--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Back then every small town had a gym, and…" description: "\"Back then every small town had a gym, and if itseated more than 2,000 then we'd be interested in playing in it.\" — Bob Cousy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/bob-cousy-16775_basketball_back-then-every-small-town-had-a-gym-and_147096.png" --- # Back then every small town had a gym, and if itseated more… ![“Back then every small town had a gym, and if itseated more than 2,000 then we'd be interested in playing in it.” quote by Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/bob-cousy-16775_basketball_back-then-every-small-town-had-a-gym-and_147096.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/bob-cousy-16775_basketball_back-then-every-small-town-had-a-gym-and_147096.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/bob-cousy-16775_basketball_back-then-every-small-town-had-a-gym-and_147096.png) > “Back then every small town had a gym, and if itseated more than 2,000 then we'd be interested in playing in it.” [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Small towns once had community gyms that attracted large crowds, fostering local sports participation. **In simple terms:** Community gyms once drew big crowds. Key Takeaway Support local sports facilities. Themes community sports participation local culture history Mood nostalgic optimistic Type historical social When to use this quote - town meetings - school sports - recreational leagues - community events - urban development Key Concepts urban planning social cohesion public health Questions to Reflect On - How do community spaces impact health? - What can revive local sports hubs? A Different Perspective Modern shifts to private gyms reduce community ties. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [Gym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gym/) [Small town](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-town/) ## Related quotes > [The first thing I do when I get to any town is find a gym and a breakfast place, because I love breakfast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-lynch/the-first-thing-i-do-when-i-get-to-any-town-is-find-a-gym-and-a/) [Becky Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-lynch/) > [I thought if I had a Twitter feed and say I had a following of a 100,000, that means 100,000 of them would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-thought-if-i-had-a-twitter-feed-and-say-i-had-a-following-of-a-100/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [D.C. is a small town with some big-town features.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-brunt/d-c-is-a-small-town-with-some-big-town-features/) [Douglas Brunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-brunt/) > [“The people feel and look the same, like they've settled here even though they know there's something more-something better-just beyond where they are. Small-town…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/the-people-feel-and-look-the-same-like-they-ve-settled-here-even/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [But instead of that stuff you get relationships with people and neighbors that you would never get in a city. People in small towns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genevieve-gorder/but-instead-of-that-stuff-you-get-relationships-with-people-and/) [Genevieve Gorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genevieve-gorder/) > [It's easier for me to write certain character types because of my own life experiences, but I find it too artistically limiting to only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/it-s-easier-for-me-to-write-certain-character-types-because-of-my-own/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [We moved around a bit when I was younger, but I grew up primarily in Rhode Island, in a beautiful seaside community called East…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-gagnon/we-moved-around-a-bit-when-i-was-younger-but-i-grew-up-primarily-in/) [Michelle Gagnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-gagnon/) > [The first time that you escape from home or the small town that you live in - there's a reason a small town is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-joe-armstrong/the-first-time-that-you-escape-from-home-or-the-small-town-that-you/) [Billie Joe Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-joe-armstrong/) > [Living in a small town anywhere means preserving one's self behind a mask.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/living-in-a-small-town-anywhere-means-preserving-one-s-self-behind-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [As a kid, I would always shop for my back-to-school clothes at department stores. I lived in a small town, and department stores were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britt-robertson/as-a-kid-i-would-always-shop-for-my-back-to-school-clothes-at/) [Britt Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britt-robertson/) > [I came from a very small town, Rishikesh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonu-kakkar/i-came-from-a-very-small-town-rishikesh/) [Sonu Kakkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonu-kakkar/) > [“People didn't forget anything in a small town.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/people-didn-t-forget-anything-in-a-small-town/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I'm from a small town. I think that's what's going to help me succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-allen/i-m-from-a-small-town-i-think-that-s-what-s-going-to-help-me-succeed/) [Josh Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-allen/) > [I am a small town girl with big town dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reny/i-am-a-small-town-girl-with-big-town-dreams/) [Reny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reny/) > [I think there is something special about living in a small town. Everyone knows your business and there is an intimacy you don't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-bryant/i-think-there-is-something-special-about-living-in-a-small-town/) [Anita Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-bryant/) ## More by Bob Cousy > [I had endured six years of frustration so I think winning it all meant more to me than most of the others on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/i-had-endured-six-years-of-frustration-so-i-think-winning-it-all/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [My biggest win was getting the meal money bumped from $5 to $7.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/my-biggest-win-was-getting-the-meal-money-bumped-from-5-to-7/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [People have been killing because of racial differences since the time of Adam and Eve, but in this country racism has been primarily aimed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/people-have-been-killing-because-of-racial-differences-since-the-time/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [We hung out on the streets, played stickball, and did all of the things that other kids did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/we-hung-out-on-the-streets-played-stickball-and-did-all-of-the-things/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [Kerner decided to trade my rights to the Chicago Stags, which sounded better to me than Tri-Cities, but the Stags folded up almost immediately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/kerner-decided-to-trade-my-rights-to-the-chicago-stags-which-sounded/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [Do your best when no one is looking. If you do that, then you can be successful in anything that you put your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/do-your-best-when-no-one-is-looking-if-you-do-that-then-you-can-be/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [We played every night. Sometimes we'd stay