guess is that somebody doesn't like it when other people play with their hoop. Perhaps people play at night or at some other time when the noise of the playing is distracting and bothersome. the owner didn't want kids playing basketball at night or when he's not home on his property People were punishing their kids by stopping them playing basketball Hey, there's only one way to prevent the Giligan's Island gang from tossing Little Buddy through that hoop--get the law involved! The San Francisco Police Department was upset that many neighbourhood children were gleefully using the SFPD's private basketball hoop. To prevent this unauthorized use of city property, the SFPD rendered the hoop unusable by installing a "Club" across the hoop, which could only be unlocked by a key held by the SFPD. They don't want people playing basketball in their driveway. No dunking is allowed at this hoop! Someone doesn't like basketball. Doesn't want people playing ball all the time while sleeping. Someone old man put the club there to prevent kids from gathering around his place to shoot hoops. Homeowners clubbed the hoop after too many uninvited hooligans played there. The tragic end of Midnight basket ball. That could be someone that hates when the neighborhood kids use his basketball hoop. Maybe its the only one in the area and they are always around using it. So he made it temporarily unusable to get a little peace and quiet. But, when neccessary, is still able to shoot hoops. Cops, who knows why they do things sometimes. I say let them play Basketball!! Interesting use of The Club though, since they seem to have no other use these days.....I'd say by the rust it's been in place for quite a while, and the owner is probably to lazy to just take the whole thing down. The kids who used to live in the house are all grown up and have moved away. The empty nesters who still live there are tired of listening to the neighborhood kids bounce the basketball up against the side of the house, so the sought a way to disable the basketball hoop. The dad is no longer strong enough to remove the hoop from the side of the house, so using some old fashioned inginuity, he blocked off the hoop with The Club. Hopefully now, the kids will stay off the driveway and off the lawn! Kids got grounded Nate, being a bad sport wanted to take his hoop and go home. But the hoop was bolted in place! His solution: make sure no one else could use it while he was gone. b-ball annoying residents...case closed Now that the free-standing hoops are available, it would appear that any backboards attached to houses are against local codes. Or maybe mom got mad at the kids and called the cops... Someone was tired of having the neighborhood kids play basketball in their driveway, so they locked the hoop. A high crime area where basketball was causing unsavory characters to loiter? Or I've just been watching too much Law and Order. The former residents of the house installed a basketball hoop. The new residents did not appreciate the neighborhood kids coming onto their property to play basketball. In order to prevent further ball games, an old Club was used to deter prospective players, since the hoop could not easily be removed. dood who lives upstairs got tired of listening to the ball bounce at night. The tennants in that apartment building got tired of hearing a basketball boucing off their wall at 6 in the morning, and decided to put a stop on it. Awesome idea! The "club" appears to serve the purpose of preventing the use of the basketball hoop. This may be because the kid who lives was in some way grounded, or to prevent other kids in the neighborhood from using it. The club stops unauthorized ballers from using the court. The residents/owner did not want other people playing backetball against thier home, so they locked the net. (Possibly they bought the house, but were not the ones who installed the hoop.) Uhm.. it says "This basketball hoop was installed at the top of a driveway in San Francisco. What happened?" Surely that's it...??!? Maybe someone clubbed his own hoop to prevent local hoodlums from using it, or maybe someone just found a club and thought it would be funny to screw up someone's hoop. Somebody doesn't want people playing basketball! I really think this one is probably just a joke / for humor's sake. Some old guy told a group of kids to stay off his driveway or else. They did not listen and this is what happened. That is a nice way to keep people from playing basket ball. Mr. Wilson got really sick of the neighborhood kids using his basketball hoop. His children are all grown up and he's not much of a basketball player, or for that matter, a climber. After many failed attempts to discourage the kids from using his hoop, he gave up and called his neighbor, a officer in the SFPD. His neighbor was out busting kids on skateboards, but the neighbor's son, who just received a bunch of crappy stickers agreed to come over and place the CLUB on Mr. Wilson's hoop to prevent any further use of his hoop. A teenager was grounded (for bad grades perhaps) so they had their basketball hoop clubbed until they improve. I believe the owner was tired of strangers shooting basketball in his driveway. -- Great simple solution to a problem, and great find Rob! someone is too lazy to take the hoop down. Someone doesn't like sharing their basketball hoop. Maybe kids were playing during the day in the hoop owner's driveway? looks like someone wanted the hoop all for themselves. The owner want a basketball hoop, but she has a night job. Neighbors or strangers kept playing when asked not to. The SFPD sticker was just added as a threat. When the user wants to play she gets out a stepladder and unlocks the Club. "Get away from there! We're trying to get some sleep in here!" The hoop was enjoyed by many kids around the neighborhood for about two years. Then there was some falling out between two families. Things remained civil for a little while, but then after the rhubarb incident - it turned ugly. Now the owner of the hoop wants to make sure only his kids can play with it. I don't know... Ask Veronica Mars! the popo hates the game. Kids playing a prank. Someone stole the net and replaced it with a steering wheel lock in an attempt to divert attention. But we didn't fall for it, did we? Observations: SFPD sticker has been there a while, although paint on "the Club" is scratched as well, indicating some time since installation. Wear on the club indicates numerous removals (paint is worn on sides). This is ovbiously over the top right corner of a garage. Playing hoops clearly caused some kind of safety hazard, but not enough to warrant removal of the hoop. The SFPD sticker is perplexing. I can't imagine PD unlocking and relocking the club on a regular basis, especially on private property. My guess, the home is near a school or common gathering place for young people and non-residents would use the basket. The homeowners did not like this, but wanted to use the hoop themselves. The homeowner installed the club and added the sticker for effect. Someone was worried about their