Basketball and Soccer
Comparison Essay by Micah Vander Beek
Basketball and Soccer are both great sports; they have a lot in common, but basketball is just a little more fun and you are less likely to get an injury.
Basketball and soccer are very alike. The way to win in soccer is to get the ball in the other teams net while trying to keep the other team from scoring on your goal. In basketball the way to score is get the ball through a hoop and net while keeping the other team from scoring on your hoop. Basketball and soccer both require dribbling and passing a round ball to keep it away from the opposing team. Both games are physical and require a lot of running to play. Both games are reffed and have rewards for unfair or dangerous play by the other team and have boundries of play, if a ball crosses the boundary it is out of bounds and is given to the team that did not touch it last.
Soccer and basketball are also very different. The biggest difference between the two sports is in basketball you only can use your hands to control the ball, but in soccer you can use any part of the body to try to control the ball except for your hands. In basketball if you intentionally kick the ball it will be awarded to the other team, in soccer the main way of controlling the ball is with your feet and if you touch it with your hands play is stopped and the other team is rewarded a free kick from where the penalty occurred. In basketball if there is a foul the ball is giving to the team who got fouled out of bounds closest to the place the foul occurred. A foul in basketball can be just a touch on the arm, but in soccer a penalty isn’t called until someone makes a dangerous play that could injure someone. Two different penalties are rewarded in soccer, a direct kick or indirect kick. A direct kick is when a penalty is called and the ball is placed, but at least two people have to touch the ball before it can be scored. A direct kick is when the person who takes the kick can score without anyone else touching it. In basketball if you get fouled you throw it in from the nearest sideline, but if the foul occurred while a person was shooting they are awarded free throws, uncontested shots worth one point. Worldwide, soccer is much more popular than basketball, but basketball is much more popular than soccer in the US.
Soccer and basketball are two of my favorite sports and are fun and competitive. They are very similar but have some major differences, but basketball is just a little more fun to play and watch, and just a little more safe.
