The popularity of basketball has surged up quite an extent over the last decade, especially in the United States. As per Menos Hiras this sport is played in both indoor and outdoor courts, and is enjoyed by people belonging to numerous major countries around the world. Hiras himself has been a huge basketball fan for years, and watches its matches with a great interest. While discussing this game, Hiras points out that basketball is so popular in the US that there are many well-to-do houses across the country that have a mini basketball court within their premises itself. Many local game centers in the country also offer basketball training.
There are a lot of factors that have contributed to the consistently increasing popularity of basketball, major tournaments like the Olympics, the NBA or the European League, being the key ones. Menos Hiras says that while initially basketball was mostly played in the western countries, now its popularity has spread to nations like China, which comprise one-third of the world’s population. While basketball has been a major professional and leisure sport in the United States for decades, now people can find hoards of fans of this sport in the UK, Europe, and Asia. While statistics show that basketball is especially popular among young girls and boys around the world, people can invariably spot fans of almost all age groups who love to view major basketball tournaments.
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In the opinion of Menos Hiras apart from major tournaments and competitions, multiple other factors have also contributed to the growing popularity of basketball. Here are a few of them:
- There are millions of people worldwide who love driving to the hoop, and one of the biggest reasons for it is the level of ease involved in this game. Playing basketball requires minimal equipment and even participants. People would just need a ball, a hope, a pair of gym shoes, and nothing else to play basketball on their own. Moreover, they can either practice this sport at the court or get a hoop installed at their home to practice during their free time.
- Competitive basketball matches can be incredibly exciting to watch. As the clock keeps ticking towards the end of the match, it comes down to the last shot more often than not. This is quite a frequent occurrence in basketball matches played at all levels, whether it is high school, college, university, or professionally. The dramatic and nail-biting finishes of basketball always manage to keep the fans hooked.
- Basketball is not just fun to watch; it is also an exciting sport to participate in. It has a fast and exciting pace of play. Each player on the court additionally gets to play both offense and defense, and hence do not suffer from any monotony. The fact that basketball can be played both indoors and outdoors also comes as a great advantage.
Owing to the increasing popularity of basketball, its major tournaments, like the NBA games are now broadcasted internationally.