The Similarities and Differences Between Professional Football and Basketball

There are several similarities and differences between basketball and football as sports. The competitive nature of games calls for the society to express itself in these types of physical activity. Both of these activities require a finish goal where one team loses or wins in return giving the players and fans satisfaction and a sense of community. However when looking at the details of these games, they are completely different in regards to the equipment used and much more described in the following argument.

Similarity between team formations
In the United States we have several past times; some enjoy a night out on the town, going for a walk, sharing a glass of wine, or catching up on a good romance novel. But the most popular activities most Americans choose to partake in are the American sports. Two of the most popular sports in this day in age are football and basketball. I believe the reason for the success of these two sports mainly is because they are both very similar. Both sports require a head coach both require defense and offense and both have an ultimate goal a championship. Scoring points are key components to the success of a team. The way the winner is decided in both sports is by whoever scores the most points. Defending a particular scoring object is also something both sports share. Teamwork is also a very vital piece to competing in both sports all though there are several individuals playing at the same time it is important that they all play as one unit and the work they put in behind the scene “practice” is how they build that chemistry. It is very clear to see why both of these sports have such huge fan bases and although you see all of the similarities the difference in both sports is that much bigger.

Differences
As I mentioned before these two sports are very similar but I feel that the differences greatly outweigh the similarities. For starters the ball that football uses is an egg shaped object and basketballs are round. In Basketball you are constantly bouncing the ball, in football the ball is never bounced. In football there are a total of 22 men on the field at same time 11 on offense 11 on defense in basketball there are a total of 10 players playing at the same time 5 on offense 5 on defense. Football is extremely physical it requires that all players wear full body pads which include shoulder pads helmets hip pads thigh pads and cleats. Basket doesn’t require any padding. Football is a full contact sport basketball touching someone illegally is a penalty. As I mentioned earlier football players wear a special shoe called cleats mainly because the surfaces that both sports play are very different. Football is played on turf or natural grass where basket is played indoors on a hard wood floor. And the scoring is also done fairly different football players race down the field to an end zone where if they score they earn a total of 6 points they can add 1 extra point if they complete a field goal. In basketball scoring is done at a much higher pace and way more rapidly. Their goal is to shoot the basketball into a round goal post. These are just a few of the differences between both sports one other notable difference is compensation.

Compensation
According to an article written by Chris Callaway 6/14/2011 The average salary for NBA players varies depending on how many years they have been in the league, averaging out at just over $3 million per year. The minimum salary for a rookie in the 2010-11 season is $473,604, jumping up to $885,120 after three years in the league and $1,352,181 for a 10-year veteran.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/347157-what-is-the-average-salary-of-a-basketball-player/#ixzz2DUrkxpnG According to the National Football League Players Association, the minimum salary that an NFL player can make is $295,000 per year. So it is very clear to see that the earning potential in basketball is a lot higher than in football. The contracts are also structured very different mainly because the type of injuries and the risk football players take are much higher than basketball players.

Conclusion
There are many difference and similarities between the two sports some of which include the similarity between the team formation and common goals, and differences which include the salary level of players or the type of equipment used in the games. However, both sports are very popular in the United States and make for a great past-time tradition between families and friends. Go Cardinals.

References

* Chris Callaway 6/14/2011 http://www.livestrong.com/article/347157-what-is-the-average-salary-of-a-basketball-player/#ixzz2DUrkxpnG * http://nflsalaries.org/