Basketball has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity over the last decade. While a lot of people fail to see how this could happen, it is very easy to track down a few key points that could be helping and stoking the flames of growth for basketball. Some people even go so far as to say that basketball is no more popular than it was back in the prime days of Michael Jordan. If this were the case, than the games wouldn’t be popular, and they wouldn’t constantly have packed arenas and high ratings.

The internet has become a huge publicity tool for basketball. Not only can league players go online and obtain advice from people in all walks of life, but local players can always go online to certain social sites or certain web services and find other players online that are in their area to play.

The internet allows for fans new and old to watch old basketball material, be able to access new basketball material, and has the ability to follow today’s current basketball. Before the internet, you had to read the newspaper, or sit in front of the television to get the scores and highlights from that day. Now that technology and the internet have taken it so far that you can get all of that material even on your cell phone.

As well as the internet, people are just getting outside more to parks and away from their video games and busy lives. Basketball is a great way to enjoy some physical activity in a fun setting that allows you to be competitive, but also allows you to have a lot of fun while doing it. Basketball is a sport that can be played in and outside, and is a year round sport.

Today’s age of professional basketball player tends to draw a little more attention than players of the past. That is due to the many changes in how the game is played, delivered, and enjoyed by fans. The internet allows an unprecedented amount of access that previous to the internet age couldn’t have been achieved. The amount of information available at any one time to anyone looking for it brings the sport into a whole new light.

Not only has the internet become a publicity tool, and a research tool, but also has become a solid training aid. Players of all levels have access via many sites, blogs, forums, etc to various kinds of information that can help every aspect of their game. Things like workout routine, eating habits, playing styles and more can be found simply by typing some very basic terms into a search engine and rolling with what comes up.

Players now have the ability to network with other players in various locations worldwide and of differing skill levels, which in itself promote different levels of the game, and is in itself an ambassador for the game. Potential players will be able to view a large amount of information without having to ask questions that sometimes will make people shy away because they hate to look “weak”.

Today’s fans, players, and coaches all will agree that basketball has become far more popular at all levels in the past decade, and the internet, as well as the evolution of the game is at the forefront of that trend!

Picture credit: mtigas • Creative Commons Attribution