Basketball Fans

A SOCCER BALL and two half-bushel peach baskets were used to play the very first basketball game in Springfield, MA, in 1891. Differing historical accounts say this event took place at a school or local YMCA. Canadian-born James Naismith, a gym teacher, invented the game.

Early on, baskets commonly were hung from balconies, which created problems with fans trying to participate in games from the sidelines. The solution? Backboards were put in place in 1895.

Basketball has come a long way since those fledgling days. The game’s popularity spread from the Northeast throughout the United States and to Europe and elsewhere. Today, most American basketball fans watch the game on television.

TV viewership of National Basketball Association games ranks third behind football and just slightly behind baseball telecasts.

NBA TV viewing was up by 20% in calendar year 1998, according to Nielsen Market Research. This represents the highest increase among all professional sports.

More than 7.4 million households watched televised NBA games during 1998, a 19% market share. The overall Nielsen rating for NBA games was 7.6.

The 1999 NBA playoffs produced viewership figures that mirrored those of the regular season. Those telecasts drew 7.5 million households, a 20% market share and a 7.7 Nielsen rating.

However, the 1999 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks attracted an impressive 18.3 million households, a 33% market share and an 18.7 Nielsen rating.

About 47% of all consumers between age 9 and 55 consider themselves fans of men’s college basketball. Similarly, 31% say they follow women’s college basketball, according to research conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

TV viewing for college basketball peaks with “March Madness” – the NCAA tournament. Generally, only the biggest fans of college basketball watch NCAA games regularly on TV. But about 90% of NCAA fans aren’t able to watch women’s basketball on television because only a few games are aired.

– While basketball is America’s favorite team sport, it ranks third among 101 sports, fitness and outdoor pursuits. Only bowling, freshwater fishing and tent camping attract more participants than basketball’s 42.4 million players, age 6 or older.

– Despite its popularity and growth in some sectors – such as girls’ and women’s basketball – overall participation in basketball declined during the second half of the 1990s. It peaked at 47.3 million players in 1994.

– Curtailment of physical education programs in public schools and the emerging trend of charging fees to play are believed to be slowing the growth in basketball participation.

– The popularity of basketball is gaining among female participants at the expense of volleyball and softball. During the 1990s, the number of girls playing on interscholastic teams increased 40% to 2.6 million players.

– Total attendance at Women’s National Basketball Association games surpassed 1 million on July 28, 1998. Average attendance per WNBA game is 10,142. Among cities drawing the most fans are Houston, New York, Phoenix and Washington.

– Basketball and baseball fans don’t much care for each other’s sport. About 30% of NBA fans have little or no interest in major league baseball. Similarly, 31% of baseball fans couldn’t care less about NBA games.

– Basketball is played most frequently in school gyms by 41% of participants, though it’s increasingly becoming a family sport played at home by more than 18%.

– Amateur players are aging. The average player was 21.7 years old in 1998, compared with 20.5 in 1987. About 7.6 million adults 35 or older play basketball.

– The average male basketball player has participated in the sport for 10.7 years, compared with 5.6 years for the average female. Males account for 73% of participants who play at least 52 days per year.

– Sales of basketballs and related equipment declined 3% during 1998 to $150 million, compared with $154 million in 1997. This marks the first drop-off since sales estimates were first compiled in 1988. At least some of the decline is due to falling prices.

Sources: American Basketball Council of the Sporting Goods Manufacturer’s Association, North Palm Beach, FL; American Sports Data Inc., Hartsdale, NY; Nielsen Market Research, New York