# Basketball Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-question/236814 "2004-03-27T22:50:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZenMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c4cdca/32.png) [@ZenMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-question/236814/1 "2004-03-27T22:50:04Z")
Why do they use nets in Basketball? When you think about it, it seems pointless. Is there some logical reason for the use of nets? Or is it simply so that we can hear that really cool “swoosh” sound? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-question/236814/2 "2004-03-27T22:56:08Z")
It keeps the ball on the court: Without a net, shots go through and bounce away, leaving everyone to chase the ball. With a net, the ball bounces under the rim and not much farther. For viewing a game: Without a net, specatators cannot see the ball clearly go through the rim. With it, the see and hear it. To officiate: Same thing as a spectator…for scoring, and a side benefit is that you can more easily see an opposing player goaltend through the net/rim. For shooting: it is much easier to target a rim with a net than just a bar rim. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-question/236814/3 "2004-03-27T23:40:12Z")
It’s a lot easier to tell that the ball went through with a net. Play without one on a playground sometime and you can’t tell if the ball went through if you’re not looking sometimes. Really good shooters won’t even hit the rim. Or I could have answered, they use nets because they found peach baskets impractical ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-question/236814/4 "2004-03-28T04:28:46Z")
Do they still use nets made of metal chain on public courts? God, growing up in urban America in the 60’s & 70’s was horrible. ---
**Author:** ![Sqube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Sqube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sqube)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-question/236814/5 "2004-03-28T09:19:36Z")
> [@stuyguy](#): > > Do they still use nets made of metal chain on public courts? God, growing up in urban America in the 60’s & 70’s was horrible. Yes, there are still some courts with metal chains. I don’t know why; they tend to rust. I guess it must work out better than cloth (or whatever they’re using)…? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-question/236814/6 "2004-03-28T11:11:49Z")
> [@stuyguy](#): > > Do they still use nets made of metal chain on public courts? God, growing up in urban America in the 60’s & 70’s was horrible. No way, man. I loved the metal chains. And we had them in suburbia in the 80’s.