hoop being stolen. Or perhaps the people in the building wanted people to stop playing there. Or the police department. Maybe someone was making meth? Damn kids! Observations: SFPD sticker has been there a while, although paint on "the Club" is scratched as well, indicating some time since installation. Wear on the club indicates numerous removals (paint is worn on sides). This is ovbiously over the top right corner of a garage. Playing hoops clearly caused some kind of safety hazard, but not enough to warrant removal of the hoop. The SFPD sticker is perplexing. I can't imagine PD unlocking and relocking the club on a regular basis, especially on private property. My guess, the home is near a school or common gathering place for young people and non-residents would use the basket. The homeowners did not like this, but wanted to use the hoop themselves. The homeowner installed the club and added the sticker for effect. Oops I meant to say who I was Pat Bozeman, MT patm@coe.montana.edu someone stole a bike and put the lock on the hoop to show off Someone in the neighborhood is both a joker and a dick After complaints fro neighbors the parents closed the hoop so the kids would stop making lots of noise outside. someone didn't want the kids playing so they put the club up there so the ball wouldn't go through the hoop. Duh. The owner of the property wanted to discourage neighborhood youth from unauthorized use of their basketball hoop / loitering around their property. Removing the hoop would prevent the owner from using the hoop as well, so the "Club" was added to allow the owner to unlock the hoop whenever they wish, but prevent others from using it without permission. Someone dosen't like basket ball players. Clearly someone didn't want neighborhood kids loitering and playing ball in their driveway, and didn't want to take down the hoop either. I think the sticker is a red herring. Home owner gets rather irriate at hte local kids using his hoop when hes not around so stops it being used with a steering whhel lock. Or Home owner grounds his kid for some reason and also determines the hoop is off limits and blocks it with the wheel lock Or the san francisco Police are killjoys. Or the owner of the house is very short and local kids put that there to torment him. The owner of the basketball hoop was likely having gangs of hooligans trespassing to play midnight baskball, or to shoot hoops while the owner was away at work. This wouldn't be so bad except I am sure they were leaving trash, drug paraphenalia, used condoms, and the like all over the owner's driveway. Rather than remove the hoop, the owner installs the Club while away or in bed. The SFPD sticker was likely the initial deterrent, but I'm guessing it didn't scare the ruffians away. At first sight, I thought "those damn kids!" Figuring that some kids put The Club up there as a joke. Then I realized the homeowner probably put The Club there to keep people (those damn kids) from playing basketball there. The kids in the house were grounded and banned from playing basketball... their parents put the wheel lock on the hoop Old Man Crotchety was sick of the neighborhood youths playing basketball at all hours. He clubbed the hoop and put an end to their fun. Mr. Crotchety, you are ingenious, but you suck! Someone's car was stolen that had the club on it. The thieves dismantled the club and put it on the basketball hoop to show that they were not deterred by the so-called criminal deterrent. basketball privleges DENIED! The club is obviously there to prevent the hoop from being used. Whether is is someone who lives at the house, or people from the neighborhood is anyone's guess. The hoop is really the steering wheel of a 1983 Ford Cutlas. Easy! This is the "NO HOOPS" basket that the Kings use to practice. the guy upstairs was tired of the nieghbor kids using HIS hoop! unfortunately they can still use tennis balls, handballs, Baseballs, Softballs, or the mini-basketballs. SFPD is a new gang sign? that or the SFPD has decided to patrol the northren part of the state. so if Micheal & Karl show up at your door with badges showing & guns drawn, well I guess you shouldn't have committed that crime... Brien basketball ban The owner was tired of people playing (and maybe damaging) with their basketball goal. They put the steering wheel lock up there to keep that from happening. The homeowner (or a neighbor) is tired of people playing basketball at all hours. The SFPD sticker is meant to lend a modicum of legitimacy. Jeff in Louisville they dont want people playing in their driveway Art installation. Someone put a club on the hoop. Pretty surreal. I like it. Probably very tall elves. The hoop faught the law, and the law won. Kids playing ball where it was illegal, so the fire department locked it so no one an play, easy ritualistic mating incident conjoining manufactured metal objects............... Obviously the pole and hoop have been ticketed for illegal parking many, many times, but the registered dunker has not paid the fines. Now over in Denver they boot things, but in CA the've chosen to club the hoops of repeat parking violators. Someone put a Club on their hoop to keep the damn neighbors' kids from playing on it, and now the key is long lost and the chrome locking shaft of the Club is probably too rusty to be removed with the key anyway. Someone kept playing basketball in the middle of the night, in the dark, and kept breaking the window above it. Well the Widow Johnson had just about enough of that so she had her son come out with a ladder and install the club. Not knowing that now there is a new game in the 'Hood... How high can you bounce the ball on the Club!!!! Rob lives next door, and this is where he actually did the Science Club Freethrow experiment. He must have been trying to best Antonia and it finally got to the neighbors. The annoying bam-bounce thing, and the sound of a grown man crying like a little girl. . . the sfpd is cracking down on streetball since it is too awesome for the local community to handle. police dont want them playing basket ball. Neighbourhood kids were using the hoop without the owner's permission and therefore either loitering and/or creating undue noise/nuisnace, so the homeowner put a "club" on the hoop to prevent it from being used without authorization. (The club can be removed with a key) someone was being a complete jerk and putting a random club on the hoop, just to be destructive. OR It's a statement to raise awarness for something. It is someone's private hoop and they do not want others to play with it. An angry neighbor was tired of the disturbance the ball players caused and got creative. It obviously took a ladder to place that up there so it is more than likely the homeowner placed the Club on the basketball hope. This was probably done so because they did not want people playing basketball there. Either there have been strangers using the hope or the children that reside in the home have been temporarily banned from playing basketball as a punishment. It cannot be illegal in San Fran to play hoops with all