AWA: Academic Writing at Auckland

Basketball

Q1: History, Evolution and Technological Impact

Basketball is a game where two teams of five players tries to score goals by shooting a ball through to a netted hoop which is located at each end of the court. Basketball is one of the famous sports in the world and popularly watched.

The history or invention of basketball can be traced back to Dr. James Naismith in 1891. At that time, James was a physical education teacher and was forced to think of an indoor athletic activity within 14 days as the winter in New England was harsh. At first, he tried indoor adaptation of soccer and lacrosse, but leads to facility damaged and people getting injured. He then developed a set of 13 rules which became the origin of the game of basketball. (iSport, n.d.-a; TheBasketballWorld.com, n.d.)

The original game of basketball is very different with the game we know today. The first game was played with two teams of nine players, in a court half-sized of today’s basketball court, played with a soccer ball with two closed bottom peach baskets nailed at 10-feet high used as goals. This means that someone has to climb on a ladder to retrieve the ball after each basket. To reduce the effort, a hole was drilled at the bottom of the peach basket and eventually innovation takes place where the modern goal is made of iron rim and cloth net. Some other notable additions to the modern basketball game includes dribbling (bouncing the ball up and down while moving), the three-point line and higher tolerance of physical contacts and fouls. (iSport, n.d.-a; TheBasketballWorld.com, n.d.)

Technology has made a significant impact to the game of basketball. The instant replay technology allows referees to make a more accurate decision. Some of its main uses includes to check if a shot was released before the final buzzer and if the goal attempts or fouls are a two-pointer or three-pointer. Another example of technology used in basketball is the shot clock. It helps increase the game pace where the offensive team has to attempt a field goal before the time expires. (NBA, n.d.)

Q2: Rules, Regulations and Objectives

The two main objectives of basketball are to score the most points at the end of the game by shooting the ball through the opponent’s basket and to stop the opponent from scoring (iSport, n.d.-b). The main rules of basketball include:

• The game is made up of four periods, each period consists of 10 minutes (this may differ in other professional league)
• Basket scored inside the three-point arc is worth two points, basket scored beyond the three-point arc is worth three points, while basket scored from the free-throw line is worth one point.
• The ball has to be either passed or dribbled. A player can take two steps without dribbling before passing or shooting.
• A team who gains possession have a maximum of 24 seconds to attempt a shot. They also can’t be inside the restricted area for more than three consecutive seconds.
• Fouls occurs when there is illegal contact. If a player has more than five personal fouls, they will be excluded from the game (this may differ in other leagues)

(FIBA, n.d.)

Q3: Physical and Mental Training Required, Sport Type, Nutritional Aspect, Risk of Injuries

Both physical and mental exercise are involved in basketball. It is a game of keeping the stamina, strength and agility to keep up with the game and ahead of the ball. In terms of physical training, the player needs to have cardio training to increase the player’s all-around endurance, strength training and agility training for muscle control, breathing control, stamina and balance. (Cunha, n.d.)

In terms of mental training, it allows the players to be focused on things they can control, which is the process. Many players tend to fall into the trap of focusing and worrying things that are out of their control, such as over making a shot or winning a game. Mental training also increases motivation and confidence for the match. (Stein, 2011)

Basketball is an endurance activity because it is an aerobic activity. Players need often need to overcome quick change in direction and to accelerate/decelerate, this will involve an increase in both their breathing and heart rate. (NIH Medicine Plus, 2012).

The nutritional requirements for basketball involves a balanced diet consisting of 55-60% carbohydrates, 15-20% fat and 20-25% protein, requiring about 3500 calories for women and 4600 calories for men each day. They would also need to eat a variety of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, and limit their intake of fat, sugar and sodium. They should also stay hydrated and have a meal plan of 3 standard meals and 3 snacks. (Stronger Team, 2013; AND, 2014)

Basketball players could get injured during the match or training. This can be categorized into acute (traumatic) injury and overuse injury. Acute injury is when there is a direct cause responsible for the injury, and the most common type is sprains (injuries to the ligaments), contusions and strains (injuries to the muscles). Overuse injury is resulted from repeated micro trauma, causing pain and/or stiffness in the musculoskeletal system. One of the most common type of overuse injuries is tendinopathies. Most of the injuries are difficult to treat and may cause significant loss in the player’s performance and their functional capacity. (Babic, n.d.)

Q4: Major Event and Issue

Basketball has been part of an Olympic event since 1936. The FIBA Basketball world cup is also a major event in basketball, which is held once every four years for the men’s national teams that are members of the International Basketball Federation. In 2019, there will be 32 teams competing.

