Basketball Essay, Research Paper

Basketball originated in the late thirties or early forties, I think. Back then there were no rules or exceptions to the game. People just played it because they loved it. Many young children made their own baskets out car tires, laundry baskets, bike rims, milk crates and any other cylindrical object they could find. But as the years flew by organized basketball started to emerge. Rules and regulations started to hinder the game from being just a game. People started to take the game more seriously as if their lives depended upon them winning or loosing. In the early fifties we started the National basketball Association which is now the most adored level of basketball there is. At first there was only high school and college basketball, for those who could afford it. Now with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in mind the players in high school and college have something to look forward to after their school years are over with. In this paper I will try and show you the differences between the two and some of their similarities.

High school basketball is every man or woman?s first shot at making it to a higher level of basketball and becoming a true athlete. I got involved in basketball because I loved the excitement and the rush that the game brought to you and the people that watched you. I also loved the fame, popularity, girls, and free food that came along with the game. In high school basketball you can get away with a lot of things. The referees are not as tough on you as in higher levels of basketball. The one thing that makes high school basketball so special, is that the love for the game is still there. You are one of a million people playing basketball in high school and you have to be better than half of

them in order for you to make it to the next level which is college basketball. College basketball is high school basketball without that half million that did not make it. In college, the referees get a little tighter and look a little closer. But overall it is the same just on television now. You still have your love, girls, popularity, fame, and now you have money. Some players that make it to college are endorsed by many companies for shoes, clothing material, and other things. On this level of basketball you still have a goal to achieve. You fight, hustle, hurt, bleed, butt this is what basketball is all about. Only strongest, or the people who want it the most, will survive.

The National Basketball Association, better known as the NBA, is the highest level of basketball you can go in your basketball career. This is the level where the referees lock down on everything. No biting, no hitting, no cursing, no crying, no stomping, no kick, just a little bit of pushing, but overall no nothing. You can?t even breathe hard with out them calling a foul or something like that. On this level you get fined for getting kick out of the game verses college or high school were you only get suspended for a couple of games. You only get what you work for. The players who make it here are the players that are better than two thirds of that million playing in high school and half of the ones playing in the college. In high school and college you were playing for the love you had for the game but now in the NBA you are also playing for a minimum salary of 250,000 dollars a season. Because you are paid that much money for doing something that you would do for free, it makes you very happy. But in the process of your happiness you slowly start loosing your love for the game and for what it use to stand for. Most of the players that make it to this point begin to realize that the game is not the same anymore.

It went from a sport to politics. The media exploiting your business to the world every time you speak, don?t speak, smile, don?t smile, give, or don?t give. It is more intense on this level of basketball. In college or in high school the coaches will try and console you if you are having problems in your family life or financial issues. In the NBA the coaches probably don?t even know if the players are even married or not. It is all about money on this level of play. The NBA is like your job or your civic duty to this country. None of the players who join the NBA has to sign for the draft if a war was to transpire. It becomes a have to instead of a want to. The NBA is good in many ways also. Some of the players still have their love for the game. Alot of the players start charities and funds for children or adults who need money for surgery or rebuilding a neighborhood park. This kind of reminds the players of where they once were.

There are many differences in the levels of basketball that we play such as in high school and in the NBA. But overall they are about the same except for the money, the fame, and the love for the game. I still love them all. Because the NBA brings about a maturity in your game and it keeps you in reality?s reach. It teaches you how to balance your time, money, friends, and life. I think that if you could survive through a career as a NBA player then you have overcome the things that people have said or didn?t say. In college you can explore and this is were you find out what life really is like. In other words this level separates the men from the boys or the ones who want it the most and are willing to work hard for it. High school is the time were you just go all out and don?t have a care in the world you just want to play and did not care what conditions may apply. If someone said the word basketball, you were there. There is a saying I like to say when comparing the levels of basketball. It defines the meaning of the game as I see it. It states ? In the NBA you make money and in college you get the fame, but I love high school basketball the most were it is still just a game?.