of the liberal weirdos over there. Noise code violations! Or maybe someone tossed a baby through the hoop (like 9 points if more than 18 feet away). A clever way to discourage late-night BB playing? Some people complained about rowdy youth using the hoop, the police installed the bar to prevent disturbance accompanied by furher use of the hoop. maybe some parents grounded their kid(s) and took away all their fun, including basketball? Basketball play by unauthorized parties is discouraged via obstruction of the portal that customarily accepts the thrown basketball. By leaving the hoop installed, those persons with a key to the lock can freely partake in the joy of shooting hoops. vandalism by youth who find it funny The hoop was installed out of compliance with local construction ordinances. That or the home owners association has a by-law in their covenant that prohibits un-sightly basketball hoops and call the cops. Someone installed "The Club" or a simialar product, in order to keep neihborhood kids from playing in thier driveway without permission Apparently, somebody doesn't want their basketball hoop to be stolen. j didn't want people shooting on this basketball hoop, probably on a busy street attempting to stop thugs from playing BBall YOU GODDAMN KIDS ARE GROUNDED! NO MORE BASKETBALL! grounded kids from basketball The owner of the house doesn't want non-residents playing basketball in their driveway. someone didnt want thier basket ball hoop to be stolen Pullups! They played basketball too often and are now being punished. A neighbor was irritated by the noise of basketball-playing, and thus "clubbed" the hoop to end it. Or, similarly, the basketballer's parent "clubbed" the hoop as punishment ("No basketball until you bring your grades up!"). The neighbor is tired of listening to basketball being played. Attack of the Grinchy Basketball Haters No longer hoops to be played in the night because of the grinch homeowner. Once a child played here, but then windows ended smashed, smashed, smashed as him and other children's tiny aim went off. Then teenager took hits, and it became popular. Now the grinchy basketball haters have learned to lock their hoops tightly. ? Failed attempt at keeping those bastard teenagers from stealing the net after winning the "Junky Driveway" basketball finals. someone (homeowner?, or rival b-ball team?) didn't want the hoop to be used, so clubbed it. I'd say that it's the house of a police officer (hence access to the bar and the sticker)... probably put it up when their kid was grounded. the kid it belongs to got grounded...poor poor kid, no mo basketball for him... Practical joke. somebody was parked underneath and didn't want a ball denting their roof The san francisco police department outlawed basketball and blocked the hoop so to deter potential lawbreakers and left a sticker as a symbol of their greatness. The house was rented. The person renting the house installed the bball hoop. The owner of the house asked the renter to remove it. The renter refused the owner got the San Fransisco Police to remedy the situation. Someone had an old Club and a beat-up basketball hoop they weren't using and put the two of 'em together. The person who lives in the apartment above the hoop is sick of the noise and the broken windows. They have installed the steering wheel lock to deter would-be Magic Johnson's. Regards to you and yours, Rob, from Jillian (Land of Oz) Angry dad - he works night shift, and was tired of hearing the ball banging against the house when he was trying to get some sleep. 'twould appear that the San Fransiscan police were for some reason commandeering the hoop. Or some smartass kids did it. Based on the condition of the backboard, I'd say the kids that grew up there have moved out. The parents aren't really motivated enough to take it down, but grew tired of the neighborhood kids coming up their drive and shooting hoops. They've kept their Club in the basement after getting a car with an alarm, and dug it out to shut down the kids. no idea Obviously, someone wanted to eliminate the sound of basketballs bouncing off the backboard during certain hours, so they put the Club on the hoop to force people to play elsewhere. Somebody doesn't want the San Francisco Police Department to play basketball where their buddies do. The children at that house are being punished for playing basketball and not doing homework. Someone got tired of the neighbor kids using their hoop. Its a bit obvious... a mother who grounded her son from playing hoops. crazy mom! Cops. Someone put a club on a basketball hoop? uh, to keep it from being stolen? apparently they don't want anyone to play hoops there. The owner installed "The Club" to keep other people from playing. Pretty ingenuous really. This person has had their basketball dunking priviledges suspended by the SFPD. Probably a child that was not doing well, and as punishment lost basketball priviledges. The other possibility suggests that the previous owners moved out, and the new owners were tired of neighborhood kids banging a ball out side of their house. From the grime on the club, it looks like it has been there for a while so I am leaning toward the second option. However, a third option exists which suggests that the hoop was unsafe, and they did not want a child to get hurt. I eliminated this option due to the fact that the club has been on for a while, and if it was in fact unsafe, I suspect that it would have fallen down already or simply been removed. Someone doesn't want the hoop to be played with or stolen Neighborhood kids were using the hoop for b-ball, bouncing the ball off the side of the building, perhaps causing damage and also annoying the owner. The club locks onto the hoop, rendering it useless, until the owner unlocks it for his own recreation. owner of the building called with noise complaints about the basketball players outside enough times that the police got ennoyed enough to come out and do something about it probably not allowed to play b ball there so the cops put it there as a deterent I'm thinking maybe that the window above the hoop got broken one too many times, so the person who lives there took matters into their own hands. Maybe they got the "SFPD" sticker to make it seem more official. Perhaps someone is trying to deter unauthorized use of the basketball hoop and backboard? Apparently there are roving bands of athletes in the neighborhood who could break into a spontaneous game of two on two if the courts are left unsecured. Maybe the hoop owner first tried a chain link fence, but the athletes being athletic just scaled it and played anyway. Isn't this a bit redundant since most hoops these days come standard with an alarm and lo-jack? Apparently this is an older model. satire, someone had their hoop stolen too many times Neighbors hate kids. NO BASKETBALL! Kids in this neighborhood were using the hoop to play basketball and were bouncing the ball off the side of the building,driving the resident nuts. The resident used "the club" to block the hoop and keep kids out of his driveway. He then went