Chance to Play, A (1950)

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] go [Applause] Tommy come on St is ready g m we want to finish the game well you can go out again later it'll be dark then well come deep in the heart of every American boy is the feeling that he needs a lot more time for play but far is his need for more anes to play for in most cities throughout the United States today playgrounds are wul lacking and youngsters are forced to seek Amusement in the city streets in the smaller communities although space is usually plentiful it is seldom equipped for recreation and children congregating in the roadways are constantly exposed to [Music] danger in spite of careful driving the inevitable happens in a single year in the US as many as 800 boys and girls have been killed and more than 50,000 injured in Street accidents even in localities where parks and playgrounds have been established there are still far too few facilities to meet the demand and players often find it necessary to waste many hours just waiting for their turn on the [Music] courts but after a Time patience wears thin and the young May soon settle for other places of amusement and other kinds of [Music] fun on their own and away from all supervision they may quickly acquire the free and easy habits which all too often lead to delinquency instead of the team spirit of the playing field they may develop the marauding habits of the underworld it is only a short step to outright [Music] [Music] crime that thousands of teenage boys and girls run a foul of the law each year is conclusive evidence that the community recreational problem is still far from solved though Recreation alone will not prevent delinquency it does help to maintain the moral and physical health of the [Music] community during World War II some 3 and a half million young men who might have been healthier and stronger had they been provided with adequate Recreation areas in their childhood were rejected as unfit for service the Armed [Music] Forces even more disastrous Than Physical deterioration is the alarming increase in mental illness among all age groups in the US today one person out of every 20 must undergo treatment in a mental institution many of them at the taxpayer's expense today public-spirited groups of every kind are zealously working to make up for the omissions of the past by promoting and even helping to finance more and better playgrounds and throughout the country Progressive municipalities are coming to realize that Recreation is an essential part of community life ranking in importance with public health and education Civic leaders and elected officials of cities and towns of every size are today reappraising the outdoor recreational needs of their people and in many cases are taking the necessary action to meet them but though some progress is being made the job ahead is still a big one of the more than 16,000 us municipalities only a scant 2500 have organized Recreation [Music] services and though playgrounds require trained leaders just as schools need qualified teachers only 1/8 of the nation's Recreation workers are employed fulltime the year [Music] round it is the recreation workers job to teach youngsters how to play according to the rules of the game and to encourage them in the ways of good [Music] sportsmanship out [Music] the chance to play is essential to the well-being of all regardless of age for most people young or old no form of recreation has greater appeal than a relaxing swim on a summer afternoon and today they are able to enjoy the luxury of modern up-to-date pools if they are fortunate enough to live in a progressive community [Music] but the facilities of the community play areas must be Diversified to accommodate the preferences of all and they must be made available at the least possible cost if the place and the equipment for play are conveniently at hand even the less popular sports will attract people who never before thought of taking part in them [Music] [Applause] Recreation is particularly important old for whom inactivity can well mean a drab and lonely existence [Music] today thanks to the advancements of Medical Science men and women in the Autumn of Life enjoy Better Health and can expect to live longer than those of past generations with more than 11% of the US population already over 60 years of age Progressive Community planners are becoming increasingly aware of the special recreational needs of the Aging growing at a rate greater than that for any other age group are recreational opportunities enabling Grandma and Grandpa to have a good time while keeping themselves physically fit and mentally [Music] alert [Music] critical though the recreational problem is for all other groups among the US population it is particularly acute for the great mass of people who cannot play during the daytime the nation's many millions of working men and [Music] women for very few job holders are able to take advantage of the facilities which most recreation centers [Music] offer although many courts and playing fields may be available they are too often used for only part of the day and are closed as evening approaches after Nightfall the community recreational problem becomes more acute deprived of playgrounds that can give them wholesome Amusement teenagers inevitably find that they have nothing better to do than to pass their evenings loafing on the street [Music] corners and sooner or later in their search for diverse they are likely to drift into the same pattern of nighttime existence as that followed by so many of the older members of the [Music] community for the lack of suitable outdoor recreation areas affects everyone regardless of age recognizing the urgent need for adequate day and night recreational facilities alert Civic leaders are working toward a solution to their problem and although such leaders