Basketball Online: Letting Your Mouse Dribble to the Net

Kevin Choy
There have been many an average height guy who has dreamt of being a NBA star, dribbling down the court and stuffing that ball into the net right past an opponent's face. While that is not bad as far as dreams go, it is not very realistic. Some guys still go and play in recreational leagues, or one on one with friends down at the park-- still others find themselves too hopelessly out of shape, too short or just plain too lazy to tie their sneakers, let alone shoot some hoops. For them, basketball online may be as close to becoming a professional athlete as they will ever come.

Playing basketball online may not only be about appeasing your sport fantasies and living out your former glories, it may be more about community, spirit and gaining some valuable strategy skills as well as hand/eye coordination. You do not just watch the on-screen players play the game like you would while watching your favorite team on television, you must actually participate, anticipate, act and react. If you really allow yourself to get into it, your heart will pound, and you might even work up a sweat.

Not only do you participate in a sport that you may not have the physical capability to do otherwise, you form bonds with other players not only during the game, but also on the message boards and in the chats before or after each gaming session. Players come to speak to each other about the sport of basketball, the technique of the game itself and any reported improvements that the industry would like to implement. Each player is sure that they have the perfect method of playing certain aspects of the game, and is often willing to explain and expound on those methods with their teammates and opponents alike.

Basketball online also allows you to play with players that you would otherwise never get a chance to meet- players from distant lands, thousands of miles away. It allows separated loved ones to reconnect over a sporting event. There are many forms of the game, from pickup games that are right there on your computer screen to the latest NBA version that features the current players. There are even fantasy leagues that let you build your team before the first game is played. With online basketball, you control the action, and you control the play. How awesome is that?

To comment, please sign in to your Yahoo! account, or sign up for a new account.