to his kitchen junk drawer and pulled out the SFPD sticker he received after making a donation and stuck on the backboard to make it look "official". Joe L. in ABQ Its a frameup just keeping the hoop secure. Someone was sick of other people playing on their court. The 'club' was placed in the hoop in order to force the basketball to the left when exiting the hoop - in order to avoid something on the right. My neighbors had a better way - they put garden rakes and hoes, pointy side up, to force us 'rascally kids' to control those errant basketballs from traveling onto their fine lawn. people be ballin' out of control, so the SF policia came and put a stop to everyones fun. The owners of the hoop did not want people to play basketball in front of their house unless they approved it (unlocked the lock). Too many kids from around the area were using this person's hoop so to prevent them from doing so, he/she "club"ed it. Someone is attempting to eliminate unauthorized basketball playing. Local Neighbours made a point to the owners that they didn't appreciate the hoop being used at all hours. Or the owners (whose kids were off to college) were trying to discourage local youths from using the hoop. Or the kid in the house has not only been grounded but has lost his hoop privilages!?! It's there to prevent people from playing basketball when they're not supposed to. -B dogg Someone wanted to recreate the old excitement that happened in the olden days. When basketball was new, the basket didnt have a hole in the bottom and the ball had to be retrieved with a ladder each time. How exciting, however, someone around Sacremento aparently thought it would be a hoot. The residents got tired of people playing Basketball they put the club on there to make the hoop unusable. The owner MIGHT be a cop.. Some street punks thought it funny to prevent the owner from using their new basketball hoop by blocking it with a car lock. Well it could be that someone used a club to keep other people from using the hoop to play basketball as a regulation sized ball will not fit through an opening of that size. Judging from the rust, and the main body no longer being anywhere near red anymore, it has been used in its current application for quite some time. Why would someone do that? Well judging from the look of the window above, that might be a bedroom; and a basketball on the side of a house is still going to make a consiterable amount of noise. The only reason I can think of for the San Francisco Police Department sticker is because the blue star looks pretty. k if that window is close to the hoop, the club may have been installed by the tenants of that home to keep people from playing- and accidentally breaking their window. People did not random people playing at night because its loud. so they put that there to prevent anyone from playing. REJECTED!!!! No ballin' zone, courtesy of SFPD. I'm guessing neighborhood kids were playing in this guys yard and he had enough. Probably waking him up at eight in the damn morning on a Saturday. Frickin' kids. So anyway, he installs The Club (tm) so that they can't use his hoop and he can get some damn sleep. The owner of the house does not want the neighborhood kids to play basketball in his driveway. By using the Club, the householder can control who plays--only he who has the key. It's illegal to have a basketball hoop in alleys and such due to the supposed allure to gangs and trouble-makin kids! Sooo SanFran P.D. clubbed the hoop to prevent play. My guess is that the police or landlord of the building received complaints from the people living there regarding the noise created by playing basketball (kids shouting, balls bouncing against walls & windows, etc). Take away the hoop, take away the basketball, and you take away the noise. Well, duh! It's to keep the hooligans from driving away with the building! Some shady characters must have been using someones basketball goal to play ball. The owner probably got tired of his window getting busted out, so he rather ingeniously decided to use a club to block off his rim when he's not there, and it is easy enough for him to take off when he wants to play. Nothing, the owner does not want strangers playing basketball in his or her driveway. the owner finally got tired of the LA lakers not paying their court rent and locked up the hoop. the owner finally got tired of the Warriors not paying their court rent and locked up the hoop. THIS ONE IS QUITE OBVIOUS PEOPLE, YOU ARE ALL ON THE WRONG TRACK WITH THE EVIL HOMEOWNERS THEORIES.... THIS HOME AND HOOP OBVIOSLY BELONGS TO MICHAEL RICHARDS. HE WON'T TOLERATE ANYONE OF ANY RACE PLAYING HOOPS AND IS MAKING A STATEMENT!! His apology to follow. Melissa in Reno
Damn you, Mayor A-Hole-son!! Someone in the building complained about the noise that the basketball hoop and backboard were making when people used it, so the SFPD put a Club through it to prevent it from being used. Either people dont want their hooop stolen or A dad is punishing their kids. the home owner was sick of kids playing on their hoop Someone doesn't like basketball. :( People were playing b-ball late night, and the people who lived in the house couldn't sleep. Children at this home were being rowdy with their basketball-fun-making and the police were called. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) then put a lock on the hoop and added a decorative sticker. some guy's wife got pissed at his husband for playing to much basketball and not caring for the family, and put up a club on the rim. she then went the extra step and put on the sticker which means "stupid father please delete". FAKE PHOTO. (i love when people write that) someone was drunk someone wanted to keep kids from playing basketball, hence the steering wheel lock the antenna broke from wind owner did not want pesky kids playing on their hoop, or maybe just art This is to keep passers-by from shooting hoops. I don't know what happened, but that's completely awesome. To stop just anyone using the hoop. No basketball will fit through with the wheel lock in place. robble robble? People who didnt leave there wouldn't stop using the hoop. Solution block the hoop with a club. This is an easy one. concerned about the health of youth in the neighborhood, the cops took actions to make the game of basketball more challenging, causing half-court games to regularly run into octouple overtime tie-games, and drastically increasing the physical activity of local youth. thank you, SFPD! some was drunk and accidently locked the hoop instead of their car incidences of loitering, drug deals, gang-related activity prompted the Police to render the hoop useless, in an attempt to prevent crime The owner of the house got tired of kids playing basketball in their driveway without their permission and placed the Club across the hoop so the ball would not go through it, rendering it useless. prevent non-owner from playing basketball someone doesn't want other people to use their basketball hoop. In response to a noise complaint, the cops disabled the hoop until the owner paid their fine (or