The Importance of College Basketball For NBA
Many basketball fans like to follow college basketball with as much interest as the NBA games of professional athletes. Despite being considered only an add product, many fans in the US and beyond love to watch matches.
There is a curious authoritative opinion that this sport itself was first invented in the university walls by non-professional athletes. We are talking about Springfield College in Massachusetts, which created a new game of throwing the ball into the peach basket. It is believed that she became the progenitor of modern basketball.
Governing Body
Currently, the functions of the main governing body that organizes American college basketball are performed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The NCAA operates at least 1,268 institutions, and its scope of control extends to all amateur basketball competitions in the country.
American college basketball has many mixed leagues, team cups, and individual awards for high school players. Its popularity is so high that thousands of fans watch amateur games not only from their seats in the basketball arena but also directly from home, thanks to live television broadcasts.
Judging by the number of bets on page like this; https://www.bovada.lv/sports/basketball/nba, the most passionate fans bet on amateur sports matches with no less passion than on games with the participation of NBA stars.
In other words, college basketball has every opportunity to thrive even without the NBA, but can the same be said for professional basketball?
Climbing the Ladder
The primary way to become a professional basketball player, which is available to those who belong to amateur sports, is to play in college teams. This is because each new season of the NBA is preceded by the traditional player draft – an annual procedure for selecting amateur basketball players who wish to play in the professional league.
As part of the draft, 30 NBA teams choose the best among graduates. Moreover, even young athletes who have just graduated from school have increasingly come to their attention recently.
The draft includes two rounds, during which 60 newcomers join the rosters of 30 franchises in anticipation of the new NBA season – exactly 2 come out for each team. Traditionally, the 14 worst-performing clubs in the previous season are favored in choosing college graduates. This is necessary to increase their chances of getting the most promising newcomers to maintain an optimal balance of power among the teams of the National Basketball Association.
The Best of the NBA
The method described above is far from the only one that NBA clubs have at their disposal, allowing them to update their teams. However, this system has been a well-established pipeline for supplying excellent players to professional sports for decades. The most striking example is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – the most outstanding player in modern basketball, according to many athletes.
In the same way, other equally famous NBA stars got into the big sport – LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, and much more. In other words, college basketball is the main and, in fact, the only hope of professional sports for the further growth of its popularity among fans and the development of the NBA. However, this is far from the only thing amateur sports can offer professionals.
Building the Fanbase
It is amateur sports, particularly college basketball, that are primarily responsible for the popularity of professional sports, including the NBA, which is so impressive among Americans. Most of those who come to a game for the first time at school or college do it not only for the love of sports but also to cheer for someone – perhaps a son, brother, nephew, or just a friend, especially when it comes to an important game for their sports career.
When an amateur becomes a professional, those fans are automatically included in the NBA fanbase. But even if this does not happen, there is still a strong possibility that one of its teams will eventually have new fans among them. And the main merit of this will lie precisely in student basketball.
We are talking about thousands of young athletes who, consciously or not, attract their closest ones and many friends to this sport. Moreover, looking at a successful example, younger brothers or sisters are likelier to follow in their footsteps.
As you can see, high school and college amateur athletes are making a considerable contribution to popularizing basketball among Americans.
Side Effects
In addition, college basketball is an excellent school for training not only the same technique of the game but also discipline, as well as the ability to respect both teammates and opponents. It is also an excellent forge for the character of athletes who, thanks to their coach, understand at a young age that the only way to achieve success is to develop their potential through total concentration on the result and hard daily work.
The education system in American colleges allows most young talents to avoid distractions that are detrimental to their careers, and instills from an early age the most serious attitude to business. When such a basketball player moves to a new level and enters a professional environment, the skills he has previously acquired allow him to get used to a much more competitive environment and build on his success.
