Why don't you like basketball?

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Mark Deeks
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

Post by Mark Deeks »

Most recreational basketball is outdoors for facilities reasons, in all countries. The wind makes such an impact on shooting that the pro game is played inside, though.
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

Post by Marc Meakin »

Mark Deeks wrote: Mon Aug 06, 2018 11:15 am Most recreational basketball is outdoors for facilities reasons, in all countries. The wind makes such an impact on shooting that the pro game is played inside, though.
Is that due to the diet.
Sorry couldn't resist
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

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Mark Deeks wrote: Mon Aug 06, 2018 11:07 am
Marc Meakin wrote: Mon Aug 06, 2018 10:14 am I would like to know the percentage of 6 foot 7 plus people living in the UK.
I suspect that answer will explain the lack of participation.
But never give up as it has taken decades for America to accept soccer as a viable sport and I suspect come 2026 they may come close to winning the darn thing.
Second most participated-in team sport in the country, fun fact. Even more than cricket!
That's not true any more (if it ever was).
The most recent data I could find has Basketball behind Football, Rugby, Netball and Cricket.
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

Post by Mark Deeks »

It would appear my number is teenagers only, apologies.
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

Post by Gavin Chipper »

Jon O'Neill wrote: Mon Aug 06, 2018 1:02 pm
Mark Deeks wrote: Mon Aug 06, 2018 11:07 am
Marc Meakin wrote: Mon Aug 06, 2018 10:14 am I would like to know the percentage of 6 foot 7 plus people living in the UK.
I suspect that answer will explain the lack of participation.
But never give up as it has taken decades for America to accept soccer as a viable sport and I suspect come 2026 they may come close to winning the darn thing.
Second most participated-in team sport in the country, fun fact. Even more than cricket!
That's not true any more (if it ever was).
The most recent data I could find has Basketball behind Football, Rugby, Netball and Cricket.
That's just "funded sport" whatever that is. Probably doesn't take into account people just turning up somewhere and playing.
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

Post by Mark James »

Sorry Mark. I'm really trying not to be antagonistic. I appreciate what you're trying to do. It might not be for me, certainly in terms of watching the game as a spectator sport, but I hope it continues to grow in popularity. The more sports the better. As I said I'd quite like to play a game of it myself but no one I know is interested. I'd also love to try various other sports that I both watch and don't enjoy watching.
Mark Deeks wrote: Mon Aug 06, 2018 11:05 am Mark, I'm not sure what you want acceptance of your opinion to look like.
Well, when I say that the high rate of scoring chances diminishes the tension and I explain why, instead of saying "No it doesn't", maybe say, "Ok, I see your point" and believe that's the actual reason. Instead you doubted that was the reason and tried to show a clip of a "low scoring" game as a kind of a gotcha (don't get me wrong I'm not saying it was done in any malicious way, I appreciate your trying to come to some kind of understanding of where people are coming from and weren't just asking me either), ie. people say they don't like basketball because of high scoring but here's a low scoring game that they didn't like either so it mustn't be that. I was just pointing out that no, that game still suffered from the same high chance creation/score.

Now we could keep delving and ask why games with frequent scoring chances have that effect on me or others but personal taste can't really be explained. Sure culture can play a part but while you could explain someone's love of a thing because they come form a certain culture, you still can't explain why some cultures like certain things in the first place. Like, someone might like cricket because they're from India but why do Indians like cricket? However..
Mark Deeks wrote: Mon Aug 06, 2018 11:05 am As best I can tell, it seems to be because low scoring is so normalised on these two islands of ours
..I don't even think that's true either. Football (maybe Hockey and Rugby are low scoring? With Rugby the scores are kind of only artificially high but Rugby league encourages frequent possession turnover at least) is really the only low scoring game in the British isles. I already stated I don't like GAA sports for the same reason I don't like Basketball. Both hurling and Gaelic football are high scoring games that change possession often and culturally they're the most popular sports where I come from so it can't be that. Now, if someone who liked either of those games said they didn't like Basketball because it's high scoring then yeah, you'd have to doubt that was the reason.
And so that is why I feel it is something underpinned by culture, media, and implied anti-Americanism
Not too sure on this one either. Culture maybe, media for sure (more media exposure to basketball would improve it's popularity no doubt) but Anti-Americansim? Maybe to a tiny extent but American Football has grown much bigger over the years. And as I said on a personal level I love Baseball. Also I think a lot of British people are standing shoulder to shoulder with American Sports people in reaction to Trump's America and are getting lots of positive exposure that way. I love LeBron James for example, I just don't happen to enjoy watching him play Basketball.
Alright Mr Shouty...
Again, sorry if that's how it came across. For what it's worth I hate the tall argument myself. When I played in school I wasn't half bad at the game but I was one of the perennial picked last for most games and I kept trying to tell people I was good but they'd always pick the tall lad ahead of me even though he was crap. So I'm with you that it would be great to change the perception that you have to be tall to play the game.

