Pick-up game

In sports and video games, a pick-up game (also known as a scratch game or PUG) is a game that has been spontaneously started by a group of players. Players are generally invited to show up beforehand, but unlike exhibition games, there is no sense of obligation or commitment to play. Pick-up games usually lack officials and referees, which makes them more disorganized and less structured than regular games. Without formal rules and regulations, pick-up games are often played with a less rigid set of rules. The original sports may also be modified to accommodate the environment, such as using one basketball hoop instead of two, or a smaller number of players, such as a one-on-one soccer match.

Four players in a game of pick-up basketball

See also

• Amateur sports
• British Bulldog (game)
• Corkball
• French cricket
• Fuzzball
• Indian Ball
• Sandlot ball
• Stickball
• Street basketball
• Street cricket
• Street football
• Street football (American)
• Street hockey
• Tapeball
• Shinny
• Shirts versus skins

Further reading

• Pick-Up Game: A Full Day of Full Court, Candlewick Press, 2011, ISBN 9780763645625
• Ronald Bishop (2009), When Play Was Play: Why Pick-Up Games Matter, SUNY Press, ISBN 9781438426044