熱火朝天的“村BA”

錢淇 劉沁昀

2023年4月，筆者有幸去貴州出差，適逢“村BA”的消息，就向開車的師傅了解情況。

沒有正規(guī)場地，沒有正式組織，只有一片紅綠相間的露天籃球場；沒有商業(yè)贊助，沒有實況轉(zhuǎn)播，只有揮灑汗水的球員和熱情呼喊的觀眾。這場別開生面的籃球比賽，因在抖音等平臺直播，一時走紅，吸引了很多人關(guān)注。有人仿照NBA，給它起了一個洋名字“村BA”。

“村BA”的全稱是“貴州省首屆‘美麗鄉(xiāng)村’籃球聯(lián)賽”。該活動發(fā)源于貴州當(dāng)?shù)厣贁?shù)民族“六月六”吃新節(jié)舉辦體育賽事的傳統(tǒng)，這一傳統(tǒng)在許多村莊都有近百年歷史。籃球作為門檻最低、參與度最高的運動項目，從各種各樣的運動中得以傳承了下來，同時保留了草根籃球賽的慣例，運動員、裁判都是青壯年的村民，他們中有的在當(dāng)?shù)貏?wù)農(nóng)或是做些小本生意，有的在外求學(xué)、務(wù)工，每逢賽事就會回村訓(xùn)練參賽。

2023年的“村BA”比賽如期舉辦，在短短半年如火如荼的籃球盛事里，將近2 500支隊伍進(jìn)行了超過4 000場民間籃球賽。在3月25日的總決賽中，黔東南隊擊敗了銅仁隊取得了首屆“村BA”的冠軍。決賽期間，我們有幸在貴州當(dāng)?shù)赜龅搅艘晃粺崆榈某鲎廛囁緳C，從他的口中了解到當(dāng)?shù)厝藢Α按錌A”的看法。問：師傅，聽說“村BA”很火，據(jù)說這個比賽并不是第一次，好像每年都要持續(xù)幾個月。您能簡單介紹一下“村BA”嗎？

司機：籃球比賽從我出生就有，在我們這里有好幾十年的歷史了。只不過以前不叫“村BA”，就是村里面的籃球賽，幾個村在一起比賽而已。

一開始為什么要搞這樣的比賽呢？說起來也沒什么宏大的設(shè)想，比如說一個村寨和另一個村寨互相不服，又不能用武力解決問題，就想著用什么來比試一下?，F(xiàn)在打籃球的人多，年輕人也都喜歡這項運動，也算是一種娛樂的方式吧?！按錌A”這個名字哪里來的呢？是因為有人在抖音之類的平臺直播，比賽通過直播火起來之后，才有了“村BA”這個名字。

一般來說，十月左右，凱里周邊的村子之間就開始比起來了，獲勝的隊伍晉級到下一輪，再和其他的冠軍打比賽。平時即便沒有抖音這樣的平臺，我們也會有這么多人去看比賽的。我是因為小時候個子小，籃板搶不過別人，所以我選擇蹋足球，不打籃球。

問：您剛才提到自己踢足球，那么這里是否還會舉辦足球或者其他運動的比賽？在有那么多運動可以選擇的情況下，為什么籃球賽在今天如此熱火朝天？

司機：其他運動也有組織比賽，但是規(guī)模都沒有籃球賽這么大，籃球最快捷、最方便。干完農(nóng)活，兩三個人加一個籃球，幾乎隨時隨地部可以打球。籃球門檻低，只要會拍球就行了。而足球需要的人數(shù)多、場地大、門檻也高。

籃球基本就是我們生活的一部分。我們每一個村子、每一個鄉(xiāng)鎮(zhèn)都有籃球場，有好有差，連苗寨里面都有籃球場。假如去—個村子考察，其他方面再好，只要沒有籃球場，我們就會覺得這個村子不太行。

我們這兒還組織過女生籃球賽呢！起初并沒有女生比賽，后來村里有女生提出：“為什么只搞你們男生的球賽，我們女生不搞？”后來到“三八”婦女節(jié)就會組織女生籃球賽。但是女生的比賽，除了不能打架基本沒有什么規(guī)矩，走步、打手、抱著籃球跑也不管，只要投進(jìn)球就可以。有的女生蹲在地上一直抱著球，像打橄欖球一樣，最后也沒有投進(jìn)，看得我肚子都笑疼了。你們可以去看抖音。

