Why Basketball is Better Than Baseball

For many people who have never played either sports, it can be difficult to understand why one would prefer playing basketball over baseball.

The two sports do share some similarities but there are also many differences between them that make it easy for anyone to pick out which they like best.

In this article we will explore four key reasons why most people find that basketball is an overall more fun, enjoyable experience to play compared to baseball.

Let’s begin with a concise summary of the topic at hand…

Basketball is better than baseball because the sport has a shorter overall game time, coupled with the fact that it doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment in order to play. More so, basketball games are fast-paced; action packed and easier to organize among friends when compared to baseball ones.  

Reasons why basketball is better than baseball

We’ll look at how each of the aforementioned reason contributes to making basketball superior to baseball in terms of entertainment value.

Let’s now take a closer look at these benefits so you can decide if they’re enough to sway your preference for just one of the two great past times!

1. Basketball has a shorter game time than baseball

If you’ve ever been frustrated by having to wait hours on end while watching an entire Major League Baseball (MLB) or World Series Game, then you know what I mean when I say that baseball takes way too long.

There are nine innings with three outs per inning plus extra time added on top of every half hour break during commercial breaks.

Here’s a quote that sums this up:

“The average length of a nine-inning MLB regular season game over the last 10 seasons is just north of three hours. The last time the average length was less than three hours was in 2015.”

Source – USA Today

Can you imagine that?

If you include all the waiting time between innings and commercials as well, then even professional baseball games can last upwards of five hours.

It seems like the perfect recipe for disaster.

Imagine trying to get together a group of friends to spend several hours outside in sub-freezing temperatures just to watch the same game again?

Not only does this scenario sound ridiculous, but it makes no sense from a business perspective.

Why not cut down the time spent watching each other’s favorite teams waste away by about 30% without sacrificing quality?

That gives us roughly three and a half hours’ worth of actual gameplay instead of five hours.

And unlike baseball, where fans must sit through ads and intermissions, basketball allows its audience to stay entertained throughout the whole duration of the game because there aren’t multiple interruptions to ruin their flow.

One quarter lasts approximately 12 minutes – much less time wasted.

Add up four quarters for a single game and you have a total of 48 minutes, which is the norm most of the time.

Overtime periods in basketball do add to the game length a little bit, but the extra time doesn’t make the game any less pleasant to watch for the fans.

2. Basketball doesn’t require a lot of equipment

Most families already own everything needed to set up a basic basketball court in their back yards.

Although basketball hoops are quite expensive, even those who don’t have access to one yet can still practice shooting and passing skills in their driveway, garage or basement.

For example, a typical basketball hoop consists of nothing more than a pole, net and backboard attached to a base.

To set up a basketball court, all you really need besides balls and baskets are nets and poles.

You may want to invest in some backboards depending on whether you plan to use your own or purchase used ones off of Craigslist or eBay.

However, a good rule of thumb is to buy new items whenever possible especially since they tend to hold up longer than second hand versions anyway.

Once you’ve got your supplies gathered, it shouldn’t take very long to put together a backyard basketball court.

Don’t worry though, setting things up isn’t nearly as hard as getting started once you begin playing.

From here on out, you won’t need anything else except for yourself and maybe a friend or two to help you work towards becoming a pro player!

3. Basketball games are fast-paced and action packed

The pace of a basketball game is definitely something that sets it apart from baseball.

Critically, the speed of plays are dictated entirely by the dribbler themselves.

They can move quickly side to side, backwards and forwards along the court, taking shots and lay ups, etc.

And unlike baseball, the basketball typically travels faster and farther than a batter running full steam ahead can hope to catch.

Baseball also has some pretty significant safety downsides.

For instance, players can get hit directly in the head or face with pitches thrown right above waist level, resulting in injuries such as concussions and traumatic brain injuries.

On the other hand, as far as the action goes, there are numerous ways for a player to score points in basketball.

These ways include:

• Free throws;
• Field goals;
• Corner threes;
• Tip ins;
• Rebounds;
• Fouls; and
• Blocked shots.

Here’s a short video clip that aptly demonstrates some of these plays:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_2DRVYNxYI

These opportunities come almost continuously throughout the course of a game whereas baseball pitchers usually rest for a couple minutes between batters.

Also, baseball players simply cannot compete against athletes who are physically stronger, taller or quicker due to the fact that they can’t control the speed of the bat.

While baseball is certainly exciting and contains lots of strategy, basketball offers a larger range of options to choose from in order to win.

4. Basketball games are easier to organize

When organizing a party, tailgate, barbeque or whatever type of social event, basketball provides a natural choice of activity to keep guests occupied and engaged.

Unlike a baseball game, where the pitcher has to warm up first, everyone can join in on the excitement immediately upon arrival!

Furthermore, basketball games can consist of either a small or large number of participants depending on the needs of the players present.

With a basketball hoop, a ball and a small court area to play on, the action can get underway.

Conversely, organizing baseball events can be a real hassle because you need more than a handful of people involved, each with their own equipment.

In addition to that, baseball needs a large open playing area with good grass, which certainly isn’t easy to find.

Ultimately, organizing baseball games can become extremely complicated, frustrating and costly, especially when dealing with large amounts of people who have their own schedules.

When considering the overall simplicity and convenience to get a game going, it becomes clear that basketball is clearly superior to baseball as a way to entertain a small or large group of people.

What takes more skill – basketball or baseball?

Baseball involves a level of high level of precision to be able to strike the ball with a bat as cleanly as possible.

That does require a lot of concentration to execute.

However, basketball involves precision to be able to shoot the ball into the hoop from all sorts of angles and it also requires players to have the strength to hold off opponents and the stamina to continuously run up and down the court.

You can easily make a strong argument for basketball requiring more skill because players need to combine physical, technical and mental aspects to be able to succeed in the game.

Is basketball easier than baseball?

Without a doubt, basketball is a harder sport to play than baseball because of all the intense demands of the sport that were mentioned earlier.

The former requires much more athleticism (speed, agility, acceleration, strength, etc.) to be able to compete at the highest level.

Final thoughts

So, this article has clearly explored all the important aspects of why basketball is better than baseball.

It’s safe to say that you won’t regret going ahead and inviting your closest friends over to play a pickup game or two.

After a short amount of time, you’ll be amazed at how much money you can save by doing so and how much happier you’ll feel knowing that you helped introduce your buddies to a brand-new hobby.

Yes!

You heard that right.

Basketball can be a hobby as well as a sport!