Basketball and hockey are among the most popular sports in the world. Both are incredibly entertaining to watch and a lot of fun to play. But when comparing the two, which one is better? Which one is more difficult? There are many questions that people ask when looking at these two sports.
To help see which one is better, I compared basketball and hockey based on a number of common factors:
- Price
- Popularity
- Difficulty
By the end of this article, it should be much easier to see how these sports compare to one another.
Is Basketball More Expensive Than Hockey?
The first question people normally think of when comparing sports is, “which one is more expensive?”. Especially if you are just getting into the sport, price is going to play a big role in which one you pick. So, I broke down the prices for each sport. These costs are basically essential equipment costs.
| Basketball Costs | Hockey Costs |
| Ball: $40 | Pads: $490 |
| Shoes: $100 | Helmet: $200 |
| Stick: $150 | |
| Skates: $300 | |
| Total: $140 | Total: $1140 |
The prices above reflect the average cost for beginner/intermediate gear. It’s clear, even just for essential equipment, hockey is much more expensive to get into compared to basketball. More specifically, Hockey is about $1000 more expensive than basketball. So, if you are someone who is very price conscious, then basketball is likely the better sport for you.
Is Basketball More Popular Than Hockey?
Another question people usually ask when it comes to these two sports is, “Which one is more popular, basketball or hockey?”. Well, popularity changes over time, so to see which one is more popular, it is best to see how each has trended over time. To do this, I looked at basketball and hockey trends since 2004 using Google Trends. Below is a photo of the trend comparison:
In this chart, the blue line represents basketball, and the red line represents hockey. As you can see, basketball is much more popular than hockey. In fact, basketball has grown pretty much every year since 2004, whereas hockey has stayed relatively stagnant. What this shows is that basketball is continuing to become more popular year over year.
Basketball vs. Hockey: Championship Viewership
Another way to look at popularity is to see how much viewership each sport gets in their respective championship game. Because both of these are championship games, it is a pretty apples to apples comparison.
| Championship | (Average) Viewers |
| NBA Championship | 9.91 million |
| Stanley Cup | 2.43 million |
The Stanley Cup 2021 had about 2.43 million viewers and the NBA championship had an average viewership of 9.91 million. To put this into perspective, the NBA Finals had about 4 times the amount of viewers as the Stanley Cup.
Between popularity trends and viewership numbers, there is no denying that basketball is much more popular than hockey. It seems that the overall interest in basketball is significantly higher than it is for hockey.
Is Basketball More Difficult Than Hockey
One of the biggest questions asked between these two sports is, “Which is more difficult basketball or hockey?”. This is a very complex question as both sports are quite different in nature, however there is a good way to break it down.
Calories Burned In An Average Game
One way to measure the difficulty of the sport is through the amount of calories and energy you use during the average game. Studies show that in a game of basketball, the average person burns about 576 calories. In the average hockey game, the average person burns about 700 to 900 calories in a game.
| Sport | Calories Burned In Avg Game |
| Basketball | 576 calories |
| Hockey | 700-900 calories |
When looking at this aspect of difficulty, it is clear that hockey is more difficult.
Hand-Eye Coordination
The second way to look at difficulty is the hand eye coordination requirements. Both sports require intense hand eye coordination. Many professional players in both sports claim that hand eye coordination is key to success in their respective sport. It is very hard to compare in this aspect of the game. Because there is no easy way to measure this, both will be considered equal.
Contact Sport
The last aspect of difficulty is which one is more of a contact sport. Contact sports are considered to be one of the biggest contributors to a ‘difficult sport’. When comparing hockey and basketball, which one is more of a ‘contact sport’.
The one way to look at this is how ‘contact’ is allowed in the sport. Generally speaking, ‘contact’ in basketball is limited and players aren’t allowed to ‘hit’ one another. Hockey on the other hand allows players to hit one another (as long as the one getting hit has the puck). In other words, heavy contact is allowed in hockey, but not allowed in basketball.
In Conclusion: Hockey vs. Basketball
In terms of price, basketball is definitely the better option. It is significantly cheaper to start playing basketball than it is to start playing hockey. In terms of popularity, basketball takes the cake. Basketball is a much more popular sport compared to hockey. In terms of difficulty, it is clear that hockey is far more difficult basketball events. With all these things considered, it should be a bit easier for you to decide which one is better for you.