Women’s basketball is a team sport with the primary goal of shooting the ball into the opposing team’s basket—those who score more points during the competition win. Only tall and fast girls are selected for basketball. It is considered a beneficial sport, so it is included in school athletic training programs.
We are used to the fact that most athletes are men in basketball. But few people know that basketball is also considered a women’s sport. Today we will try to find out why this is the case and how popular women’s basketball is. Women’s basketball is also a broad theme for gambling and even has slots at https://bollywood-casino.com/, which already shows the discipline’s popularity. So today, we will tell you why women’s basketball is not inferior to men’s.
A little bit of history
Women’s basketball was born in the United States in 1892. It is only a year later than the first men’s basketball team game. The main goal was to attract the attention of young people to the sport, which over time grew into an entire world game.
Nowadays, women’s soccer is most prevalent in its homeland, the United States. Along with the NBA, which opened in 1946, there is the WNBA, founded precisely 50 years later – in 1996. All professional women’s basketball players aspire to join this association.
Differences Between Women’s Basketball and Men’s Basketball
There are no significant differences between women’s basketball and men’s basketball. The hoop for the ball is the same diameter at the same height – 3.05 meters. The length and width of the court do not change either. The only difference is that the ball for women’s basketball is slightly lighter and smaller in volume.
The rules of the game of basketball also do not lend themselves to change. All differences are gathered precisely in the game’s tactics and coordination of movements. Smoother movements and team play characterize women.
So why is women’s basketball not as popular as men’s?
In basketball, the spectator appreciates speed, power, and epicness. But, as a rule, in women’s basketball, these qualities are expressed to a lesser extent, at least due to the physiological characteristics of the body.
Some European countries have feeble advertising campaigns to promote women’s basketball. As a rule, there are very few spectators at these games – the stadiums are attended either by those who are somehow associated with the game or were sent to the game on purpose. It dramatically affects the motivation of the players themselves.
However, this does not prevent the athletes from reaching considerable heights. An important factor in women’s basketball is your desire and the support of those closest to you.
If you want to be a part of the women’s basketball team, join us. It depends only on you whether you can succeed or not. Women’s basketball is also a sport that requires effort and constant training. The main thing is your success; popularity and importance will come with a good advertising campaign and connoisseurs of this sport.
Rules of the game
Experts believe that women’s basketball:
- hones coordination;
- trains muscles and breathing;
- improves blood circulation;
- strengthens the nerves.
These characteristics made the game famous, and American James Naismith invented the first rules in 1891. The teacher wanted to make gymnastics lessons more interesting; the teams first threw balls into fruit baskets. Only a year later, James formulated the basic rules; at first, there were 13. And the management of women’s basketball at the international level was adopted only in 1932, at the first congress of the International Basketball Federation. The most extreme adjustments were made in 2004. Nevertheless, the rules are not complicated:
Two groups, five participants from each, compete.
- The game aims to shoot the ball into someone else’s basket and not let it drop into theirs.
- The game is played only with hands; kicking or stopping the ball is considered an offense.
- If you have the same number of points, the judge adds time and does so until the winner is determined.
- Two points are awarded for a close-range shot, 3 points for a far-range shot, and 1 point for a free throw.
Women’s basketball – ring height
Women’s volleyball has become so popular because it is the least traumatic. And it also strengthens health with a variety of activities:
- Walking and running;
- stopping, turning, throwing;
- jumping, catching, and dribbling.
A basketball hoop is 10 feet or 3.05 meters from the floor. Men’s basketball has the same standard. By athletic means, the basket is secured 0.15 meters from the low edge of the basketball backboard, and the basket itself is wrapped around a hoop with a net with no bottom. The bottom edge of the basket is fixed at a distance of 3 meters and 5 centimeters from the floor, and this rule is common for both men’s and women’s teams. However, there are a few more essential nuances:
- The structure is placed so that it is impossible to move it, and the loads do not affect the position of the shield.
- A specialist measures the correct distance from the floor to the top because accuracy and the difference in slopes to one side and the other play a role.
How many quarters are in women’s basketball?
In basketball, net time is counted; the game counts from 2 to 4 periods or quarters, 12 minutes each. There are breaks of two minutes each. In many sporting events, time is divided into halves, and women’s basketball follows the same rules. The stopwatch is activated only when the ball is in play; if it flies out of bounds, the timer stops. Total playing time counts from 40 to 48 minutes, all decided by the rules.
How long is a quarter in basketball? There are 10 minutes of non-dropout time for each, with 120-second breaks in between. Only in the heat of the game, between the second and third periods, are 15 minutes allocated for rest. But there are some deviations:
- In Europe, a quarter is 10 minutes.
- In America, the game is played for 12 minutes.
- In the NBA, the score goes to 12 minutes, but with timeouts and delays, it runs up to about half an hour.
Team rankings
Women’s basketball is a sport where the games are just as exciting as the men’s, and the world’s accepted rules count points and penalties. Women’s basketball teams from Greece, Bulgaria, and Switzerland are considered the strongest. The women’s basketball team won the World Cup and the European Cup, topping the world rankings and squeezing out the former champions from Hungary.
Women’s Basketball – Movies
Most basketball supporters live in America, where almost everyone in the country is familiar with the game. Due to this popularity, directors often made movies about women’s basketball, and they are thriving even at the world box office. The most famous films are:
- “Coach Carter.” The story of the coach who formed a team of black players and took them to the champions.
- “Winning Season.” A famous former coach gets a chance to return to the sport he loves, but on one condition: you must prepare the women’s team so the girls reach the highest level.
- “Mighty Max. The story of women’s team coach Katie Nash, who manages to turn weak outsiders into tournament winners in a short period.
These movies will help you get more deeply rooted and get into women’s basketball as much as men’s.