Did you know that basketball in Spanish has become very big? The third largest, with an estimated 2.2 billion supporters all over the globe. Basketball in Spanish-language countries is incredibly popular, especially with some of the top players in the planet, and a huge international fan base. As you might guess, for such a huge following, there must be some excellent reasons why basketball in Spanish is so popular.
One of the things that makes basketball in Spanish so appealing is the fact that it’s much easier to understand than, say, basketball in French or even baseball. Because there are so many slang words and phrases that are used in the language, it’s much harder to learn them, and once you do, they have to be adapted to fit in naturally with the way that the language is spoken, instead of trying to force them onto an English-Spanish dictionary. It’s much easier for people to learn Spanish, in general, simply because they can relate the new phrases to the context of what they’re already saying, rather than trying to force it on the Spanish-speaker who doesn’t speak English.
And of course, the great thing about basketball in Spanish is that you can use the language with almost every aspect of the game! For example, if you get a penalty, instead of looking at your board and saying “Ya!” or “Oto,” which are common in English, you can give a basketball to the referee, who will in turn call you a penalty! Of course, you can call a penalty whenever you want (although most players are too embarrassed to), but that’s just one example of how basketball in Spanish can be used in almost any situation.