問：您剛才說村際籃球賽幾十年來一直在辦，今年得到了空前的關(guān)注，好像比賽在全省組織，那么政府對“村BA”的舉辦起到了什幺作用？

司機：這屆比賽雖然是省里組織的，但其實政府并沒有太多介入，就是村子和村子之間自己組織的，每家出一點錢，大家都非常愿意出這個錢。每戶人家具體出多少錢不是固定的，條件好就會多出一點，出一百、出十塊都可以，完全自愿?；I到的錢主要用來買獎品，比如說第一名的獎品是一頭牛，第二名的是一頭羊，第三名可以章到幾條魚，第四名就是鴨子之類。

問：“村BA”作為“草根”籃球賽，對于運動員和觀眾分別有什么要求？您覺得大家最看重的是什么？

司機：看比賽不用票。來看比賽的都是各個村的村民。男女老少都會來，我支持我的球隊，你支持你的球隊。路邊還有各種小吃，邊看邊吃邊玩。比賽之后旁邊還有火鍋，吃吃火鍋喝喝酒，唱著歌回家。

參加比賽只有兩個標(biāo)準(zhǔn)：第一，不能是職業(yè)運動員，職業(yè)運動員不允許參加；第二，必須是農(nóng)村戶口。我們這里95%都是農(nóng)村戶口，已經(jīng)“走出去”的、戶口遷走的就不能再回來打“村BA”賽了。為了比賽的公平公正，哪怕進(jìn)入了NBA打球，也不能再回來打“村BA”了。對我們來說，競技水平怎樣、是不是很精彩，都不是最重要的，關(guān)鍵在于它是屬于我們村民自己的活動。

在年復(fù)一年的比賽中，有人離開家鄉(xiāng)，有人長大變老，“村BA”的規(guī)模越來越大，也從村民們口口相傳的“村子間的籃球賽”到如今擁有了廣泛的關(guān)注和響亮的名字。說到底，“村BA”就是村民們辛苦勞作后最舒爽的解壓和娛樂方式，鄉(xiāng)親們的喝彩是比賽中選手們最大的動力，比賽間隙那帶有濃郁民族和地域特色的歌舞表演為籃球賽增添了濃厚的生活氣息。

“村BA”始于村民們對運動純粹的熱愛，村寨間通過這項賽事得到更多交流的機會，又賦予了比賽持續(xù)而又旺盛的生命力?？梢钥隙ǖ氖牵按錌A”的新習(xí)俗已經(jīng)融入村民們的生活，它也會繼續(xù)為貴州村民們的生活帶去更多休閑和快樂，帶領(lǐng)大家不斷享受陽光，創(chuàng)造生活的美好。

Exploring the Popular“VBA” of Guizhou

—A Conversation with the Locals

On our business trip to Guizhou inApril 2023， we came across an intriguingbasketball game known locally as the “VBA”.So， we had a conversation about it with ourtaxi driver.

The basketball game takes place in anopen-air， red and green court. It isn’t a fancyvenue， and there are no o cial event organizers，commercial sponsors， or live broadcasting.However， the players display great devotionin the passionate cheers from the audience.Unique basketball matches like thishave gained widespread popularity throughlive-streaming platforms like Douyin， capturingsigni cant attention. The locals a ectionatelyand half-jokingly called it the “VBA”，short for “Village Basketball Association”.

The official name of the games is “The First Beautiful CountrysideBasketball League of Guizhou Province”. Hosting basketballmatches originates from the custom of organizing sports events，which is a nearly century-old tradition locally， during the “Chi XinFestival” （meaning “festival for tasting the newly-harvested crops”）on the sixth day of the sixth month in the lunar calendar each yearamong local ethnic minority groups. Among various sports， basketballhas emerged as the most accessible and most widely participatedevent that manages to survive generations， all the while retainingits grassroots tradition. All participants， including the players andreferees， are young， strong villagers. Some are local farmers or smallbusinessmen， while others work or study outside the village. However，they always return for training and competitions.

The 2023 VBA games were held as planned. In just six months，nearly 2，500 teams took part in over 4，000 captivating basketballgames. In the nals on March 25th， the Qiandongnan team defeatedthe Tongren team to win the first championship of the League.It was during the finals that we had the opportunity to meet afriendly and welcoming local taxi driver who shared with us thelocal perspective on the VBA.

Q： We know that the VBA has been held multipletimes， and it lasts for a couple of months everyyear. Could you please provide a brief introductionto this popular game？

A： The game started decades ago， even before I wasborn. However， we didn’t refer to it as the VBAback then. It was a basketball game simply playedbetween di erent villages.

