For years, parents looking to swap the Xbox controller or Gameboy in their child's hand for a bat or ball had to get them out of the neighborhood. A lack of youth sports leagues made Prospect Park and the Parade Grounds the best options for organized sports. But now that there are several strong sports programs in the neighborhood, it's much easier to get them to switch off their Wiis and 360s (maybe?).  

Fort Greene Sports offers fitness training, playtime and lessons in the fundamentals of basketball, football and soccer for children aged 5 to 14. Its basketball program plays in a borough-wide league, while its year-round soccer program has a lively rivalry with Young Rock Soccery Academy. Young Rock Soccer, which has a sister program in Nigeria, offers intensive soccer lessons for boys and girls aged 4 to 16 from April to November. Both programs set up camp on weekend mornings at the Charles B. Wang field on Clermont and Fulton.  

Kids who'd rather imitate Alex Rodriguez than Lionel Messi or Jozy Altidore have to look farther afield for a chance at bat. Inner City Sports Little League offers T-Ball through Junior Ball at Herbert Von King Cultural Center in neighboring Bed-Stuy. The Brooklyn Pitbulls, a community- based extramural football team that's headquartered at Benajmin Banneker Academy for Community Development, offers the chance for boy to play against other teams in the region as part of the national Pop Warner youth league.

High school students from all over the city also compete as "Engineers" on Brooklyn Tech's 30 junior-varsity and varsity teams in the City's Public School Athletic League. Meanwhile, young and old alike volley on the six outdoor tennis courts in Fort Greene Park, where the City Parks Foundation offers, with Chase, free instruction for youth during the summer months.