Basketball and Volleyball are two of the most well known sports in the entire world. Both are played at a highly competitive level and are easy to join. But if you want to join one, or just want to compare the two, you have come to the right place. There are many factors to consider when comparing two different sports. Below are the 4 main areas that I compared:
- Price
- Popularity
- Difficulty
- Game Setup & Rules
Based on the breakdown, you should have a much better idea as to which sport is right for you as well as what the main differences between the two are.
Is Basketball more Expensive Than Volleyball?
One of the biggest factors that people look at when comparing two sports is the amount of money it costs to get started. Generally speaking, most recreational players have to buy basic gear and equipment to start playing. Both volleyball and basketball have a few pieces of gear that are required. Below is a price breakdown between volleyball gear and basketball gear:
| Item | Basketball | Volleyball |
| Shoes: | $100 | $100 |
| Ball: | $40 | $35 |
| Pads: | – | $30 |
| Total: | $140 | $165 |
Overall, volleyball is more expensive than basketball. On average, essential volleyball gear costs about $25 more than basketball gear. In other words, volleyball is more expensive than basketball.
Depending on the quality of the gear that you purchase, these prices will change, however, these numbers are based on good quality gear.
Is Basketball More Popular Than Volleyball?
When comparing these two sports, people often wonder, which one is more popular, volleyball or basketball? There are a lot of ways to break this down, so we analyzed this from multiple angles.
Popularity Trend: Volleyball vs. Basketball
According to Google Trends, basketball is much more popular than volleyball. At their respective peaks, basketball is about 92% more searched than volleyball. Since 2004, basketball has been significantly more popular than volleyball.
As you can see, the blue line above represents search interest in basketball, and the red line represents search interest in volleyball. Because both sports are seasonal, the interest is a bit volatile. But it is apparent that basketball is much more popular than volleyball.
Viewership Popularity: Volleyball vs. Basketball
| Championship Title | View Count |
| NBA Final | 9.91 Million Viewers |
| NCAA Volleyball Championship | 1.20 Million Viewers |
Is Basketball A Dying Sport?
After viewing the above trends, it appears as though basketball is anticipated to have its most search interest in the past 18 years. More specifically, interest in basketball is about 9% higher than its previous peak. So it is safe to say that basketball is not a dying sport. On the contrary, basketball seems to be steadily growing if you look at the long term trends.
Is Volleyball A Dying Sport?
Interest in volleyball is on a steady decline. More specifically, interest in volleyball has decreased 50% from its peak back in 2016. There is no indication that interest in volleyball is going to pick up in the near future. So it is very likely that volleyball is a dying sport.
Game Rules & Setup
In terms of how each game is played, the sports are quite different. Not only are they played differently, but even the team setup is different.
Professional Level
| Basketball | Volleyball | |
| Time Per Game / Game Duration | 48 minutes | – |
| How To Win | Highest Scoring Team Wins | First to 25 / 15 points |
| Number of Players | 5 | 6 |
College
| Basketball | Volleyball | |
| Time Per Game | 40 minutes | – |
| How To Win | Highest Scoring Team Wins | First to 25 / 15 points |
| Number of Players | 5 | 6 |
Game Duration
A big difference between basketball and volleyball is how long each game is. In a professional basketball game, there are 4 x 12 minute quarters, which totals to 48 minutes per game. In college basketball, there are 2 x 20 minute halves, which totals to 40 minutes.
While there is no set time in a volleyball game, the overall duration of the game is typically 60-90 minutes. This is one of the big differences between the two.
How To Win
In basketball, the team with the highest score is the one that is considered the winner. There is no limit to the amount of points a team can win in a professional basketball game.
On the other hand, in volleyball, the team plays 2 games to 25 points, and if there is a tiebreaker, the teams play a game to 15 points.
This is one of the biggest differences between the two. Volleyball has a score you have to reach, whereas basketball has no limit to the score you can get.
Number Of Players
The number of players that are on the floor at a given time are quite similar. In basketball, there are a total of 5 players allowed on the court, and in volleyball, there are a total of 6 players on the court. This means that the general team structure between the two sports resembles one another quite closely.
Basketball Shoes vs. Volleyball Shoes
In terms of equipment, shoes are essential to both of these sports. The design for each type of shoe is built a bit differently to suit the respective sport.
Is Basketball More Difficult Than Volleyball?
When picking a sport, many people wonder which is more difficult. There are so many factors to weigh in when deciding on whether basketball is more difficult than volleyball and vice versa. So, for the sake of comparing the two, I decided to look at a few factors to measure difficulty in the sport
- Calorie/Energy Expenditure
- Hand Eye Coordination Required
- Physicality
Which Burns More Calories: Basketball or Volleyball?
In terms of energy expenditure, basketball burns about 350 more calories in an average game. It is not surprising that basketball burns more calories than volleyball as there is much more cardio required in basketball.
| Basketball | Volleyball |
| 576 Calories | 216 Calories |
So what this means, in terms of energy requirements, is that basketball is more demanding than volleyball. You are going to need to have a lot more energy to play basketball than volleyball.
Which Requires More Hand-Eye Coordination: Basketball or Volleyball?
This one is a bit harder to quantify, both of these sports are quite demanding when it comes to hand-eye coordination. Both require extreme precision and accuracy. Because both sports operate differently in terms of what players use the hand-eye coordination for, they are a bit harder to compare. Because both sports require high level hand-eye coordination, they are both equal in this department.
Which Is More Physical: Basketball or Volleyball?
Another aspect of difficulty is how physical the game is. By physical, which sport has more “contact”. Contact sports have another dimension to them, compared to sports that aren’t considered contact sports. It adds a layer of difficulty that is not replicated by non-contact sports.
By nature, volleyball is not a contact sport, which means there is a layer of difficulty and complexity that does not exist. Basketball, on the other hand, is a contact sport, which means it does have that extra layer of complexity. So, in terms of physicality, Basketball is much more difficult.
In Conclusion: Basketball vs. Volleyball
After looking into both of these sports, it seems as though basketball is cheaper, more popular, and more difficult to play in comparison to volleyball. Depending on what your strengths are, one sport may be better for you than the other. Try each out and see what is better for you, it is never too late to start playing.