Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, usually with 5 players each, compete on a rectangular field with the primary goal of shooting a basketball through the defender’s hoop. Smith College pioneered women’s basketball in the fall of 1892. Senda Berenson, a new “physical culture” director at Smith, tried to teach basketball to her students in the hopes that it would enhance their physical health. While basketball was developed for men as an indoor supplement to existing team sports such as baseball and football, it became the first women’s team sport, followed immediately by hockey, rowing, and volleyball.
Although the rules for men’s basketball are the same, there are some important distinctions in the perimeter of the women’s basketball and the position of the women’s three point line. The women’s basketball circumference is one inch (2.54 cm) smaller than the men’s basketball. In this article we will look at the key differences between men’s and women’s basketball,
Ball Size
The first significant distinction between men’s and women’s basketball is the size of the basketball used. Men’s basketball players use 29.5” basketballs beginning in high school and progressing through the NCAA and National Basketball Association. In basketball games, women’s basketball players from high school to the WNBA use a 28.5” basketball size.
Three-Point shot
When viewing a men’s or women’s basketball game, it’s possible to notice that the three-point line varies in length. The three-point line for Women’s Professional Basketball is 22 feet, 1 ¾ inches (top of key), 22 feet (corners) whereas the three-point line for Men’s Professional Basketball is 23 feet, 9 inches (top of key), 22 feet, 3 inches.
Backcourt Rule
According to the backcourt rule, a player with the ball has a specific number of seconds to cross the half-court line. Men’s college basketball requires the ball to cross the halfcourt line in 10 seconds, whereas women’s college basketball does not.
Playing Time
Men’s and women’s basketball have different playing times at the professional and college levels. Basketball teams in the NBA compete for four 12-minute quarters, meanwhile WNBA teams compete for four 10-minute quarters. Men’s college basketball teams compete in two 20-minute halves, whereas women compete in four 10-minute quarters.
Shot Clock
Men’s college basketball sports use a 30-second shot clock, while NBA games have been using a 24-second shot clock. WNBA games use a 24-second shot clock, while Women’s NCAA sports are using a 30-second shot clock.
Popularity
The most noticeable difference between the men’s and women’s games is popularity, as measured by attendance and TV ratings. As per ESPN, the Chicago Bulls will be the NBA’s attendance leader in 2022, with an average audience of 20,881 though the 41 home games. The Seattle Storm, on the other hand, led the WNBA in attendance with an average of 10,631 fans per home game. In terms of TV ratings, college sports tell a compelling story. Men’s games averaged 9.12 million viewers during the initial two rounds of March Madness in 2022. The first two rounds of the women’s tournament drew 474,000 audiences on average.
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