In
the United States, basketball comes only second in popularity after football.
Over 26 million Americans are known to participate in the sport, with a
majority of being are college and high-school teams. However, as of 2017,
basketball witnessed about 500,000 injuries, which is the highest, leaving
behind football and cycling at 341,000 and 457,000, respectively, according to
data released by the National Safety Council (NSC).
No wonder the global cartilage degeneration market is expected to reach $14,580.10
million by 2027, according to figures released
by Report Linker.
This number is mainly attributed to the growing incidents of sports-related
injuries. Basketball knee braces can minimize the risk of meniscus tears and
offer support through metal sidebars and silicone patella rings, according to
experts at Aidfull. Besides
investing in supports for basketball injuries, here are some tips recommended
by professional players to avoid basketball injuries.
From
pickup games between friends to the Paralympics, wheelchair basketball is
an iconic sport. Although wheelchair basketball players follow many of the same
rules as standard basketball, it also has plenty of regulations, challenges and
skills unique to the sport. Wheelchair basketball is one of the most
popular Paralympic sports, and it goes to show that there are so many
things you can do, no matter your ability level. Basketball is only one of
the various sports
you can play
in a wheelchair.
Whether
you’re looking to get into wheelchair basketball as a spectator or as a player
yourself, you should be aware of some things before taking your first shot.
Namely, it’s crucial to know the rules of the game. Once you familiarize
yourself with the essential principles, you’ll be ready to go in no time at
all.
1. The Basics
In
terms of the game’s objectives and rules, wheelchair basketball is extremely
similar to standing basketball. There are offense and defense, and the game’s
main goal is to score points by getting the ball through the opposing team’s
hoop. One of the critical differences is the chairs themselves, which require additional
skills to play the game. Not only do the players need the aim, agility and
skill of standing basketball, but they must also know how to turn, wheel and
control the chair. Usually, the chairs consist of aircraft aluminum
or titanium
to obtain the ideal weight and speed for the sport.
After joining the rest of the country in taking a pause back
in March, the NBA is looking to get back to work with a return to game action
this week. If all goes well, the NBA hopes to crown a 2019-2020 champion by
mid-October.
Unlike Major League Baseball, which is attempting to play
games in home cities, the NBA made the decision to create a bubble at Walt
Disney World Resort in Orlando with all games being played at one location.
Like MLB and other leagues, they will be playing in an empty arena.
Given the challenges that MLB has already seen after just
one weekend of teams staying in hotels and traveling on airplanes, it looks
like pretty good strategy by the NBA to take the travel element out of the
equation and instead have everyone in one location without regular outside
contact.
Of course, given the nuances that the COVID-19 virus has
shown, there is no guarantee that even creating a bubble can keep 200+ athletes
safe for an extended period of time. However, if odds were being given, I would
have to say I feel the NBA is more likely to be playing to the conclusion of
their season than MLB or even the NFL, which also plans to play in home
stadiums beginning in September.
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has been named the highest paid athlete in the world for the first time. He earned $ 127 million last year.
As betindex.bet mentions, basketball and football dominate the Top 100 highest paid in the sport in the ranking of Forbes magazine, with a wide variety of nationalities among the participants. Forbes calculates the income of athletes by collecting the amounts of their salaries, salaries and sponsorship agreements between June 2018 and June 2019.
In the list of the top 100 after Messi come two other football superstars – Cristiano Ronaldo ($ 109 million) and Neymar ($ 105 million) – the first players ranked as the first three players.
Last year’s highest paid athlete, boxer Floyd Mayweather, dropped off the list altogether.
Tennis star Serena Williams is the only woman in the Top 100, ranking 63rd. There were no women on last year’s list.
Competitors from 10 sports enter the Top 100, with the most NBA stars. Thirty-five basketball players are included in the rankings, led by LeBron James with revenues of $ 89 million.
Stephen Curry ($ 79.8 million) and Kevin Durant ($ 65.4 million) are also in the Top 10.
No Australian is on the list, but New Zealand basketball player Stephen Adams is in 78th place.
To enter the Top 100, athletes had to earn a minimum of $ 25 million.
The only cricketer on the list, Indian Virat Koli, is in 100th place, earning exactly $ 25 million.
In general, the best athletes are from 25 countries – compared to 22 last year.
