Sports Illustrated photographers traveled across the country to capture these local masterpieces.
The All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club is a "whimsical replica" of Wimbledon, as the court's creator puts it.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Grass tennis courts are rare in the United States, and farmer Mark Kuhn's creation is an even rarer non-private lawn.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
At the Long Time, a sandlot baseball field near Austin, the score isn't as important as the vibe.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Hand-painted signs give the Long Time a nostalgic, rustic feel.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Kentucky's Lakeside Swim Club has produced a staggering number of Olympic swimmers, including a Tokyo 2020 medalist.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Lakeside is known for its competitive pedigree, but the converted rock quarry is just as famous for its gorgeous setting amid 40-foot cliffs.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Elston Gene Howard Field, named for the Yankees' first Black player, is built in the shadow of the team's new stadium—and aligns with the original House that Ruth Built.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
There are three diamonds at the Bronx park for baseball and softball, one of which features a piece of the original Yankee Stadium facade.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
Detroit City FC plays its home games at Hamtramck's Keyworth Stadium, which the club's supporters helped rebuild.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
After going fully pro in 2020, third-division Detroit City FC has won multiple trophies, including a 2021 league title.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
The diamond portrayed in the 1989 film "Field of Dreams" is the quintessential hidden gem, but the film site is now a popular tourist attraction—and in August, hosted a Major League Baseball game.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Thousands of fans watched the White Sox and Yankees compete in MLB's Field of Dreams game this summer.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
There are few basketball courts like Rucker Park in New York City. In the 1960s and ’70s, future NBA legends like Earl Monroe and Julius Erving took on the city’s street elite in playground director Holcombe Rucker’s summer tournament.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
Rucker Park had humble beginnings, but the blacktop is now famous across the hoops world.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
Retired farmer Mark Kuhn, who started building his grass court in 2002, spends around 12 hours a week maintaining the All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Kuhn was first drawn to tennis as a boy, when he heard a broadcast of Wimbledon over his grandfather's radio.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
The Texas Playboys, a team of artists and creative types, plays their home games at the Long Time.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Hundreds of Texas Playboys season-ticket holders come not only to watch the Playboys face teams from around the region but also to catch whatever other performances might be in store from a club full of creatives—say, an acoustic set from a player’s new record during the seventh-inning stretch.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
The Lakeside SeaHawks are the Louisville club's top-flight swim team.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
There's nothing quite like Lakeside's converted rock quarry. “Either you’ve been there, or you want to go there," says Arizona State swim coach Bob Bowman, who mentored Michael Phelps to a record 23 Olympic gold medals
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Kids in the Bronx are able to run in the footsteps of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter at Elston Gene Howard Field, which is part of Macombs Dam Park.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
A sign behind the backstop of one diamond at Elston Howard Field quotes Lou Gehrig's famous speech: "Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
Detroit City FC's branded beer is Smoke Delay IPA, named for the—you guessed it–fan-induced smoke delays that often accompany home matches.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Detroit City FC's Northern Guard marches half a mile through Hamtramck to Keyworth Stadium on match days.
The White Sox beat the Yankees in this year's Field of Dreams game.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Over the years, Rucker Park has become world-famous. Bill Clinton and David Stern even stopped by in 2001 for the Entertainers Basketball Classic, which carries on the old Rucker tournament’s legacy.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
Texas Playboys founder (and pitcher) Jack Sanders is also the Long Time's designer. He never stops tinkering with the ballpark's layout.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
The Long Time is popular enough around Austin that the ballpark has sponsors and offers concessions.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Lakeside Swim Club has produced 11 Olympians over the years, including 2020 silver medalist Brooke Forde.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Thousands of tennis players have flocked to Kuhn's farm to play on the family's grass court, including University of Iowa associate tennis coach Daniel Leitner.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
These days, the All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club is also a tribute to Kuhn's late son, Alex.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
All that remains of New York’s Polo Grounds is a set of stairs that descends Coogan’s Bluff down to the housing complex that stands where the ballpark once did. Originally built in 1913, the John T. Brush stairway, named for the Giants’ owner who died in 1912, led down to a ticket booth.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
The Detroit City Futbol League, a coed adult circuit, predates the club's senior team and includes volunteering incentives that can impact the standings.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Keyworth Stadium, the first Works Progress Administration project in Michigan, was opened in 1936 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated photographers traveled across the country to capture these local masterpieces.
