Basketball Tips for New Fans

Like any sport, basketball is confusing to watch if you have never played it yourself or you didn’t grow up watching it. Here are a few things you can do to learn more about the game.

1. Read about the basics. Here are a few sites you should visit to learn more about the game:
-1a.Online:
SportSpectator Fan’s Guide to Basketball
Wikipedia Basketball Write-up: Good wiki community write-up on football.
-1b. Consider buying one or both of the following books:
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Basketball
Basketball for Dummies

2. Watch televised games. Commentator language and analysis makes the game much easier to follow and will help you pick up the lingo. Watching games live at the stadium is a slower learning process. Basketball is mainly played in the winter, and college and pro games can be found nightly from January to April.

3. Pick a team and follow it throughout a season (college or pro). Games are much more fun to watch when you have “your team” and you know the players, record, etc.

4. Watch a sports wrap-up show once a week. Show such as Sports Center (ESPN) or other shows on ESPN or Fox Sports are a good place to find general basketball information, learn the lingo, and keep up with “your” team.

Optional:
5. Stay current on the games you watch and teams you follow. ESPN.com publishes previews before the game for college and pro. These previews describe match-up analysis. You can also visit “your team’s” clubhouse to learn more about players, injuries, etc. Memorize a few statistics and work them into a conversation to impress your friends. Local newspapers also provide good coverage of local teams (usually high school, college, and pro). The magazine Sports Illustrated is also a good place to read about players, teams, etc.