removed the hoop). ... Maybe the San Fransisco Police department were receiving noise complaints from the neighbors so they decided to lock the hoop to prevent any noise from people playing basketball. It got put in lockdown! Someone got annoyed with the noise. A person stole a car and found the club in the front seat because the owner of the car was too lazy to put it on and the car thief hung it up on the rim of a basketball hoop as a trophy. The club is becoming obsolete these days as newer vehicles have better antitheft interlocks and as other car lock devices have taken over. So environmentally conscious people have a dilemna: what to do with your old club? I'd love to see a cockeyed prank series of creative uses for old clubs. id say that it is all decrepit(sp?) and cops dont want people to use it anymore The man in this picture, Tim: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid/17236242 is claiming responsibility for clubbing the hoop by brashly wearing the same sticker. The owner wanted to prevent any renegate pick-up games. My guess is that a neighbor was aggravated by the sound of people playing basketball(ball bouncing, yelling, etc.) and put the club up there so that the people couldnt play basketball anymore. The only other conclusion would be that a neighbor called the police several times, but the players wouldn't stop playing after being warned, so the SFPD came and put the club there and slapped a sticker on the backboard....or the neighbor slapped the sticker up there to scare the bb players...thats my educated guess... Someone doesn't want people playing with their hoop! 2 apartment dwellers decided to string up an old basketball hoop above a driveway and play some basketball outside of their 2nd story apartments. This was a bad idea, since someone in an ajacent apartment lost a window. The landlord got involved and since they weren't home at the time, clubbed the basketball hoop and the San Francisco PD left their mark. owner tired of their basketball hoop being stolen? The Club makes it a bit unusable... well, until it meets Mr. Hacksaw of course... Parents took there basketball privledges away... Somebody stole the net already, so this is an attempt to prevent the theft of the hoop. Neighborhood hooligans were playing unauthorized games of basketball. It was happening in the middle of the night, iliciting noise complaints from neighbors. Thus, the San Francisco Police Department put on THE CLUB to prevent people from playing these games so late at night. If the homeowner wants the club removed, the police left a sticker, so the homeowner could know who to contact. Obviously, someone doesn't want those damn neighborhood kids to play on their hoop. Hooligans... meth global warming Noise complaints Guy doesn't want the neighbor kids playing basketball at his house if he isn't home, or invited Either they are crazy, or they just dont want anyone playing basketball. somebody's funny! The club is there to prevent others from playing in the owner's driveway -ambios Obviously someone installed a club on the hoop. My guess is that either someone is being punished ("If you don't clean your room I'll put the club on your basketball goal"), or someone thought it would be funny to club a friend's hoop. The sticker is probably unrelated. The owner put the club up to keep neighborhood kids from playing basketball. Put there deliberately to stop kids from playing basketball. Some one's really fed up with the neighbor kids using their hoop, or the neighbor is tired of the owners of the hoop playing basketball and getting back at them. One of the children failed a class and is no longer allowed to shoot hoops until the grades improve. You got on a later and fucked up a perfectly good basketball hoop Someone didn't want the neighbor kids coming over and using his basketball hoop. cops were just trying to mess up another game of ghetto basketball!! That's hilarious. Neighbors got tired of the noise? That's simple. Someone is trying to keep a backetbal-jacker from stealing the hoop. NEXT! The San Fran PD didn't want people in the neighborhood to play basketball on this hoop. Either the owners didn't want people around thier house without permission, or the house is abandoned and the Police do not want people hanging around the house, so they put this club on the rim. Basketball noises were annoying the neighbours, they called the cops, who locked off the hoop and left their cunning mark. Dude was tired of kids playin' ball in his hoop, so he locked that mofugga to chill em out. Word. neighbors complained - SFPD blocked the hoop The cops want to prevent someone from playing basketball? The occupant of the house got tired of the noise created by the players. the owner, maybe, had a hoop stolen before and, rather than allow that to occur again, put a steering wheel lock through it to render it less appealing to a thief. The home was abandoned, and the police wanted to discourage kids from hanging out there playing ball, so they blocked the hoop If the stickers mean the SFPD put the club there I would guess the occupants were playing ball at inappropriate times and being a noisy nuisance. If the stickers are unrelated I would say that someone is grounded and mom or dad put the club there to prevent any games. the police impounded art. Someone put the club on the inside of the hoop. Either the cops don't want no ball-playin-round-here or slams dunks are prohibited. Neighbors were shooting hoops without permission. OR Someone shooting hoops broke the window. Obvious ploy to keep kids from playing basketball The police put the stick there so they wouldn't shoot hoops anymore. There must be an ordinance against playing basketball. someone, perhaps a police officer, was tired of those meddling kids from the neigborhood playing HOOP while he was out fighting crime. he put the lock up and has since forgotten about physical activity ever since he purchased a PS3 off a junkie in the mission district. - jose at area43.net Noise complaints, so the police locked it up. The hoop's owners had their old hoop stolen out of their driveway. The club and pd sticker represent their efforts to thwart would be thieves from making off with hoop version 2. Keep neighborhood kids from using their private basketball hoop Probably wanted to keep neighborhood kids from using the goal. The owner of the house obviolsy doesn't want folks using his hoop. Perhaps he's had a problem with neighborhood kids using it? It doesn't look to be mounted in the best locations. I'm guessing he want's to use it himself, but not have other's use it. I thought locking it up was pretty clever. Parent wants to keep kid from shooting hoops 'cause he's grounded. The owners of the house probably don't want random kids coming into their driveway and playing basketball. Upon looking at these pictures, there are a few things which really stick out. Namely: "The Club", the S.F.P.D sticker, and the fact that the Basketball hoop is without a net. Less obvious is what appears to be a length of white string or wire stretching from above and right to below and