overnight after a game, but we'd usually drive on to our next destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/we-played-every-night-sometimes-we-d-stay-overnight-after-a-game-but/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [My family was poor, my father drove a cab for a living, but we felt normal because everybody else was in the same boat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/my-family-was-poor-my-father-drove-a-cab-for-a-living-but-we-felt/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [The MVP award was very satisfying in terms of personal accomplishments, but the championship was the most important thing of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/the-mvp-award-was-very-satisfying-in-terms-of-personal/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [It also didn't take me long to decide that Tri-Cities wasn't for me, and that I wasn't going to go there to play basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/it-also-didn-t-take-me-long-to-decide-that-tri-cities-wasn-t-for-me/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [Do your best when no one is looking. If you do that, then you can be successful at anything you put your mind to](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/do-your-best-when-no-one-is-looking-if-you-do-that-then-you-can-be-2/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [I once heard that Paul Seymour said as much as winning an NBA Championship, he'd like to see the Celtics lose a game after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/i-once-heard-that-paul-seymour-said-as-much-as-winning-an-nba/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [French was my first language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/french-was-my-first-language/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [Every jock gets up and tells the world how lucky he is. But I feel that I may be the luckiest one of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/every-jock-gets-up-and-tells-the-world-how-lucky-he-is-but-i-feel/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) > [But in fairness also to the idea of continuing success, you also have to exploit opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/but-in-fairness-also-to-the-idea-of-continuing-success-you-also-have/) [Bob Cousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) [Explore all 39 Bob Cousy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/) ## More Basketball quotes > [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/) [Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/) > [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/) [Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/) > [There is no doubt in my mind and I know in my time, there will be a Canadian basketball player playing for Toronto Raptors, 100%](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-and-i-know-in-my-time-there-will-be-a/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [I learned so much from Sue about the Xs and Os of the game of basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-summitt/i-learned-so-much-from-sue-about-the-xs-and-os-of-the-game-of/) [Pat Summitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-summitt/) > [ I failed, I think, seven \[or\] eight times before I finally got my first \[championship\]. It was just, you know, just about me growing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-failed-i-think-seven-or-eight-times-before-i-finally-got-my-first/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [It's not how big you are, it's how big you play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/it-s-not-how-big-you-are-it-s-how-big-you-play/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [Basketball isn't just a sport to me ; it's my ecstasy !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamira-robinson/basketball-isn-t-just-a-sport-to-me-it-s-my-ecstasy/) [Jamira Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamira-robinson/) > [It's similar to basketball: when you go to different gyms and win or lose, you learn something new. So when kids get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-iguodala/it-s-similar-to-basketball-when-you-go-to-different-gyms-and-win-or/) [Andre Iguodala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-iguodala/) > [If a Coach is determined to stay in the coaching profession, he will develop from year to year. This much is true, no coach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolph-rupp/if-a-coach-is-determined-to-stay-in-the-coaching-profession-he-will/) [Adolph Rupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolph-rupp/) > [And I want to do it the right way, like everybody else, not just a famous figurehead that gets a job because he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/and-i-want-to-do-it-the-right-way-like-everybody-else-not-just-a/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [Well, you can certainly teach free-throwing. And you can teach the boys to pass at angles and run in curves. - University of Kansas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-dawkins/well-you-can-certainly-teach-free-throwing-and-you-can-teach-the-boys/) [Darryl Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-dawkins/) > [Practice to beat the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bennett/practice-to-beat-the-best/) [Dick Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bennett/) > [I'm a competitive person. I love the game of basketball. I'm a gym rat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pierce/i-m-a-competitive-person-i-love-the-game-of-basketball-i-m-a-gym-rat/) [Paul Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pierce/) > [I am both humbled and honored to receive the Honda Sports Award for women's basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittney-griner/i-am-both-humbled-and-honored-to-receive-the-honda-sports-award-for/) [Brittney Griner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittney-griner/) > [What I've talked about the entire series and throughout this playoffs is about intensity and effort, desire and will of our players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-laimbeer/what-i-ve-talked-about-the-entire-series-and-throughout-this-playoffs/) [Bill Laimbeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-laimbeer/) [Browse all 5,387 Basketball quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Back then every small town had a gym, and if itseated more than 2,000 then we'd be interested in playing in it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bob Cousy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/back-then-every-small-town-had-a-gym-and-if-itseated-more-than-2-000/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Basketball" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/back-then-every-small-town-had-a-gym-and-if-itseated-more-than-2-000/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/bob-cousy-16775_basketball_back-then-every-small-town-had-a-gym-and_147096.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/bob-cousy-16775_basketball_back-then-every-small-town-had-a-gym-and_147096.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/bob-cousy-16775_basketball_back-then-every-small-town-had-a-gym-and_147096.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Back then every small town had a gym, and if itseated more than 2,000 then we'd be interested in playing in…” — Bob Cousy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bob Cousy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-cousy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Back then every small town had...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/back-then-every-small-town-had-a-gym-and-if-itseated-more-than-2-000/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-cousy/back-then-every-small-town-had-a-gym-and-if-itseated-more-than-2-000/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```