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It is likely that many of us learned to play basketball and tennis on asphalt, with that sensation of feet baking in our shoes. With the inception of the first asphalt-paved road in 1868, and the first Converse shoe (circa 1915), the asphalt athletic surface has been a part of Americana for nearly 100 years. With this surface still prevalent in most park and recreation settings, and budget cutbacks still in effect, some basic maintenance practices, if followed, can extend its life and performance.
The Materials
Numerous sports are played on asphalt; I have even heard of tackle football leagues playing on the surface. While it’s not my choice for Saturday morning exercise, it does show the versatility of its application. What makes it such a widely used product for outdoor basketball and tennis courts is not only price, but durability. Depending on the region of the country, asphalt’s basic components are rock, sand, tar and bitumen (some producers are now adding recycled products to the mix, like rubber and glass).
“The basic components of asphalt have not changed in the last 40 years. They do change according to the source of the crude oil from which they are refined, and with global shipments of oil these days, it is hard to say what source is going to which region. That’s why asphalt is specified according to its physical properties, not its chemical properties,” says David Newcomb of the National Asphalt Pavement Association.