left of the net. Considering these things, the answer can be deduced with little strain. Theives. Clearly, what has happened here is someone (or something) has attempted to steal this sporting apparatus. Fortunately, all they managed to make off with was the net. They must have tried to get the whole thing (hoop and all) - as seen in the final picture, the washer for the bolt in the upper right appears to be newer than the bolt - clearly having been replaced after the thief destroyed the old washer. The San Francisco Police Department placed a sticker on the backboard while doing their initial investigation, as it is standard procedure to mark all evidence. The owner, not wanting a repeat incident, used "The Club" to make the hoop inoperable to would-be thieves (as a deterrent). Additionally, the owner has installed some type of trip-wire alarm system that likely would sound an alarm or alert the authorities if the hoop is disturbed. I only hope that the stolen net can be recovered undamaged and returned to its proper owner. -Jake Scaltreto I gotta basketball jones, somebody always be stoppin' jams with da club someone doesn't want other people playing basketball in thier driveway Clearly, someone forget to register their basketball. A truck will be along soon to impound the offending backboard. If the owner attempts to remove the club or play basketbell, signicificant damage or bodily harm may occur. It belonged to the S.F.P.D., the club was a prank. The hoop was replaced and thrown out. The perpetrators seized the opportunity to claim a worthy trophy. some kids where playing bball on some guys hoop the didnt want them trespassing on his property. so he put the thing on his hoop hi someone got fed up of the kids shooting hoops Some wiseacre stole the car from the driveway, and just to show their effectiveness at stopping crime, transferred the "Club" and SFPD sticker from the car to the basketball hoop and backboard. And you know what? In this case they were effective. Neither the "Club" nor the sticker was stolen! :) They got tired of random people playing in their driveway and installed The Club. Owner was to lazy to remove hoop so he used "the club" Someone at the SFPD sent out a memo to install a basket ball hoop down at the boys club. The pictures show the result of an unfortunate typo. Looks like it is there to discourage people from playing basketball. Owner can unlock it and play. Their neighbor is a white racist car thief with a 13 year old daughter. One of the cars he stole had the club laying on the floor because they left it running in front of 7-11 while they went in for a cup of coffee. They didn't want to shut it off because the battery is junk and they have to jump start it every morning off the wifes car, before she goes to work. So, the white racist car thief with a 13 year old daughter steals the car, drives it a few miles to get some crack. When he comes out of the crack house, the car won't start, so he steals the stereo, grabs the club, which he doesn't have a key for, and walks 4 blocks to his home. He smokes his crack on the way. When he gets home, he finds the black neighbor banging away on his 13 year old daughter on the couch. He beats the black guy over the head with his newly aquired Rockford Fosgate T40001BD mono classD sub amp. The black guy runs out of the house with just his shorts and a basketball. The white racist car thief with a 13 year old daughter decides he's going to put a stop to his neighbors basketball career, so in the middle of the night, he sneaks over to the neighbors house and attaches his newly aquired club to the basketball hoop. Someone really doesn't want to share their basketball hoop with the neighbor kids. the club stops unwanted people from shooting hoops at night grounded teenager The residents of this building were not enamored with roving bands of ballers using the hoop on their house, so they put the club on the hoop to make the hoop worthless for basketball. The police, tired of complaints about late night basketball, installed a club on the hoop that they remove at sunrise and put on at sunset. The SFPD attempting to discourage noise by disabling the hoop. Some cop doesn't want kids using his basketball net! The owner didnt want people shooting at his hoop so the club prevents that. I want to say that the young kids who live in that house are perhaps grounded and that was the best way a parent was able to keep them from playing basketball. I think the SFPD sticker is just coincidence, I don't think there was any reason it would have been placed there for police purposes. That or the owner of the hoop was tired of people bouncing balls against his house at all hours of the night and "The Club" was the best way to solve the problem but still allow the hoop to be used when necessary. Pirates. someone works the midnight shift, needs the sleep and kids are making too much noise playing hoops. Judging by the sticker, the "Safety For Pretty Dames" organization locked up this hoop. People playing bball driving neighbors crazy, refused to take down hoop. Someone clever, possibly SFPD, stopped them with club (the nice way). Wish I had thought of it when there was a hoop next to my house. In an effort to stop the filming of bad sport drink commercials, the SFPD has locked out all public sport areas,including spike strips at the BMX track,snipers stationed near all soccor fields,and mines in the public swimming pools. Looks like someone put a "club" on a b-ball rim. DEE, dee dee! TheChronicOne@WMconnect.com the owners were tired of kids playing basketball so they put a club through the hoop. the SFPD doesn't want anyone taking away their brand new Basketball hoop. a) someone put it there as a joke. b) someone put it there to stop people from using it. This is a very high theft area, so you have to secure your basketball hoop. Splatman's Theories: No basketball playing allowed per the San Fransico Police Dept. Fed-up resident. Basketball Club! 12/24/06 16:54 someone climbed the side of the house and installed a "club" on the b-ball hoop so that those bastards wouldn't be able to play b-ball in the middle of the damn night anymore. Someone has a hoop outside their window, and does not like the fact that neighborhood kids use it all the time. They placed a CLUB device over the hoop to prevent its use. SFPD sticker? Who knows. Maybe to scare would be hoopsters from bypassing the club device with a ball point pen. No more ball playing, either by the owners or the police White men can't jump. They didn't want local punks playing so they (quite ingeniously) installed "The Club". Passerbys would use the hoop late at night, keeping the occupants awake. Therefore, they restrict hoop-useage by clever use of a car theft deterrent. someone didn't want hoops happening. the guy who installed it lives on the other side of the wall to which it is mounted and he put the lock in so that only he could shoot hoops because if it was open to the public then he would constantly be bothered be the sound of basketballs hitting his wall. Neighbors complained about the noise and