Why Olympic Basketball Seems Boring

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Why Olympic Basketball Seems Boring

Similar to sports such as baseball and American football, basketball is one of the most popular sports in the United States. Events such as the National Basketball Association (NBA) Playoffs and the East-West Championship tend to garner considerable viewership across the United States with millions of fans contributing significantly to the sport’s lucrative nature, especially for the players involved. While such events tend to gather massive attention across all states, it is impossible to ignore the extent to which Olympic basketball has become rather less popular over the years (Cohen para. 1). Usually, Olympic basketball is comprised of some of the best players handpicked to represent a particular country. The same framework also applies for the United States, which was able to form a unique team comprised of key star players such as Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan, Carmelo Anthony, DeMarcus Cousin, and Paul George among equally strong substitutes. Nonetheless, the less popular nature of Olympic basketball in comparison to NBA basketball is attributed to the structural differences that exist between the two. In contrast to the NBA, Olympic basketball is characterized by smaller courts, shorter quarters, greasier balls, modified regulations, and a closer three-point line that is significantly close to the basket (Cohen para. 2). Even though such aspects may be increasingly overlooked, they actually pose an implication on the complexity and difficulty of the game, especially by making it less challenging in respect to the NBA. For instance, a closer 3-point line is transformational since it modifies the worst shot in NBA events into the best possible shot in Olympic basketball (Cohen para. 3). Additionally, the changes made during the Olympics in terms of basketball tend to affect NBA players who are used to long distances and wider shots. For instance, it was noted that DeMar DeRozan, who is usually effective in 2-pointers, might perform significantly in making 3-pointers due to the tweaks made in the Olympics (Cohen para. 6). Such reasons may actually be sufficient to understand the lack of popularity surrounding Olympic basketball.

Works Cited

Cohen, Ben. “How to Make Olympic Basketball Interesting.” The Wall Street Journal, 28 Jul. 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-make-olympic-basketball-interesting-1469731919. Accessed 12 Nov. 2016.