The All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club is a "whimsical replica" of Wimbledon, as the court's creator puts it.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Grass tennis courts are rare in the United States, and farmer Mark Kuhn's creation is an even rarer non-private lawn.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
At the Long Time, a sandlot baseball field near Austin, the score isn't as important as the vibe.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Hand-painted signs give the Long Time a nostalgic, rustic feel.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Kentucky's Lakeside Swim Club has produced a staggering number of Olympic swimmers, including a Tokyo 2020 medalist.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Lakeside is known for its competitive pedigree, but the converted rock quarry is just as famous for its gorgeous setting amid 40-foot cliffs.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Elston Gene Howard Field, named for the Yankees' first Black player, is built in the shadow of the team's new stadium—and aligns with the original House that Ruth Built.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
There are three diamonds at the Bronx park for baseball and softball, one of which features a piece of the original Yankee Stadium facade.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
Detroit City FC plays its home games at Hamtramck's Keyworth Stadium, which the club's supporters helped rebuild.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
After going fully pro in 2020, third-division Detroit City FC has won multiple trophies, including a 2021 league title.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
The diamond portrayed in the 1989 film "Field of Dreams" is the quintessential hidden gem, but the film site is now a popular tourist attraction—and in August, hosted a Major League Baseball game.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Thousands of fans watched the White Sox and Yankees compete in MLB's Field of Dreams game this summer.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
There are few basketball courts like Rucker Park in New York City. In the 1960s and ’70s, future NBA legends like Earl Monroe and Julius Erving took on the city’s street elite in playground director Holcombe Rucker’s summer tournament.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
Rucker Park had humble beginnings, but the blacktop is now famous across the hoops world.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
Retired farmer Mark Kuhn, who started building his grass court in 2002, spends around 12 hours a week maintaining the All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Kuhn was first drawn to tennis as a boy, when he heard a broadcast of Wimbledon over his grandfather's radio.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
The Texas Playboys, a team of artists and creative types, plays their home games at the Long Time.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Hundreds of Texas Playboys season-ticket holders come not only to watch the Playboys face teams from around the region but also to catch whatever other performances might be in store from a club full of creatives—say, an acoustic set from a player’s new record during the seventh-inning stretch.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
The Lakeside SeaHawks are the Louisville club's top-flight swim team.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
There's nothing quite like Lakeside's converted rock quarry. “Either you’ve been there, or you want to go there," says Arizona State swim coach Bob Bowman, who mentored Michael Phelps to a record 23 Olympic gold medals
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Kids in the Bronx are able to run in the footsteps of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter at Elston Gene Howard Field, which is part of Macombs Dam Park.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
A sign behind the backstop of one diamond at Elston Howard Field quotes Lou Gehrig's famous speech: "Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
Detroit City FC's branded beer is Smoke Delay IPA, named for the—you guessed it–fan-induced smoke delays that often accompany home matches.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Detroit City FC's Northern Guard marches half a mile through Hamtramck to Keyworth Stadium on match days.
The White Sox beat the Yankees in this year's Field of Dreams game.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Over the years, Rucker Park has become world-famous. Bill Clinton and David Stern even stopped by in 2001 for the Entertainers Basketball Classic, which carries on the old Rucker tournament’s legacy.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
Texas Playboys founder (and pitcher) Jack Sanders is also the Long Time's designer. He never stops tinkering with the ballpark's layout.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
The Long Time is popular enough around Austin that the ballpark has sponsors and offers concessions.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Lakeside Swim Club has produced 11 Olympians over the years, including 2020 silver medalist Brooke Forde.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Thousands of tennis players have flocked to Kuhn's farm to play on the family's grass court, including University of Iowa associate tennis coach Daniel Leitner.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
These days, the All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club is also a tribute to Kuhn's late son, Alex.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
All that remains of New York’s Polo Grounds is a set of stairs that descends Coogan’s Bluff down to the housing complex that stands where the ballpark once did. Originally built in 1913, the John T. Brush stairway, named for the Giants’ owner who died in 1912, led down to a ticket booth.
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated
The Detroit City Futbol League, a coed adult circuit, predates the club's senior team and includes volunteering incentives that can impact the standings.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
Keyworth Stadium, the first Works Progress Administration project in Michigan, was opened in 1936 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
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