someone, i.e. the police, put up the club to prevent kids from playing ball. This could be an apartment building or duplex where the playing of basketball is disruptive to the neighbors. The hoop was illegally placed & San Fransisco police attached 'the club' to render the hoop unusable. Pissed off parents trying to keep the neighborhood kids from playing when their own kids weren't around! -- Abby don't be stealing my hoop, yo! kid got grounded? Foto-chop. It's reasonable to assume that the "Club" was put there by the San Francisco Police Department's Gang Task Force (Otherwise known as SFPDGTF - Pronounced "Siff-pat-dig-Tiff.") This was placed by the SFPDGTF because a group of miscreants used the basketball hoop and the asphalt/concrete surface associated with it as a congregating ground for various forms of misanthropy such as finger-snapping, gin-drinking and their famed dance fights. It's good to see my tax dollars at work in our fine city. Obviously playing basketball there is illegal! They kept getting their hoop stolen? they put the Club on it to make sure nobody steals the hoop. someone thew the sitkcy thing up I'm guessing someone got sick of people playing late at night or early in the morning and put that up there to stop them somebody got pissed that kids were playing b-ball late at night and "clubbed" the hoop. perhaps an SFPD off-duty cop? I beleive a disgruntled neighbor installed this ingenious device to effectively: A) Stop the late-night playing of basketball (which had kept them awake). B) Revenge for not allowing them to play in the impromptu neighborhood pick-up basketball games. C) A subtle way to encourage Kobe Bryant to pay attention to the importance of marraige. nye@comcast.net The kid(s) who use the hoop got bad grades, so their parents made damn sure they couldn't play until they improved. n The original owner of the hoop moved away leaving the hoop behind. The new resident of the property doesn't play basketball but would be awakened and/or annoyed by neighborhood kids shooting hoops in their driveway. They called the police to disperse the kids but by the time the police arrived, everyone was gone. The police suggested they remove the hoop or render it unuseable. Not having the tools, skills, or desire to remove it, but being in possession of a spare Club (after the neighborhood kids destroyed their car for calling the cops on them) they installed it on the hoop along with a sticker the police supplied to make it all look official. The homeowner finally had enough of the neighbourhood kids playing basketball on his driveway and cunningly installed the crook-lock (don't if that's what you call them over there?) to spoil their fun! someone punishing their kid for doing bad in school, and this is the only way to keep them from playing basketball.. We used to have a basketball hoop at the bottom of our driveway when I was young, and it was fine most of the time but when the neighbors would stop by to play it would annoy the shit out of my mom with the constant bouncing sound of the ball right outside our windows at all hours of the day and night. She ended up putting a sign up for when the "court" was open for use, but perhaps this use of The Club was a more effective deterrent. It's obviously designed to stop people from playing, and I would assume that the noise might be a factor. - Alabammy Skwirl Mean man stop kids have fun To keep it from being used SF cops put the kibosh on unlawful hoopsters. Someone got really ticked off by late night basketball playing. Someone didn't want kids playing BB around their house ... a theory that involves the work of drunken college students The owner doesn't want the menacing neighborhood children enjoying his hard-earned (albeit, netless) basketball hoop. The San Francisco Police Department hates basketball, so they put a steering wheel club on it. The SFPD locked down the hoop due to it being parked illegally on a playground. Noise complaints, blah blah - but - better yet? A tall drunk. Thanks, Kushcash.com Pure Insanity The Club is the best way to prevent basketball playing in unwanted areas, such as basketball courts. Damn hippies Some bastard didn't want any kids playing with the basketball hoop behind his house. Person playing basketball is on a temporary vacation from said sport, either sponsored by an authority figure or by one's own restraint. When I am a parent, I look forward to finding creative ways of grounding my children. LOL. Looks like the S.F. police "booted" the hoop to prevent dem kids from making such a RACKET at night! -Charlie somebody doesnt like basketball The bouncing was annoying to people living nearby so they blocked it. someone's son wasn't allowed to play basketball anymore because of an injury but didnt listen so the father stuck a drivers wheel lock on it so the son couldnt play basketball. that was terrible english. I'd guess that the previous owners of the home installed the hoop, and they would let the neighborhood kids use it. The home then changed hands, and the new owners weren't keen on allowing the practice to continue, so they put the club on the hoop, preventing any basketball from being played. ko "Stop playing basketball in my yard, you lousy kids!" The hoop belonged to a previous tenant. The current tenant is a grumpy old woman. A guy got tired of those hooligan neighborhood kinds playing in his driveway. it's a pull-up bar. everyone knows that cops don't play basketball. somebody didnt want those damn kids playing basketball until they did thier homework somebody doesn't want those damn kids playing basketball on his driveway anymore wow Two trespassers were shooting a game of hopes when an irate property owner came upon them and vowed that vagrants would never again use his basketball hoop. He then clubbed it and slapped an SFPD sticker on it to deter future hooligans. police are mean and they suck is the answer. x Drunk People!!! Maybe the police came and put the Club on the hoop because the basketball rolling down the hill into the street was becoming a danger to traffic? Drunk cop. Somebody wanted to prevent other people from using his basketball hoop. Some kid is TOTALLY grounded from playing basketball... Someone was too lazy to take the basketball goal down to stop kids from playing with it. The hoop is made out of a space age resin - carbon fibre material that needs to cure for at least 72 hours prior to use. After installation this handy bar clamp is keeping the proper spread in the hoop. Without the clamp this hoop would dry in the shape of tired vocal cords. Either someone was using the hoop and the owner was mad and put the club in there to keep people from playing, or someone got mad for late-night play, for example, and took a passive-aggressive stand. [mp] MORANS! It appears that a person, not quite tall enough to reach the rim, was wanting to grab hold of it. "The Club" lowered the "Rim" just enough to grab hold of and then the persom proceded to grab the actual rim and "dunk it" Theory 1 - someone is being grounded from playing basketball. Parents/guardians put the lock on the hoop. (Wanting