all approve of a progressive program in principle there are many considerations involved Architects have completed plans for Memorial Park and have submitted this model for our approval in designing it they've had the advice of recreation experts and of the equipment manufacturers as you can see it provides facilities for many different kinds of sports daytime and night time as well there are courts for tennis a swimming pool and a it looks fine Steve but you know good and well that a recreation center like that will cost us more than this town can afford no George you're wrong in terms of community living alone this part will be worth many times our investment in it of course in dollars and cents it's a sound proposition too by charging admission and rental fees on certain occasions we can help meet the operating cost of the park we don't have to build it all at once just part of it now and part of it later on and gradually we'll get it all in the meantime the park will help to increase the value of the neighboring real estate what's the need for all this floodlighting Steve well Paul you've got to remember that nighttime is the only time during the week that many folks can play studies made in 12 communities about the same size as ours show that courts and ball fields get at least 25% more use with flood lighting and stall through floodlighting nighttime Recreation is made possible not only for those who like to participate in sports but also for those who like to watch a fact which Big League Baseball clubs like the Brooklyn Dodgers have long recognized profitably today more than onethird of the major league game games throughout the country are played at night under lights accounting for almost 40% of the more than 20 million tickets sold each [Music] year but far more important than gate receipts are the dividends outdoor recreation pays in health happiness and increased efficiency many large industrial companies realize that no matter what his job the American worker who has a chance to play in his off hours will invariably do a better job Progressive companies today not only encourage their employees to take part in recreational activities but often cooperate in providing and maintaining flood lighted playing fields for their use several nights each week the employees turn out to watch games involving company teams and the build building of team spirit inevitably helps to develop a better company [Music] Spirit [Applause] out in some sections of the country where summer temperatures soar to unbearable Heights during the day nighttime is play time [Music] playing facilities of all kinds though virtually deserted during the heat of the day receive maximum use at [Music] night today despite the acknowledged role of recreation in building health and despite the fact that most people can play only in the evening after work less than 18% of the Nations 50,000 outdoor Municipal facilities are illuminated for nighttime [Music] use though such public facilities are greatly needed for each age group there is a particular need for centers which can be enjoyed by all ages at all hours [Music] in the larger cities where space is at a premium one solution to this problem lies in the multiple use outdoor play area wherever facilities of this kind have been established they have helped to prevent juvenile delinquency and the same hard surface area that is flood lighted for nighttime Recreation is also marked off for many different types of daytime Gam [Music] game in Autumn winter and early spring when the days are short and the hours of Darkness long flood lighting assumes an indispensable role in the enjoyment of outdoor [Applause] sports in recent years spectator sports events have been held more and more during the evening [Music] [Applause] hours for most people find that it is already dark when their day's work is done and that of the 40 hours they have available for recreation throughout the week more than half are in the [Applause] [Music] [Applause] evening [Music] for the entire community recreation is a year-round necessity fully as important in Winter as in the milder seasons of the year no matter how crisp the weather invigorating fun in The Great Outdoors contributes greatly to healthy happy [Applause] [Music] living in Winter more than in any other SE season children find that after school there is very little daytime left for play in the open air Recreation can serve no better purpose in the life of community than in helping to keep the American family together as a unit after going their separate ways during the day father mother and children can share their even evenings together in healthful outdoor play and for Dad especially nighttime Recreation provides a welcome opportunity for comradeship with his [Music] children but very few families are fortunate enough to have within easy reach of home the outdoor sports centers they need to enable all members of the household to get out [Music] together for even in the most Progressive communities there are still not enough nighttime recreational facilities [Music] available today Americans of every age are in need of more and better places to play greater opportunities for enjoying Recreation out ofd doors day and night season after season and it is up to America's citizens to take the action necessary for sweeping Improvement on the recreational front to decide whether the Youth of the Nation will go astray or grow up in wholesome surroundings whether the Aging will wither away or enjoy to the full their remaining years whether children will live Dangerously in the street or safe on the playground whether the members of the family will be forced to seek Amusement individually or have a chance to play together the problem of recreation in America must be solved not by any single group alone but through the active participation of every citizen in the land