Football Versus Basketball

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Compare and Contrast of Football and Basketball Name ENG121 Instructor October 31, 2011 When I was in High School I participated in many activities including sports. I played two of the most popular sports in America when I was in High School, football and basketball. Now I am at the age it is easier for me to watch these sports on TV than to participate in them. I like watching both sports with the same vigor, but they do have their differences. I will contrast the physicality, the equipment, the season, and the space, required to play professional sports of American football and basketball. I will discuss American football first, covering the sports physicality, equipment, season, the ball (along with how to advance it), and space needed for the sport. Football is considered a high contact sport, and therefore, involves a lot of physical contact. Football players use their hands a lot. Pushing, shoving and tackling occur on every play of game which leads to a lot of injuries. To help protect the players from injury, their uniforms consist of helmets and pads. The shoes normally have plastic cleats on the soles to allow the player to get traction when running on grass or artificial turf. This equipment can weigh 20-30 pounds. With the physicality, type and weight of equipment required for the sport, football players play either offense or defense. The regular season for a football team consists of playing 16 games (one game per week) beginning in September and ending late December or early January. The size of the area required for them to play is another factor. A professional football field is 360 feet long (including the endzones) by 160 wide, about ten times the size of a basketball court. The football itself is made of leather and has an oblong shape. To advance the ball up and down the field, players can either throw or run with the ball.

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