to be able to use the hoop again later. Theory 2 - (based on the "SFPD" sticker) Neighbor complaints about people using this hoop too late/early or making too much noise or something. Cops couldn't find out who was causing the problem, couldn't legally take down a hoop that wasn't theirs, and so clubbed it. Theory 3 - combination of 1 and 2 - angry neighbor preventing others from using the hoop while reserving the right for themselves. "Dammit, don't those kids know it's 3:00 AM? Obviously that sticker your brother gave us didn't work. That's it! I'm going to put a stop to this once and for all" "Now, now, they're just kids. don't do anything you'll regret." "Don't worry." My guess is that people were probably playing basketball late in the evening when whoever lives inside that window was trying to sleep. The "Club" is there to prevent the ball from being able to go through the hoop, effectively disabling it's usability except when the owner wants it to be used. -Trep It was obviously a nine foot tall hoop and the sfpd thought that the kids that lived there were getting improper practice, so they gave the owners a ticket and locked in until they raise it. I think the club was installed by a parental unit who decided this would be a good way to keep their kiddies from playing hoops before their homework was finished! Someone didn't want his hoop-ty stolen. Defense! Joe Baggins was worried about his motorcylce getting stolen. So he installed "THE CLUB". Didn't help theives drove off with "THE CLUB" installed on it. They couldn't drive to well and an unfortunate accident insued between them and this basket ball hoop which ended up leaving "THE CLUB" in the hoop. Residents complained about people playing basketball there so the police department clamped it so a ball won't fit. Someone wants to stop kids playing basketball nothing happened. you idiot. The hoop was obviously used by gang bangers and the police applied The Club to prevent them from congregating around it. The gang members struck back by switching to a mini-basketball. Illegally installed? The people in the house above got sick of the broken windows from missed shots at the hoop or noise of people playing basketball and the ball hitting the wall was annoying them. The CLUB was installed to thwart basketball net thieves that are rampant in San Francisco. Alas, the CLUB failed to protect. See how sophisticated those thieves are in San Francisco? So sez Ice9. Neighbors complained about the noise and the cops came out and put a car security device on that hoop. Somebody put the club on it to keep down noise outside of their place. too many broken windows from basketball or the tenants of the building complained about the basketball hitting the building too much The San Fran policeman who lived above the basketball hoop got the shits with "youths" missing the net and banging balls against his wall all times of the day and night. He attached the club so that the ring is useless. Or, the SFPD person was sick and tired of having their hoop stoles, and wanted to test "The Club's" warranty. df an annoyed neighbor put the club on the hoop to prevent kids from playing late at night. Somone accidently got the ball stuck and used that thing to get it off. They misfired and got the ball off but made that stuck. dumb kids no more broken windows Their car was stolen. some body was fishing and when he cated, he let go and it got stuck there The hoop was being used by people who were not authorized to, so the rightful owner threw a club on it when not in (legit) use. When the owner wants to use it, s/he unlocks the club. Somebody did not want hoodlums putting more holes in the middle of their private hoop. this basketball hoop is condemned by order of the San Francisco Police Department. j The neighbors wouldn't stop usint the basketball hoop. Witnesses reported seeing the SF Detectives taking the homeowner away in cuffs while a beat cop was left to hang "the CLUB" on the hoop. Booya! something Neighbor kids using the hoop (during baby's nap?) annoyed tenants/homeowners. Tenants/homeowners used club to block access. l unwanted people were playing basketball and the owner losked the hoop to discourage them. good idea! Cops tried to get rid of kids The kid spent all his time shooting hoops, so his mom "clubbed" him until his grades oimprove and/or his room is clena. the owner wanted to keep the basketball hoop from being stolen 3 things come to mind. 1. The people playing roundball kept losing the ball (top of driveway, and the ball rolled into the street) too often that it was a safety hazard, so the police "clubbed" the hoop. 2. People were playing late at night, making lots of noise, so again the police "clubbed" the hoop. or 3. Unauthorized people were playing at unsanctioned times so the owner "clubbed" his own hoop so only he could use it. Easy, teenagers who live there thought it would be fun to place a completely free (due to it's ridculous nature) club to "block" their basketball goal from being played with erroniously, perhaps even from themselves? Someone needed a pull-up bar. Some students or partying team players found the discarded lock (which probably no longer locks, which is why it is discarded) and they thought that the hoop would be a fun place to put it. Noise complaint... I have no fucking idea hoop locked to prevent noisy games at night I don't know People have been playing unauthorized basketball, and so someone tired of the noise/trespassing made the hoop useless for play. Clearly, what we have here is a series of events and circumstances, working together to create a puzzling conundrum. The first circumstance is an individual with a penchant for playing basketball. The second, a neighbour. One easily disturbed by the sound of inflated balls striking concrete and or the sounds one might expect to come from a spirited contest of Dr. Naismith's game. Lastly, and most importantly, you have a lazy representative of the San Franciso Police Department. What I surmise happened to lead to this horrible event is that the person in circumstance 1 was playing basketball, leading to the person in circumstance 2 calling the PoPo to complain about the noise, resulting in the representative indicated in circumstance three to take action to prohibit future play. Rather than order the goal removed, or doing it him/herself, the officer rendered the hoop incapable of supporting a game by attaching The Club (tm) to the hoop. Elementary. I think some crotchety neighbor was sick of the neighbor kids making noise while they slept or something and put up the club when everyone else was sleeping. I work nights and could see myself doing that. You probably know by now/don't care anymore, but this is something people (the property owner, grouches, or perhaps the SFPD?) do when they don't want pesky kids playing ball all night (for example). If you're the property owner, you can unlock the Club when you want to play, then lock up and take your ball and all the fun home by yourself when you're done. By the looks of things, both the hoop and Club have been abandoned.