I'm just saying you'll have a job on your hands to do so when the average height of the players within the most prominent exposure people have with the sport is not just a bit, but way above the human average. Pointing out the outliers isn't a strong enough case. Anyway good look with the endeavor.
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

Post by Jon O'Neill »

Gavin Chipper wrote: Mon Aug 06, 2018 2:15 pm That's just "funded sport" whatever that is.
Funded sport means sports that get government funding.
Gavin Chipper wrote: Mon Aug 06, 2018 2:15 pm Probably doesn't take into account people just turning up somewhere and playing.
It does.
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

Post by Gavin Chipper »

Given this thread, I find it interesting that Kobe Bryant's death has gained so much traction over here.

I'd be interested to know who on this forum had heard of him, or knew anything about him. I was definitely aware of his name, but if someone had asked me (before yesterday) what he was famous for, I can't guarantee that I would have correctly guessed his sport (although I think I would have got the sport bit). However, there are basketball players I would have immediately recognised - Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James, for example. I'm not sure I'd regard Kobe Bryant as anything approaching a household name in this country.

Discuss.
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

Post by Mark Deeks »

Kobe is in the band with those four, generally. In fact, in the internet era, he is more in it than Magic is.
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

Post by Gavin Chipper »

As a very scientific experiment, I just did the NBA players by face quiz on Sporcle and looked at the correct answer stats afterwards. Here are the top 11 (not 10, to show Shaquille O' Neal on the list).

1. Michael Jordan 98%
2. Larry Bird 97.6%
3. LeBron James 95.7%
4. Steve Nash 93.8%
5. Kobe Bryant 93.5%
6. Magic Johnson 92.9%
7. Dennis Rodman 91.6%
8. Yao Ming 91.1%
9. Kevin Garnett 90.8%
10. Tim Duncan 90.2%
11. Shaquille O'Neal 89.8%

It doesn't really prove very much and there are people I'd never heard of there. Also, most people playing this quiz would be American and basketball fans. Also, some might have more recognisable faces than others. I don't think so many people would have played this in a couple of days that it would be massively distorted by Bryant's death, so it does show him as generally up there.

I also asked my mum if she'd heard of Jordan, Johnson, O'Neal, Bryant and James, and she only said Jordan and Johnson, but it might be a generational thing.
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

Post by Mark Deeks »

I've asked every girl I have ever dated which NBA players they have heard of, and about 742 of them have heard of Kobe. So yes I take your point, but, on the global stage and in this country, Kobe is up there in the Jordan/LeBron/Shaq tier. There is a gap to the rest of the field unless you are over 40, in which case Magic and Rodman are up there as well.
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

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Admittedly, many of them have also heard of Lamar Odom for Kardashian-related reasons.
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

Post by Marc Meakin »

I find Basketball boring , most of it is about the last three minutes.
But having watched Kevin Garnett in Uncut Gems , I have a new respect for the sport
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

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I seem to have missed this thread first time. I don't watch basketball as I've never had any cultural buy-in. I've almost no knowledge about the teams or the players, and watching the sport, I don't know what to look for in terms of outstanding skill.

I've heard of Bryant, couldn't have told you what team he was famous for playing with until yesterday though. I remarked a while ago (probably in a quiz) that he's the second-most prominent sporting Bryant in my life.

It just looks to me like the ball goes pretty much end-to-end, and the team that scores most often when it's up the good end for them is the one that wins. Like (almost) any sport, I'll enjoy a good match, but that usually just involves a close finish, preferably involving an underdog, most likely in the Olympics.
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

Post by Gavin Chipper »

Mark Deeks wrote: Mon Jan 27, 2020 3:46 pm I've asked every girl I have ever dated which NBA players they have heard of, and about 742 of them have heard of Kobe. So yes I take your point, but, on the global stage and in this country, Kobe is up there in the Jordan/LeBron/Shaq tier. There is a gap to the rest of the field unless you are over 40, in which case Magic and Rodman are up there as well.
You've been out with a lot of girls. 742 at a minimum but if only about half have heard of Kobe, it's more like 1500.

By the way I asked two of my nephews, and Kobe Bryant came out ahead of Magic Johnson but behind Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal. Didn't ask about Rodman. I think I've mainly heard of him because he was on Celebrity Big Brother or something once.
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

Post by Paul Worsley »

My opinion of basketball did go up slightly last year when I was in Las Vegas. I was playing card with a bunch of Americans who were watching a basketball game on the screens. They were very excitable and clearly passionate about the game, which I believe was a college game. Maybe it is a real sport after all.

I'd never heard of Kobe Bryant until his tragic death.
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Re: Why don't you like basketball?

Post by Marc Meakin »

Still can't believe Kareem Abdul-Jabar is still the highest NBA points scorer.
Although I really only know him from films (Game of Death and Airplane )
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