Basketball in the United States

Of those Americans citing their favorite sport, basketball is ranked second (counting amateur levels) behind American football.[1][2][3] However, in regard to money the NBA is ranked third in popularity.[4] More Americans play basketball than any other team sport, according to the National Sporting Goods Association, with over 26 million Americans playing basketball. Basketball was invented in 1891 by Canadian physical education teacher James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts.[5]

Basketball in the United States
CountryUnited States
Governing bodyUSA Basketball
National team(s)United States
Club competitions
International competitions

NBA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the world's premier men's professional basketball league and one of the major professional sports leagues of North America. It contains 30 teams (29 teams in the U.S. and 1 in Canada) that play an 82-game season from October to June. After the regular season, eight teams from each conference compete in the playoffs for the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.[6][7] [8] The NBA get high ratings on television.[9][10]

Race and ethnicity
Main article: Race and ethnicity in the NBA

The composition of race and ethnicity in the National Basketball Association (NBA) has changed throughout the league's history. The NBA in 2015 was composed of 74.4 percent black players, 23.3 percent white players, 1.8 percent Latino players, and 0.2 percent Asian players. The league has the highest percentage of black players of any major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]

National teams
U.S. men's national basketball team at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Since the 1992 Summer Olympics, NBA players have represented the United States in international competition and won numerous important tournaments. The Dream Team was the unofficial nickname of the United States men's basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics.[19] The Women's national team has won eight gold medals at the Olympics.[20][21]

High school Basketball
See also: List of U.S. high school basketball national player of the year awards

High school Basketball is a popular activity.[22][22][23] The National Federation of State High School Associations featured 541,479 boys and 429,504 girls in basketball teams as of the 2014–15 season.[24]

Many high school basketball teams have intense local followings, especially in the Midwest and Upper South. Indiana has 10 of the 12 largest high school gyms in the United States,[25] and is famous for its basketball passion, known as Hoosier Hysteria.

College Basketball
See also: College basketball

College basketball is quite popular and draws TV high ratings. Every March, a 68-team, six-round, single-elimination tournament (commonly called March Madness) determines the national champions of NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship men's college basketball.[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]

Women's Basketball
See also: Women's basketball

The Women's National Basketball Association or WNBA is an organization governing a professional basketball league for women in the United States.[34] The WNBA was formed in 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association, and league play began in 1997.[35] The regular WNBA season is June to September (North American Spring and Summer). Most WNBA teams play at the same venue as their NBA counterparts.[36] The top tier professional Basketball league for females is the WNBA. It is not as popular as its male counterpart.[37][38] [39][40][41][42] Women's NCAA Basketball is also popular, although less so than men's basketball.[43]

The women's national team has won eight Olympic gold medals and ten FIBA World Cups.

Women's Basketball in the Media

The WNBA and Women's basketball in general has a low popularity rate compared to the NBA and Men's basketball mainly due to the media coverage and the amount of money put into the WNBA.[44] In the WNBA the league only has so much money it can spend due to sponsorship and the money it makes off of merchandise and games.[45] As a result of this the athletes are paid significantly less than the men in the NBA because the WNBA has less media coverage and less promotion to gain money for the league. With the NBA they have news coverage and many sports channels that discuss how the season is going for the men.[46] WNBA games and content is more difficult to access due to limited media coverage. "Women account for a large percentage of the sporting world, but it is disheartening and discouraging to thousands of female athletes that they account for only a mere fraction of its media coverage."[47]:17

Many female athletes are only accepted by society and receive coverage in the media if they participate in traditionally feminine sports. If a woman participates in a masculine sport, their sexuality is questioned.[48] The media tends to ignore, which devalues, women's athletic accomplishments by focusing on their physical appearance, private lives, and femininity and sexuality even if they achieve more impressive athletic feats.[49] "The idea of women having a biologically inferior body has been extensively used to justify the exclusion of females in certain sports and influence the idea that women who chose masculine sports are promoting lesbianism and other unfeminine traits. The female body continues to be identified as an object within sport and women often experience significant conflict with the negotiation of being an athlete and being a woman.":[50] 219

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References
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  2. "Sports – Pro Football is Still America's Favorite Sport". Theharrispoll.com. 26 January 2016. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
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  24. 2014–15 NFHS participation survey
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