Netball

This Monday I went to my first netball game between the NSW Swifts and the Northern Mystics at Sydney Olympic Park. While I found the game interesting, I would probably not go to see another game. I did not find netball as entertaining as American basketball. In basketball, it is much easier to play defense and to force turnovers where in netball this is almost impossible. Another thing that turned me off was that jumping and blocking shots was very rare. In pretty much every scoring play, the offensive team would get very close to the hoop before they shot. In basketball, it is much more difficult to score near the hoop and there is much more strategy involved in basketball to try and get players open for a shot. You almost never see a team make more than 80 percent of their shots like the visiting Mystics did on Monday.

I was, however, pleasantly surprised at how many people actually came to the game. I didn’t expect many people to be at the game, being that netball is not a very popular sport, but the fans’ enthusiasm and energy was quite strong. It made the game, which I was not really that fond of, much more fun. Overall, I can see why the game is played in schools; it is a great way for people to stay active and fit. I also understand why the game has yet to garner the popularity of many of the major Australian sports; there simply is not enough action.