They're polite, persistent and somehow able to sport a crisp white shirt and tie no matter where they go. They're Mormons on a mission, and at least two of them are fantastic streetball players.
According to the description of a YouTube video uploaded in late July, these scrappy young missionaries were in Dallas and "dying to play some street ball." They set up a hidden camera and jumped in after "playing it cool" and asking if they could join.
About a minute into the game, the missionaries tuck in their ties and turn up the heat. Cries of "Don't let that suit and tie fool ya!" and "Get that boy some real shoes!" quickly follow from their surprised competitors.
"Church Ball" is a seriously competitive sport, if a humorous article in "Guide to Stuff Mormons Like" is to be believed. The blog offers this cautionary description of the enthusiasm church ball has been known to unleash:
Deep down, every Mormon male believes he is the undiscovered John Stockton, the longtime Utah Jazz mainstay. The typical [modus operandi] of said player is tough, gritty, savvy, and above all, dirty. The danger of church ball is that, while few of these players are as tough, gritty, or savvy as they perceive themselves to be, just about ALL of them are dirty.
After digging into the full Missionary Handbook, Gawker notes Mormons who play sports while on mission are urged, "do not allow the situation to become intense or competitive."
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