Differences and Similarities of Basketball in Different Countries
This paper deals with the topic of differences and similarities of sport in different countries. The kind of sport, which is chosen for this paper, is basketball. Our main goal is to dwell upon differences and similarities of this kind of sport with regard to cultural, violence, and gender issues. In order to achieve this goal successfully, relevant sources of information were carefully analyzed.
There is very interesting fact that some of the American basketball fans do not know about other basketball leagues except NBA. The basketball is considered to be one of the most popular sports nowadays. Actually, its origins are in the United States, but it has also migrated to other parts of the world. There are two basketball leagues, which are the most popular. They are NBA and FIBA, which is the European. Many argue upon the differences and similarities of these two leagues, and we are going to reveal this issue properly (BallinEurope).
If to speak about basketball in different countries, it must be revealed that the game itself is the same. There are some differences in rules and regulations. There is a small difference in playing time between these two leagues. In FIBA, there are 4 periods, each is 10 minutes long. In NBA, there are also 4 periods, but each is 12 minutes long. There are extra periods and in both leagues they are 5 minutes. If to speak about time-outs, there are more significant differences between two leagues. In FIBA, we have two time-outs in a first half and three in a second one. Moreover, there is one more time-out per extra period. All the time-outs in FIBA are 60 seconds long. As for NBA, there is the different situation. There are six full time-outs during first and second half, and three time-outs during the extra period. The full time-outs are usually 60 seconds long, but the first 2 timeouts in the period are 100 seconds long. As for substitutions, there are also slight differences between two leagues. In FIBA, the substitution is allowed when the clock is stopped. Each team can make a substitution on foul or violation. Moreover, a team can make a substitution during referee’s stoppages. In NBA, the substitutions are also allowed when the clock is stopped. However, substitutions are not allowed during final minutes of a period when the clock is stopped because of a successful field goal. Moreover, substitutions are not allowed during referee’s stoppages (Reimer).
However, the main difference between these two leagues lies in culture and in the philosophy of the game. In NBA, there is a focus on individual skills. Americans pay much attention to learning necessary skills, which are used in the game. Moreover, they focus on the game line. If to speak about FIBA, there is a great focus on strategy and team play. Moreover, Europeans pay great attention to fundamentals. That is why Europeans are more successful in passing, shooting, and rebounding (Answers). Speaking of the culture it must be added that initially African-Americans were not allowed to take part in NBA until 1950. According to NBA, African-American had a specific style of game. They possess such qualities as speed, agility, and unbelievable jumping ability. Nowadays, all these qualities are considered to be hallmarks of American basketball. Moreover, it is needed to say that basketball greatly influenced America culture. The film Hoosiers tells the real story of winning basketball team and shows how basketball can be the central point for drama in small town. Another film, which is called Space Jam, tells us about how Michael Jordan has become the household name even for those people who do not pay great attention to such game as basketball (Logan).
Considering violence issue in basketball, it must be revealed that it is not a very cruel game, but sometimes we can really see the violence in this game, for instance when there is a great tension between two opposing teams. There are also situations when the violence is expressed by the fans who can throw bottles or other things on players. Violence issues are the same in all countries and the violence is expressed by the ways, which were mentioned above. However, it must be stated that violence in basketball is less severe than in hockey or American football where players can receive more serious injuries because of fighting (Wiedeman).
Speaking about gender issues, it must be stated that in the United States there are some controversies about it. For instance, women who play professional tennis are as relevant as their male counterparts. However, in basketball, there are some issues regarding this situation. The only professional women team sport league in the United States is WNBA. The biggest star of this league is Diana Taurasi who played for Phoenix Mercury. She has already won two WNBA titles. There was no information about annual salary, which players of WNBA receive. In 2015, Taurasi went to the Russian club, which is called UMMC Ekaterinburg. The interesting fact is that in this club her annual salary is 1.5 million dollars while in Mercury she received a maximum 107 000 dollars. We can see that in different countries women can receive different salaries. However, from the financial point of view WNBA is definitely not the premier women’s basketball league. In general, women are actively involved in basketball nowadays even though women’s leagues are not that popular (Capobianco).
Works Cited
Capobianco, Tony. "Gender Equality In Professional Team Sports In America Remains As Tough As Ever". AXS. N.p., 2015. Web. 1 Apr. 2016. http://www.axs.com/gender-equality-in-professional-team-sports-in-america-remains-as-toug-39770
"How Is Basketball Different In Other Cultures". Answers.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Apr. 2016. http://www.answers.com/Q/How_is_basketball_different_in_other_cultures
Logan, Catalina. "The Effects Of The Game Of Basketball On America | Livestrong.com". Livestrong.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 1 Apr. 2016. http://www.livestrong.com/article/343861-the-effects-of-the-game-of-basketball-on-america/
Reimer, Anthony. FIBA Vs North American Rules Comparison. 1st ed. 40-44. 2005. Web. 1 Apr. 2016. http://www.fiba.com/asp_includes/download.asp?file_id=518
"The Major Differences Between European And American Basketball - Ballineurope". BallinEurope. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Apr. 2016. http://ballineurope.com/the-major-differences-between-european-and-american-basketball/
Wiedeman, Reeves. "The Face Of Violence In The N.B.A. - The New Yorker". The New Yorker. N.p., 2012. Web. 1 Apr. 2016. http://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/the-face-of-violence-in-the-n-b-a
