Why Basketball is Better Than Soccer

There’s no denying that both sports are incredibly popular around the world.

Without a shadow of a doubt, there are millions upon millions of fans who regularly tune in to watch their favourite teams in both sports.

And the popularity doesn’t end there.

Merchandise from some of the biggest franchises and clubs in basketball and soccer respectively gets sold in astronomically high unit quantities.

But which sport is superior?

In this piece we’ll explore four of the main reasons that people choose basketball over football (soccer).

Reasons why basketball is considered a better sport than soccer

The following list will demonstrate how each reason contributes towards making basketball an overall better sport compared to its counterpart.

1. Basketball gameplay is faster and more intense

Basketball is a much quicker paced sport when compared with soccer.

This makes it easier to follow and keep up-to-date with what’s happening on the court at any given moment in time.

The intensity increases during play as well.

A player can sprint from the end line to the side line without pausing to catch their breath.

Passing the ball across the court takes mere seconds due to the fact there isn’t anyone waiting behind you ready to tackle.

One minute you could find yourself running towards the back of the court to defend an opponent’s attacking play, and in the very next moment you could be sprinting up towards the opposite end to attempt a layup or a jump shot.

Basketball does a much better job of involving all the players on the court as opposed to soccer, which often sees goalkeepers barely get more than a handful of kicks during a game if their team is significantly stronger than the opposing one.

2. Basketball is a higher scoring and more entertaining game

Soccer has long been known as being “the beautiful game” where passing and skilful dribbling come together to create a truly unforgettable experience.

While there may be some truth to this statement, the reality is that most soccer fans aren’t really into the technical aspects of the sport.

With that said, let’s look at basketball.

Due mainly to the pace of the game and lack of space between players, passing the ball around becomes increasingly difficult.

You have to find gaps in defence then quickly pass the ball before your opponent gets back into position to defend against another shot attempt.

If you miss then you’ve probably lost possession because now they’re closer to goal.

On top of this, defenders can jump out of bounds to stop any potential score opportunities.

These factors add up to make basketball a highly exciting yet fast paced sport.

Add to this the number of shots a team must get off every second and it’s easy to see why basketball scores so high!

What’s more, seeing a player dunk on the rim is so fascinating to witness.

Conversely, soccer can be quite boring at times, especially when one team is dominating possession of the ball.

Because soccer pitches are so much larger in size than basketball courts, it’s easier for soccer players to keep hold of the ball as they have more room to manoeuvre.

This usually results in one-sided games where you don’t see much goal scoring action because one team dedicates themselves to protecting their goal whilst sacrificing attacking impetus that could make the match a more entertaining spectacle.

So, if you want something fun to watch while still keeping entertained by the action, go for basketball.

3. Basketball is a more competitive sport

Soccer has traditionally been seen as having lower competition levels compared to basketball.

This is because in some of Europe’s best soccer leagues, there are typically only a handful of teams who battle it out to win the domestic title.

For instance, the German Bundesliga has Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund as the main title challengers, whilst every other team in the division is left to scrap it out for the other places.

Meanwhile, the English Premier League has previously seen teams like Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United compete for the crown, with the remaining sides not strong enough to challenge for the top spot in recent years.

As a matter of fact, there are only a total of seven teams who have won the English Premier League since the competition began in 1992.

On the flip side, basketball has seen 20 different NBA winners from the time the competition officially started in 1947.

The game is starting to become more and more competitive as leagues such as the NBA continue to grow in worldwide popularity.

Newer franchises are beginning to compete with the established teams, which makes competition for the league title extremely fierce.

All this leads us nicely onto our next topic…

4. Basketball games take less time to finish

Basketball only lasts 12 minutes per quarter at the NBA level, whereas soccer matches can last more than 90 minutes per match!

Compare the time difference of 48 minutes to 90 minutes.

That’s literally almost double the time!

Why is this important?

Well imagine watching a soccer match lasting between five and six hours.

Not exactly inspiring right?

What this does is force viewers into wanting to stay tuned for the conclusion sooner rather than later.

They feel compelled to keep the television switched on once the first quarter ends as opposed to soccer fans who sometimes leave the stadium before games have even ended!

One recent example that was quite hilarious to see in a soccer game was when Real Madrid hosted Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League semi-final 2^nd leg.

Some Real Madrid supporters – who thought the tie was lost – left the stadium before Real Madrid scored two quickfire goals.

They weren’t allowed back in to the stadium after leaving, and the game went into extra time!

Take a look at the footage below:

Finally, I’d just like to mention that there are plenty of great moments in the English Premier League too.

Many young kids dream of becoming professional soccer players and getting paid millions of pounds.

Unfortunately, these dreams often fade away because of the cut-throat nature of the soccer industry, and other factors like poor management and financial problems.

Therefore, perhaps it’s not surprising that many youngsters prefer to pursue careers in basketball instead.

After all, it offers them the chance to earn good money whilst developing skills and confidence.

Concluding thoughts

We hope you enjoyed reading this article and found it useful.

You should now be able to see why basketball is a popular sport and understand the reasoning behind the game being considered better to play than soccer.