THE BASKETBALL ARTICLE was conceived in November 1974 and written in April 1975 as an assignment for OUI magazine. We got to go to all the Nets games we wanted through Barney Kremenko, Publicity, but Jim Wergeles of the Knicks balked, “What do you girls really do?” We heard he was a jock. We got to go to the first women’s basketball game held in Madison Square Garden. We wrote a review that was rejected for being too technical. We tried not to make THE BASKETBALL ARTICLE too technical so it was rejected by a group of editors a few of whom thought it “was a minor masterpiece,” the others “couldn’t tell what the hell was going on” with it... — Bernadette Mayer, 1975

Traveling. All teams should meet in the center of the world and stay there for the 80-game season. There would be no fans but the other teams. McAdoo, the NBA’s leading scorer and most valuable player, might cheer for Gianelli. As a fan, he could get thrown out of the game for two technicals, or for trying to play center for the Knicks. There would be no two million dollar deals for Walton because the fans would all be professionals and they’d get in free. Too bad then, there’d be no women at the games, except as invited guests. And the wives and families of the players. All of Walt Frazier’s girlfriends could attend. But no one would know this. After the game the professionals would meet secretly to exchange plays without the knowledge of the coaches. Jabbar would spend time training Marvin Webster to be the Nets’ new center. The season would last two months after which the players would emerge from the center of the world, change their identities and not have to be healthy, competitive citizens. Then they would travel to all parts of the world for free with a special basketball identification card. Some would become astronauts. Some would join the Communist Party.