Basketball Noise

Mar 13, 2007 Last reply: 1 year ago 28 Replies

I disagree that “most” people get used to basketball noise. And no, not everyone can ignore it. The problem is the noise itself, not the listener. Basketball thumps are a particularly irritating sound, like a water torture. Some people can’t even go to basketball games (not a problem for me, luckily). People who aren’t affected by noise don’t need to tell people to get over it. If you don’t have noise issues, you’ll never understand.

Again, people who aren’t sensitive to noise just don’t get it. It’s not OK to tell people just to relax. Mowing is acceptable because it’s time limited. Basketball noise can go on 16 hours a day in the summer. It’s very reasonable for a homeowner to ask a neighbor to limit hours. That’s called compromise. But noisy people never want to compromise with people who like peace and quiet.

Bullshit, and you are too late after 15 years anyway, stupid.

Move. I moved out of NYC 35 years ago because I hated the noise, the traffic, the crowds. Was it easy? No. Did I make sacrifices? Yes. Was it worth it? It was the best decision I ever made and my life is so much better because of it.

I'm typing this on my deck and the only sounds I hear are crickets chirping, other insect noises and the gurgling of the water feature in one of SWMBO's many flower gardens. There's not a basketball thump to be found anywhere.

I’m in a similar situation and also looking for answers. Unfortunately I work from home and must use a voice to text software due to an injury and being unable to type. They recently moved in and have children that play basketball for 6+ hours a day on school breaks. This is not an exaggeration. Every time the ball bounces, the software types “will.” If I don’t find a solution, I will lose my job this summer.

Try sci.electronics.design for an answer.

Wow, that sucks. Can you move the computer? Even something like changing the orientation of the mic may help.

How about a window shade? Even better could be a sheet of foam board on the window when they are playing.

You just don't have the proper red state spirit. Shoot the goddam thing.

Noise from bouncing a basketball on concrete IS NOT always well within the noise level someone should tolerate - far from it - same with noise from a barking dog. Noise laws in my area state that the amount of noise in your house from a neighbour's property must be reasonable, at all times, regardless of any windows and doors being open - i.e. best to consider them open if you plan on making noise. If I cannot avoid an annoying noise (except the exceptions - e.g. lawn mower), that occur on a more or less daily basis, from a neighbour, by closing my front door and turning on something noisy (TV/music/etc, at a normal level) - it is too loud - so firstly, I complain to them - once and once only - i.e. so least I tried to keep the Police+/Council out of it - if they tell you to do something abnormal to drown out their noise (e.g. use earphones), or anything unhelpful, simply ignore it - they are proving themselves to be (part of) the problem, not the solution. So, if that doesn't work (i.e. the noise continues), call the local Council and lodge a complaint [beware they may try to deflect you at first - see next paragraph] ... also try calling the Police on the emergency line while the noise is occurring, over and over again - be as annoying to the authorities as your neighbours are to you (or more!) - make them do their job! and yes, you shouldn't have to. For ongoing issues, it helps to read through and become familiar with all relevant sections of local Law Acts and supporting documentation [e.g. from EPA] related to noise/sound - this stuff is possibly freely available online and easy to search through (as it is in my jurisdiction - searchable PDFs). Be prepared - know your rights. Remember - Noise can be an issue outside of prohibited hours (i.e. during the day), if unreasonable. Problems are only ever properly resolved by addressing their root cause - in this case - BB being bouncing on concrete - OR possibly - real root cause - inconsiderate parents allowing their children to make too much noise by bouncing a BB on concrete while being too close to neighbouring properties/buildings, leading to noise issues for them. Everyone's wellbeing should be the goal - especially the wellbeing of the more vulnerable - not just the wellbeing of the noise allowers+/makers, as it seems to be in this day and age. If you want to bounce a proper BB on a hard surface, do it away from other people's homes - far away - or use a BB that doesn't make too much noise!

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