When players are shooting a free throw, do they notice fans screaming and waving signs and balloons?
We asked two of the biggest names in hoops1 if all the mayhem2 behind the basket made a difference. “It doesn't really get to3 me one way or the other4,” says forward Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics. “I'm more concerned with making the free throws and getting back on defense. Sometimes you block it out5 and sometimes you play with [the fans] a little bit after you knock down a free throw. I'll give them a wink or I'll go 'Shhhh!'”
You might expect that kind of bravado6 from a sharpshooter7 who had a career 78.3 free-throw percentage. But what about center Shaquille O'Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers, whose struggles at the charity stripe8 have made headlines?“I don't notice anything,” says Shaq. “I'm really focused on the front of the rim9, and if you understand science, there's no way you can focus on two things at once. Think about that. I really don't notice the fans at all.”
Is there anything that gets to these hooperstars at the line? Try silence. “I' d rather have a roaring crowd, ” says Pierce. “It's easier to block that out. It can get too quiet at home games.”
Why do fans at golf and tennis matches have to be quiet?
Why are there no chants of “An-dy! An-dy!” as U.S. tennis star Andy Roddick uncorks10 another booming serve? Why doesn't the gallery11 do the wave as Tiger Woods lines up a crucial putt12? The answer goes back to the pleasant pastime for the noblemen and noblewomen of France and England in the middle ages. Golf was invented in Scotland as a “gentleman's game.” The practice of keeping quiet during play has never been an official rule but has been a part of both sports since they began and is now tradition. Back in 1890, golfer Horace G. Hutchinson wrote that it was important for spectators to keep their mouth shut and their feet planted. Tradition aside, it is also what players are used to. A camera clicking may seem too small to enrage13 a Tiger. But it can be a big distraction to players who are used to silence as they swing14.
Why is the basketball rim 10 feet above the floor?
Dr. James Naismith invented basketball in 1891 at the International YMCA15 Training School, in Springfield, Massachusetts. Naismith nailed one peach basket to each end of the balcony16 that surrounded the school's gym. The balcony was 10 feet high, and that's why, to this day, baskets are 10 feet off the floor—and most of us can't dunk17.
Do you have to make the hand signal to call a timeout in the NFL or NBA?
Nope. Any player in either league may request a timeout with his hands or verbally18. Crowd noise, and possibly mouthguards, make using the traditional “T” hand signal a good idea, especially in crucial late-game situations when the crowd is roaring.
Why is soccer called football in Europe and soccer in the U.S.?
Early forms of soccer were widely popular in England by the 1100's, and the rules for the modern game took shape there in the 1800's. The name football was an obvious choice for a game based on kicking a ball, and it became official when the London Football Association was founded in 1863. Soon after that, the game gained a foothold19 in the Association founded in 1876. The sport was called “association football” which helped avoid confusion with the rough-and-tumble20 American version of football, in which players advanced the ball by carrying it rather than kicking it. Association football is a mouthful, though. It was soon shortened to Assoc. and then changed to the less choppy21 sounding soccer.
Where did tennis get that wack22 scoring system?
Tennis was invented in France in the 12th century, and the scoring system hasn't changed much since then. Zero was first called l＇oeuf, or “egg,” because a zero is shaped like an egg. Somewhere along the line, the word was changed to the similar sounding love. The first point a player wins is 15, the second is 30, the third is 40, and the winning point is 60 (though "60"is never spoken). So why not just scored a game 1-2-3-4? Here's the most likely reason: Matches were originally played for money (some things never change). Each game was played for a 60-sous23 coin, which could be divided into four 15-sous coins, so each point was worth 15-sous—hence the 15-30-45-60 system. The third point was changed to 40 in the 19th century because it was easier to call out during a match.
How are college footballs different from NFL footballs?
According to the NCAA, the footballs used in college games are made to the same size, dimensions24, and specifications as those used in the NFL（National Football League). But there is one eye-catching difference: The balls used in college have stripes, which make them slippery25 little rascals26! The stripes are there to “aid in seeing the ball when it is airborne27,” says John Adams of the NCAA Football Rules Committee. Because the stripes can be more slippery than the rest of the ball, they are located on the same side as the laces so that the passer's thumb won't touch them, and possibly slip, when he throws.
How are Olympic sports picked (why badminton but not football)?
Sports are considered for the Olympics based on their “recognized international standing28.” For example, men's sports must be played competitively in at least 75 countries on four continents to be considered for the Summer Games. Football is wildly popular in the U.S., but isn't played in enough countries to make the cut. Sports such as badminton may not draw huge crowds, but they are played competitively around the globe.
