This basketball team is only open to women 80 years and up

Members of the San Diego Splash basketball team.

(Image credit: Screenshot/ESPNW)

last updated 26 June 2017

The San Diego Splash women's basketball team may not win every game, but the players — all above 80 years old — always have a good time.

The team is part of the Senior Women's Basketball Association, a nonprofit that puts together teams made up of women older than 50. The San Diego Splash is made up of the oldest women in the league, and as they told ESPNW, "if you can stand up and move your legs, you're welcome."

The teams play 30-minute games, three on three, on a half court. Some of the women have been part of the Splash for more than 20 years, and they are all good friends, forming a sisterhood. "It's the nicest group of people, from all walks of life," one player said, and another shared that she was 78 years old when she bought her first pair of basketball shoes. "Growing up, we didn't have sports like the girls do today, we didn't have the opportunity to play. ... As long as I can, I'm going to play." Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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