Basketball is one of the most loved sports on the planet although in Scotland it comes behind football, rugby and most likely golf too. However, the reason it is such a loved sport around the world is that it is the most engaging and magnetising sports around.
But why should we be encouraging more young people to watch it?
Improve Your Own Game
The best part about basketball is how much you can affect your own personal development by working hard and trying new things. Every players main goal, is to get better and be the best possible player they can. When trying to get to that peak, nearly all players rely on a coach or parent to tell them what they should be improving on rather than finding out for themselves.
Watching basketball and even videos of yourself playing basketball allows you to become the coach, this allows you to see people playing from a perspective that you do not get when you are playing yourself. It's the the same perspective that your coach will see when you are on the floor or in training. You can watch basketball in real time or even slow things down with tools like YouTube where you can watch and re-watch the same sequence over and over to learn.
Watching your own video of playing allows you to see things you wouldn't have noticed before as you would be doing them rather than reviewing them. This allow you to pinpoint the good and the bad, which will allow you to focus on developing the skills that need the most work.
Grow The Game
Scotland has a great basketball history, with one of our own descendants being the creator of the modern game. However, basketball is behind in Scotland, with sports culture in this country aiming constantly toward the big 4 in Football, Tennis, Rugby and Golf.
Basketball is highly competitive, it's accessible, it's both fun to play and watch, it's high paced, and it's a teamwork sport that promotes inclusion at the grassroots level.
It is the perfect sport for all, however promoting the viewing of the sport is one of the best ways to grow awareness and attract new people to view and participate. Glasgow Rocks and the BBL have made a great start to this with promoting the sport and now securing a network deal with SkySports to televise the British Basketball League during the 20/21 season.
Next Steps?
- Online streaming service for Basketballscotland Senior National League one male and female game per week?
- Clubs filming and uploading games to YouTube or Streaming their games online?
- Clubs promoting within the local community to attend local games and pro games to increase viewership?
- Attempt to access traditional media more (TV, Newspaper, Radio)?
- More online accessible content for basketball in Scotland?