球员罚篮时注意过球迷们的尖叫、挥舞的标志和气球吗？
我们询问过两个篮球场上的大人物，篮板后的骚动是否起什么作用。波士顿凯尔特人队的前锋保罗·皮尔斯说：“反正对我来说一点用都没有。我更专注于罚篮然后回场防守。有时候我置之不理，有时罚中以后也跟球迷们逗逗乐子，冲他们挤挤眼，或做个‘嘘’的手势。”
也许你早料到一个罚篮命中率高达78.3%的职业神枪手会作如此的夸夸其谈，那么洛杉矶湖人队的中锋、在罚球线一再失利而成为头条新闻的沙奎·奥尼尔怎么说呢？“我什么都没注意，我全神贯注在篮框前方。如果你有点科学常识的话，你就知道人不能一心二用。想想就知道，我真的一点儿都没注意到球迷”。
有没有什么能让这些篮球明星在罚篮时分心呢？试试不出声儿。“我宁愿观众大呼小叫。”皮尔斯说：“那样反而容易排除干扰。在主场时可能就会太安静了。”
为什么高尔夫和网球比赛时球迷得保持安静？
为什么网球明星安迪·罗迪克发出一个快球，却没有“安迪！安迪！“的呼声？为什么老虎伍兹决定性的一杆入洞时观众却没有掀起人浪？答案得追溯到中世纪英法两国贵族男女的一种娱乐。高尔夫作为一种“绅士运动”发源于苏格兰。竞技时保持安静从来就不是明文规定，但是从来就是这两项运动的一部分，而今已成为一种传统。早在1890年，高尔夫手霍拉斯·G· 哈奇森就写道，观众口不出声、足不离地至关重要。抛开传统不谈，运动员也习惯这样。照相机的咔哒声可能不足以惹恼老虎之辈，但对挥杆之时习惯了安静的球手却可能是极大的干扰。
为什么篮框离地10英尺？
詹姆斯·奈史密斯博士1891年在马萨诸塞州春田基督教青年会国际训练学校发明了篮球。奈史密斯将一个果篮钉在校体育馆四面看台的尽头。看台高10英尺，因而至今篮框仍然离地10英尺，而我们大多数人都不可能灌篮。
在NFL（国家橄榄球联盟赛）和NBA赛中，非得做手势叫暂停吗？
否。双方的任何球员都可以做手势或口头要求暂停。但是由于人声嘈杂，可能也有牙套的原因，用传统的T型手势不失为好主意，特别是在关键的比赛后期人声鼎沸时。
为什么足球在欧洲叫football而在美国叫soccer？
到了12世纪初，早期的足球在英国已十分风行，而现代比赛的规则成型于19世纪80年代。选用“足球”一词称呼一项用脚踢球的运动是自然不过的选择，1863年伦敦足球协会成立后这一称呼便正式确定了。之后不久的1876年，足总成立，使足球运动有了自己的一席之地。这项运动被称为“联合足球”，以求有别于球员持球而非踢球进攻、一片混战的美式足球。可是联合足球这名字长而拗口，不久就简化成了Assoc，之后又改成了发音更顺口的Soccer。
为什么网球的记分方式那么奇特？
网球发明于12世纪的法国，记分方式基本一直未变。零分最早叫l'oeuf，或者“零蛋”，因为零的形状酷似鸡蛋。不知什么时候，这个词的发音变得跟Love相似了。球员得第一分为15，第二分是30，第三分40，获胜分为60（尽管从来没有喊过60）。那么为什么不用1-2-3-4来记分呢？最可能的理由是：最初比赛是为钱而进行的（有些事向来不变）。每赢一场可得60苏，60又可分为4个15苏，那么每一分就是15苏——这样就形成了15-30-45-60的记分体系。十九世纪第三分变成了40，因为在比赛中喊分更方便。
大学橄榄球赛与国家橄榄球联盟赛有何不同？
美国大学生体育协会规定，大学比赛用球和NFL用球大小、尺寸和规格相同，不过有一个一眼即知的差别：大学用球有条纹，成了滑溜的小混球！据NCAA规则委员约翰·亚当斯说，条纹“有助于看清空中飞行的球”。由于条纹可能比其他地方更光滑，因此这些条纹放在同一边像花边一样，这样传球手在投掷时拇指不会碰到它们以致滑落。
奥运会项目是如何挑选的（为什么有羽毛球却没有橄榄球）？
奥运会项目的考虑基于它们的“国际认可身份”。比如，男子比赛项目必须至少在4大洲75个国家开展才可能考虑作为夏季项目。橄榄球在美国非常流行，但是却没有那么多的国家发展此项运动，因此不能入选。像羽毛球这样的运动未必吸引多少观众，但是这项竞技遍布全球各地。
1. hoop [hup] n． 箍，篮球
2． mayhem n． 混乱
3． get to sb． 对…有影响
4． one way or the other 不管怎样，设法
5． block out 封闭
6． bravado n． 虚张声势， 装作有自信的样子
7． sharpshooter n． 神枪手
8． charity stripe 罚球线
9． rim [rim] n． 篮筐
10． uncork v． 开口，泄漏
11． gallery n． 观众席
12． putt n． 轻轻一击(入洞)
13． enrage v． 使…发怒
14． swing v． 挥，摇摆
15． YMCA Young Men＇s Christian Association, 基督教青年会
16． balcony n． 看台
17． dunk v． 扣篮
18． verbally adv． 口头地
19． foothold n． 立足之处
20． rough－and－tumble 杂乱无章的，混乱的
21． choppy adj． 不匀称的；断断续续的
22． wack n． [美俚]怪人
23． sou n． (法国的一种铜币) 苏
24． dimension n． 尺度
25． slippery adj． 光滑的
26． rascal n． 坏蛋，淘气鬼
27． airborne adj． 空降的，空运的
28． standing n． 身份