Given how much things have changed in just the last three
weeks, it seems hard to believe that if it were not for the global pandemic we
would be preparing this weekend to watch the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s
Basketball Final Four and Championship Games.
Though it has only been a few weeks, the 2019-2020 college
basketball season seems like a distant memory. The excitement over which teams
were on the bubble and who would be the top seeds seeming to be part of a long
ago time.
It may seem hard to imagine right now, but I have great
confidence that next year we will be back to enjoying March Madness and all the
drama and excitement of college sports.
However, for right now in our time of social distancing and
staying at home, we are fortunate that YouTube provides us with access to a
plethora of vintage sporting events that can help pass the time before live
sports return.
In part three of a multi-part series, Sports Then and Now has selected ten college basketball Final Four and Championship games that include some of the all-time moments and players in college basketball history. In the first two parts we shared great conference tournament games and early round NCAA Tournament action.
In this edition, we have chosen Final Four and Championship
Games that include some of the iconic moments, teams and players in NCAA
history. For each one we have included the records, rankings, coaches and
notable players at the time of the game, but are not spoiling the game with a
summary in case you don’t remember the outcome and want to enjoy the moment
without spoilers.
Among the players you can check out during their college
days are all-time greats Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Bill Walton, David
Thompson, Michael Jordan, Walter Davis, James Worthy, Grant Hill, Hakeem Olajuwon,
Clyde Drexler, Christian Laettner, Larry Johnson, Patrick Ewing and many more.
There are certainly other great games to watch on YouTube,
but we have chosen these party because the entire game is available on YouTube
and the game epitomized the excitement of March Madness.
Enjoy!
1979 NCAA
Championship Game – Indiana State vs. Michigan State
Records Entering Game: Indiana State: 33-0; Michigan State:
25-6
National Ranking: Indiana State #1; Michigan State: #3
Coaches: Indiana State: Bill Hodges; Michigan State: Jud
Heathcote
Notable Players: Indiana State: Larry Bird, Carl Nicks, Alex Gilbert, Bob Heaton; Michigan State: Magic Johnson, Greg Kelser, Terry Donnelly
As we all continue to get used to the “new (and hopefully
temporary) normal”, lack of live sports has likely been one of the things
mostly missed in the evenings. Instead of unwinding while watching an NHL or
NBA game or catching up on March Madness, the evenings has become a time for
Law & Order SVU reruns and watching the same shows over and over on HGTV.
Fortunately, YouTube is home to a plethora of vintage
sporting events that can help pass the time before live sports return.
In part two of a multi-part series, Sports Then and Now has selected 10 college basketball NCAA Tournament games that include some of the all-time moments and players in college basketball history. In part one we selected great conference tournament games and you can check those out through this link.
In this edition, we have chosen 10 games from the first two
weeks of the NCAA Tournament, so these are games up through the Regional Finals.
For each one we have included the records, rankings, coaches and notable
players at the time of the game, but are not spoiling the game with a summary
in case you don’t remember the outcome and want to enjoy the moment without
spoilers.
Michael Jordan and the UNC Tar Heels faced Villanova in the 1982 NCAA Regional Finals.
Among the players you can check out during their college
days are all-time greats Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry, James
Worthy and Sam Perkins. You can also watch some great upsets and last minute
heroics.
There are certainly other great games to watch on YouTube,
but we have chosen these party because the entire game is available on YouTube
and the game epitomized the excitement of March Madness.
Enjoy!
2008 Second Round – #10
Davidson vs. #2 Georgetown
Records Entering Game: Davidson 27-6; Georgetown 28-5
National Ranking: Davidson: #23; Georgetown:
Coaches: Davidson: Bob
McKillop; Georgetown: John Thompson, Jr.
Notable Players: Davidson: Stephen Curry, Jason Richards, Thomas Sander; Georgetown: Roy Hibbert, DaJuan Summers, Jonathan Wallace
2006 Regional Finals
– #11 George Mason vs. #1 University of Connecticut
Records Entering Game: George Mason: 26-7; Connecticut: 30-3
National Ranking: George Mason: not ranked; Connecticut: #1
Coaches: George Mason: Jim Larranaga; Connecticut: Jim
Calhoun
Notable Players: George Mason: Jai Lewis, Tony Skinn, Lamar Butler; Connecticut: Rudy Gay, Rashad Anderson, Josh Boone, Hilton Armstrong