I’m not a huge NBA fan. But I am a huge college basketball fan.
For the good of the game, it’s time to raise the rim. I suggest 10’6”. Currently it is 10”. That’s too easy. The athletes are bigger, faster and stronger than they were 35 years ago.
Their arms are longer. They are taller. They lift more weights. They can do more athletic things. They train in unique ways designed to improve their sports-specific talent exponentially. That’s a basic formula for the game becoming too easy unless you throw some additional challenges into the sport.
The rim is too low. The court is too small. The lane is too condensed. The three-point line is too close. Quite simply, in many ways, the game is too easy. Make it harder. That will help the players and the fans in multiple ways.
If you happen to watch the current NBA playoffs, you will likely be struck by the UNBELIEVABLE level of physical play. Despite the great effort by the refs, bodies bounce off each other at high speeds. There’s pushing, shoving, yanking and tugging. There are a bunch of goliaths confined in a small pace.
Think about that. What happens as people crowd in closer and closer, losing elbow room? If it’s a city street, your stress level increases. What happens when you have 10 players colliding and bumping and their size has increased by three inches, four inches in arm length and 25 pounds per player? They bang into each other more. There’s less room to do what they need to do.
So, create more freedom and let their talents shine. Open the game up. A higher rim, bigger court, deeper three-point line and expanded lane are ideal solutions.
My older brother has this story he tells about too many people on the planet. Too many rats in the maze. What happens as over-crowding increases? The rats gnaw on each other. They attack each other.
The increasing crowding plays out on the basketball court. As the players get packed closer and closer together due to their increased size and athleticism, the natural result is additional contact and stress.
Think if five feet was added to the sidelines, 10 feet to the length of the court, the rim was raised six inches and the three-point line was extended a foot, while the lane was widened by two feet. The players would have more room to demonstrate their skills.
They’d be forced to extend themselves. They wouldn’t be packed so tightly together. It would give the players more space to demonstrate their spectacular skills and add massively to fan enjoyment.
The players are not what they were 35 years ago in terms of size. These adjustments would reflect the realities of today’s superior athletes.
I don’t expect the NBA to listen to me. But if you care about the game and happen to read this, share the link. Maybe it will get someone thinking about it.
Sports must adjust, just like each of us does to life circumstances. The sports that grow and evolve and retain fan interest adjust the best and reflect realities of the day. The current realities at the highest level of basketball are bigger, faster, stronger, better-trained athletes. Changing some of the dimensions makes sense to adjust to that reality.
For the good of the game, it’s time to raise the rim. I suggest 10’6”. Currently it is 10”. That’s too easy. The athletes are bigger, faster and stronger than they were 35 years ago.
Their arms are longer. They are taller. They lift more weights. They can do more athletic things. They train in unique ways designed to improve their sports-specific talent exponentially. That’s a basic formula for the game becoming too easy unless you throw some additional challenges into the sport.
The rim is too low. The court is too small. The lane is too condensed. The three-point line is too close. Quite simply, in many ways, the game is too easy. Make it harder. That will help the players and the fans in multiple ways.
If you happen to watch the current NBA playoffs, you will likely be struck by the UNBELIEVABLE level of physical play. Despite the great effort by the refs, bodies bounce off each other at high speeds. There’s pushing, shoving, yanking and tugging. There are a bunch of goliaths confined in a small pace.
Think about that. What happens as people crowd in closer and closer, losing elbow room? If it’s a city street, your stress level increases. What happens when you have 10 players colliding and bumping and their size has increased by three inches, four inches in arm length and 25 pounds per player? They bang into each other more. There’s less room to do what they need to do.
So, create more freedom and let their talents shine. Open the game up. A higher rim, bigger court, deeper three-point line and expanded lane are ideal solutions.
My older brother has this story he tells about too many people on the planet. Too many rats in the maze. What happens as over-crowding increases? The rats gnaw on each other. They attack each other.
The increasing crowding plays out on the basketball court. As the players get packed closer and closer together due to their increased size and athleticism, the natural result is additional contact and stress.
Think if five feet was added to the sidelines, 10 feet to the length of the court, the rim was raised six inches and the three-point line was extended a foot, while the lane was widened by two feet. The players would have more room to demonstrate their skills.
They’d be forced to extend themselves. They wouldn’t be packed so tightly together. It would give the players more space to demonstrate their spectacular skills and add massively to fan enjoyment.
The players are not what they were 35 years ago in terms of size. These adjustments would reflect the realities of today’s superior athletes.
I don’t expect the NBA to listen to me. But if you care about the game and happen to read this, share the link. Maybe it will get someone thinking about it.
Sports must adjust, just like each of us does to life circumstances. The sports that grow and evolve and retain fan interest adjust the best and reflect realities of the day. The current realities at the highest level of basketball are bigger, faster, stronger, better-trained athletes. Changing some of the dimensions makes sense to adjust to that reality.