Basketball
Tips for New Fans
Like any sport, basketball is confusing to watch
if you have never played it yourself or you didn’t
grow up watching it. Here are a few things you
can do to learn more about the game.
1. Read about the basics.
Here are a few sites you should visit to learn
more about the game:
-1a.Online:
SportSpectator Fan’s
Guide to Basketball
Wikipedia
Basketball Write-up: Good wiki community write-up
on football.
-1b. Consider buying one or both of the following
books:
The
Complete Idiot's Guide to Basketball
Basketball
for Dummies
2. Watch televised games. Commentator
language and analysis makes the game much easier
to follow and will help you pick up the lingo.
Watching games live at the stadium is a slower
learning process. Basketball is mainly played
in the winter, and college and pro games can be
found nightly from January to April.
3. Pick a team and follow it throughout
a season (college or pro). Games are
much more fun to watch when you have “your
team” and you know the players, record,
etc.
4. Watch a sports wrap-up show once a
week. Show such as Sports Center (ESPN)
or other shows on ESPN or Fox Sports are a good
place to find general basketball information,
learn the lingo, and keep up with “your”
team.
Optional:
5. Stay current on the games you watch
and teams you follow. ESPN.com publishes
previews before the game for college and pro.
These previews describe match-up analysis. You
can also visit “your team’s”
clubhouse to learn more about players, injuries,
etc. Memorize a few statistics and work them into
a conversation to impress your friends. Local
newspapers also provide good coverage of local
teams (usually high school, college, and pro).
The magazine Sports Illustrated is also a good
place to read about players, teams, etc.
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