臺灣文化「譯」起讀

Regarding Taiwanese sports, most of the people would immediately think of two sports. One is baseball, and the other is basketball. Why is basketball more popular than baseball? Compared to baseball, playing basketball is comparatively easier to find a place to play balls. Besides, playing baseball requires more people. But playing basketball only needs five people. Finally, playing baseball requires more accessories, such as gloves, helmets, baseball bats and so on.

This section will discuss the basketball history in Taiwan. The history of Taiwanese basketball can be dated back to about a hundred years ago. In 1922, during the period of Japanese occupation, basketball was introduced to Taiwanese people by Franklin H. Brown. He was a sports expert. Mr. Brown came to Taiwan to help train track and field athletes. Since he had much passion for basketball, he also brought in basketball sport to Taiwan. Afterwards, basketball became more and more popular.

The prevalence and development of basketball could be attributed to the establishment of UBA, HBL and CBA. In 1987 and 1988, UBA (University Basketball Association) and HBL (High School Basketball League) were founded respectively. UBA and HBL hold basketball events to let athletes compete with one another on behalf of their schools. In 1994, CBA (Chinese Basketball Alliance) was founded. CBA was the first men's professional basketball league in Taiwan. However, CBA only lasted for five years. In 2003, SBL (Super Basketball League) was founded. SBL is the new professional basketball league, the successor of CBA. So far, SBL is still running.

In other countries, people often pay to watch professional basketball games. In contrast, people in Taiwan prefer to watch non-professional basketball event, such as HBL and UBA. People do not prefer to watch professional basketball league SBL. Thus, while you are watching basketball games, don’t forget to support the professional basketball league SBL.