Unlike other sports, the scandals and issues in basketball is considered very little. One of the scandal was in 2007 which involves betting in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Tim Donaghy, a 13-year NBA referee was charged of gambling on the games he officiated. Investigations shows that many of the calls made by Tim in the games affects the point spread, making it a perfect setup for betting on a game. (ESPN, 2008)

Football

Q1: History, Evolution and Technological Impact

Football is a game played by two teams where each team kicks and tries to score goals, and is considered one of the world’s favourite sport. The history of football can be traced back to China dating back to the 2^nd and 3^rd centuries BC, where football is used as a military exercise. During the Han Dynasty, leather ball filled with feathers and hair was used as a ball and was kicked to a small net. The evolution which results in the modern soccer however, took place in Britain around the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Each team had different rules, but in 1863, 12 London clubs met to discuss the general rules of football and standardized the size and weight of the ball. These group then formed the Football Association. From England, the game of football was easily spread out to other European countries. (FIFA, n.d.-a)

Technology has made an impact on football. One of the example is the goal line technology, which was really needed as very often, TV replays are able to show the wrong decisions by the referee in terms of determining if the ball has or has not passed the line. With the technology, the ball’s exact position can be tracked, including when it has fully passed the goal line. The information is then passed on immediately to the watch worn by the referee. Another technology used is the foam technology, which is a temporary foam spray that allows the referee to give a visual marker. This allows the players to know the minimum distance where the opposing team must stand during a free-kick and the exact position of where the ball should be. (Top End Sports, n.d.)

Q2: Rules, Regulations and Objectives

The objective of football is to score the most goals with any part of the body except hands and arms.

There are 17 ‘Laws of the Game’ to create a fair play based on IFAB. The 8 main laws are:

1. The football field must be between 90 and 120 metres long, and between 45 to 90 metres wide. Several areas have to be marked and a flag post must be placed in each corner.
2. The ball must be 8.6 to 9 inches in diameter and weigh from 14 to 16 oz.
3. Two teams play on a match, each with no more than 11 players.
4. Players are not allowed to wear jewelleries and a shirt, shorts, socks, shin guards and football boots are required.
5. There is a head referee.
6. There should be assistant referees to assist the head referee’s decision by signalling for corner kicks, offside, etc.
7. The match duration is 90 minutes played in two equal halves.
8. A kick-off starts the game and restarts it again in the second half of 45 min.

(IFAB, 2016)

Q3: Physical and Mental Training Required, Sport Type, Nutritional Aspect, Risk of Injuries

Both physical and mental training are required for football. The game is filled with high intensity that requires players to push their body and recover quickly all game long. Therefore, physical trainings are required to prevent any injuries. In terms of mental training, it is needed to build the player’s confidence and motivate throughout the match. Players with lack of confidence makes them afraid of the game, which can be due to many internal factors such as the fact that the opposing team is better than them or lack of motivation. (O’Malley, 2002)

Football is an endurance activity as it is an aerobic-based fitness. Running throughout a standard 90-minute match will require a high level of stamina. Along with sprints, jumps and tackles, it shows the high level of cardiovascular endurance needed for football.

A game of football may consist of 10 km of running and 600 m of sprinting, which will burn about 1600 kcal. The physical demands from training and competition clearly indicates that carbohydrate is an important source for a football’s player diet, where 2400-3000 calories of carbohydrate are recommended. It is recommended that after the game, the 90% of the player’s body glycogen store burnt is replenished quickly. This can be achieved using sports drink as it also replaces lost fluids. The aim is to consume around 500 calories in two hours after the game. (Jeffries, n.d.)

Soccer players may sustain injuries, which are categorized into four types: lower extremely injuries, overuse lower extremity injuries, upper extremity injuries and head, neck and face injuries. Lower extremely injuries are the most common in football, and includes sprains and strains. Overuse lower extremity includes calf soreness, knee pain and Achilles tendinitis. Stress fractures may also occur if there is an overuse of the bone. Upper extremity injuries usually happen from player contact or falling on an outstretched arm – wrist sprains and fractures, and shoulder dislocations. Lastly, neck sprains, concussions, cuts and bruises may occur in the head, neck and face. (Burger & Fine, n.d.)

