Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Why I hate the NBA

Maybe "Why I like College Basketball more than the NBA" would have been a more appropriate title, however, I bet you found my choice to be more intriguing. Regardless, it's a fact, at least in my mind.

To me, I will take the effort and intensity sprinkled with talent found in the NCAA over the half-assed, albeit more talented NBA any day. My opposition will most definitely cite just that--the talent difference--as their primary argument for the NBA's superiority. OK, congratulations, the NBA is more talented as it should be, these are paid professionals. But, since the NBA recently adopted a policy that basically mandated that players had to attend at least one year of college and prevented jumps from high school straight to the pros, the talent in the NCAA has spiked.

Take freshman John Wall from Kentucky for example. If you're bored, fast forward to the 54 second mark and watch for a minute. The kid is 19; even if you're not a basketball fan, you have to be impressed. He's my little brother's age, yet he could jump over him, is faster with the ball than without, defines the ability to hit lay-ups in traffic, and just look at that block at the 1:07 mark: nasty. He's a 6'4 point guard who catches and throws down alley-oops rather than dishing them out. Oh, right, and he's about to make millions as the number one pick in the NBA draft; let's hope it doesn't ruin him too.

One thing that the NBA has already ruined is the in-game experience for fans. At NBA games, where you're sitting, what your drinking/eating, and what celebrities are in attendance all trump the action on the court. Just think of Jay-Z at Knicks games or Jack Nicholson at Lakers (fast forward to 1:13) games. That's funny, especially the first one, but it doesn't deserve that kind of attention in a professional sports setting.

One last question: would you rather watch/play in a venue like this where the students shake the stadium or someplace like this (52 second mark) where the arena relies on terrible in-stadium announcers and piped-in rock music rather than a real band?

5 comments:

  1. While I would not consider myself anything close to a sports connoisseur, I do agree with one of the main points of your post...I enjoy attending college basketball much more than NBA games. I am from California and am constantly surrounded with friends who are avid Laker fans, and while I have a great time at the games I always feel like it is much more of a "scene" than it should be. Attendees of the game constantly have their eyes peeled for what celebrities will be attending the game unlike a college basketball game where the all the fans, especially the student section, is there to support their team and have a good time. I look forward to learning more about sports this semester!

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  2. I have always noted that college sports have more heart in them than professional sports. At the end of your post when you compare "this" to "this," I appreciate the links but wish you would have linked to the site while also using the name of the venue. This would help me to understand what you are talking about with the first read through and then finding out more, rather than facing confusion immediately. This was a great post though and you make a great point.

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  3. I really enjoyed reading this post. I don't know much about basketball, but I do know that I definitely prefer attending a college game as opposed to an NBA game. The fans supporting the college teams seem much more loyal, whereas the fans at NBA games seem to just be looking for a fun night out on the town. I attended a Pistons game this past Friday, and the Palace was basically empty compared to the last game I went to over a year ago, when the Pistons were still good. This might just be evidence that Detroiters are fair-weather fans, however. Either way, this was a good post and I really enjoyed watching the YouTube links.

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  4. This may sound heretical, but I like to watch high school hoops as much or more than college ball. Not that I see either of them live very much, but the passion of HS ball -- on the courts, the bench and in the stands -- engrosses me as much as the play. Plus, inevitably you're sitting much closer to the action.

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  5. I'd ditto Carol's post. I find high school sports--especially a high school football game on an autumn night. There's heart and passion there that is missing even dare I say at the University of Michigan games.

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