Why did we initially organize such a game？Well， it wasn’t anything fancy. It probably stemmedfrom the fact that villages didn’t always get alongwith each other， but physical ghts weren’t a viablesolution. So， they turned to sports to channel theircompetitive spirit. Today， basketball is a highlypopular form of entertainment， particularly amongyoung people. It was not until the games were livestreamedon platforms like Douyin that they quicklybecame popular and were called the “VBA”.

The games usually start around October. Theyare held between villages near Kaili. The winning?team gets to move forward to the next round， allthe way until the finals. Even before the gameswere live-streamed， they had already been a bighit in the community. As for me， well， I was prettysmall for a basketball player， and competing for reboundswas quite a challenge. So， I decided to playfootball instead of basketball.

Q： Speaking of football， do you have footballgames or other sports competitions？ How did basketballexcel among so many sports？

A： There are other sports games as well， but theirscale is not as large. I guess basketball stands outbecause it can be played anytime， anywhere afterfinishing the farm work. All you need is two orthree people and a basketball. There is nothingcomplicated; you simply need to know how todribble. Football， on the other hand， is quite different.You will need more people， a larger eld， andmore complex techniques.

Basketball is an integral part of our lives. Everyvillage and town， including the remote Miao stockadevillages， has its own basketball court， although?some may be less well-kept than the others. Let meput it this way， if a village doesn’t have a basketballcourt， no matter how developed it is in other ways，we think it’s falling behind.

We have games for women， too！ At rst， therewere no games specifically for them. However，some female villagers came up and asked， “Whyare there only games for men？ What about uswomen？” So， we organize women’s games eachyear on International Women’s Day. The only rulewe have is “no ghting”. Other than that， anythinggoes： carrying the ball and running more thanthey should or patting the opponent’s hand. Youname it. But as long as they score， it’s all good.Some even hold the ball tightly to their chest whilecrouching down， like a rugby player， but unfortunately，they still miss the shot. It is absolutely hilarious，and I can’t stop laughing. You should check itout on Douyin！

Q： As you mentioned， the game has been hostedfor decades. This year， it is gaining unprecedentedattention and being organized at the provinciallevel. What role does the government play in all of this？

A： It’s true that the game is organized at the provinciallevel， but the government’s role is relativelyminor. It’s the villagers who contribute the most.Families are happy to chip in， with wealthier onescontributing around a hundred RMB and lesswealthy ones contributing as little as ten. It’s entirelyvoluntary. The money collected is used topurchase prizes for the winners. The first prize isa cow， the second prize is a goat， the third prize issome sh， and the fourth prize is ducks， or somethinglike that.

Q： As a “grassroots” basketball game， what are therequirements for athletes and spectators in theVBA？ What do you think people value the most？

A： The games are free， with no tickets required.The audience consists entirely of villagers， showingsupport for their villages. Along the road， there aresnack stands where you can buy delicious treatsto enjoy while watching the games. You can also?choose to visit the nearby hotpot restaurants a erthe games. Eating hotpot， sipping on some beers，and singing songs on your way home.

There are only two rules for the players. First，professional players are not allowed. Second， playersmust have a rural hukou status （which meanstheir household registration is in a rural area）.Around 95% of the residents here have a ruralhukou status， and the remaining 5% who havemoved out and changed their hukou status are nolonger eligible to play. Additionally， to ensure fairplay， we do not accept professional players， noteven if you were an NBA star！ For us， the mostimportant thing is not how well one plays or howintense the game is; what matters most is that thisis a game of our own.

With the passage of time， children have grown up， and youngpeople have migrated to larger cities， and the elderly have aged.However， the VBA has continued to expand and thrive. Whatwas once simply “basketball matches between villages” has nowtransformed into a major event that enjoys widespread attentionand boasts an impressive reputation. It has become the ultimatesource of stress relief and entertainment for the hardworkingvillagers. The enthusiastic cheers from fellow villagers are thestrongest motivation for the players， while the ethnic and localsinging and dancing performances during intermissions add anauthentic touch of grassroots living to the games.

It all started with a genuine passion forsports within the hearts of the villagers.through the VBA， villages have found a newway of communication and interaction witheach other， and this， in turn， brings renewedvigor to the games. We rmly believe that theVBA has become an indispensable part of thevillage life， providing enduring joy and relaxationfor the locals. With the VBA， the future ofthe villagers is bound to be brighter and morepromising.