One of the major football event is the FIFA World Cup that is held once every 4 years. It involves a qualification phase which takes place over three years with 210 national teams participating. From there, 32 teams automatically qualify for the final tournament. This makes the world cup one of the biggest events in the world, even larger than the Olympics (FIFA, n.d.-b)

Q4: Major Event and Issue

There are many scandals involved in the biggest football association – FIFA. In 2015, the US FBI disclosed the case of corruption related to FIFA, which was sparked by the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 world cup. The investigation mainly around bribery, fraud, and money laundering between the sports marketing/broadcasting executives and the senior figures of football powerbrokers connected to CONCACAF (Caribbean, Central, and North America). There were “over $150m” in the form of bribes and other illegal payments involved paid the US and South American sports marketing executives to secure the media and marketing rights to the tournaments. (BBC, 2015)

Q5: Sports in Commerce

With my majors in information systems and operations and supply chain management, I believe I can combine commerce into sports science and create a business with the help of innovation. Technology can be used in a gym to reduce the need of a personal trainer. A workout class that is circuit-based and has interactive technology implemented such that customers will have a gaming mixed with exercise experience. For example, for a jumping jack station the floors will contain sensors. As illustrated in the picture below, the orange light will first turn on to tell the athlete to stand there. Once they stand there the blue light will turn on to tell them to jump to the blue circles, and then the orange will turn on again to get them to return to the intial jumping jack position.

Reference:

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (2014). Fueling basketball players. Retrieved from https://www.nutritioncaremanual.org/vault/2440/web/files/SNCM/Client%20Education%202014/Basketball%20Players-4-2014.pdf

Babic, O.J. (n.d.). Basketball injuries – definition and anatomy. Retrieved from http://www.fibaeurope.com/cid_VVN9zdHHJOEO8iyoqkT3E3.coid_T2xDfdLXH1sp8bKWk28ka1.articleMode_on.html

BBC. (2015, December 21). Fifa corruption crisis: Key questions answered. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32897066

Burger, R., & Fine, K. (n.d.). Preventing soccer injuries. Retrieved from http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/STOP/Prevent_Injuries/Soccer_Injury_Prevention.aspx

Cunha, D. (n.d.). What fitness skills are needed for basketball?. Retrieved from http://work.chron.com/fitness-skills-needed-basketball-12564.html

Davies, P. (n.d.). Endurance soccer training… Building peak aerobic fitness. Retrieved from http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/endurance-soccer-training.html

ESPN. (2008, July 30). Donaghy sentenced to 15 months in prison in gambling scandal. Retrieved from http://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=3509440

FIBA. (n.d.). Basic rules. Retrieved from http://www.fiba.com/basic-rules

FIFA. (n.d.-a). History of the game. Retrieved from http://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/who-we-are/the-game/index.html

FIFA. (n.d.-b). 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. Retrieved from http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/

IFAB. (2016). Laws of the game 2016/17. Retrieved from http://www.fifa.com/mm/Document/
FootballDevelopment/Refereeing/02/79/92/44/Laws.of.the.Game.2016.2017_Neutral.pdf

iSport. (n.d.-a). History of basketball. Retrieved from http://basketball.isport.com/basketball-guides/history-of-basketball

iSport. (n.d.-b). Basketball rules & regulations. Retrieved from http://basketball.isport.com/
basketball-guides/basketball-rules-regulations

Jeffries, P. (n.d.). Soccer nutrition – how to eat for peak performance. Retrieved from http://howto.yellow.co.nz/sports-and-fitness/footballsoccer/soccer-nutrition
-%E2%80%93-how-to-eat-for-peak-performance/

NBA. (n.d.). NBA referee instant replay trigger outline. Retrieved from http://www.nba.com/official/instant-replay-guidelines.html

NIH Medline Plus. (2012). Exercising for endurance. Go4Life, 7(1), 6-7. Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/spring12/articles/spring12pg6-7.html

O’Malley, H. (2002, February 14). The physical demands of soccer. Retrieved from http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2014/03/17/12/28/the-physical-demands-of-soccer

Stein, A. (2011, August 29). How to develop mental toughness on the court. Retrieved from http://www.usab.com/youth/news/2011/08/how-to-develop-mental-toughness-on-the-court.aspx

Stronger Team. (2013). Basic nutrition guide for basketball players. Retrieved from https://bsbproduction.s3.amazonaws.com/portals/5531/docs/basic-nutrition-guide-for-basketball-players.pdf

TheBasketballWorld.com. (n.d.). Basketball history: Origin of the sport. Retrieved from http://www.thebasketballworld.com/history.htm

Top End Sports. (n.d.). Technology in football. Retrieved from http://www.topendsports.com/
sport/soccer/technology.htm