Basketball

Different countries favour different sports; Denmark is equally obsessed with football in the summer months and handball in the winter, whereas although England has football, it hasn't heard of handball, but instead has rugby, hockey and cricket. However, certain sports are part of cultural heritage. Any Dane will most likely have played football in their garden as a child, and consequently has a basic comprehension of the game. The CUHK students, although they have not openly participated in sports with the other GLOBEr's, say they favour racket sports such as badminton, tennis and table tennis. And the Americans; they have basketball. 

Perhaps due to some confirmation bias, I always thought height to have a significant impact on one's ability to play the game. I stand at 6ft 3in, and I have always found my best Danish opponents to be the tallest players. So although I am by no means the tallest guy on the court, I have always been able to hold my own.

Enter American GLOBEr's. Their average height is at least 3 inches below mine, and most of them are in a dire cardiovascular shape. But they are quick, have better technique, and are substantially more cocky with regard to their abilities. So naturally us Danes accepted their taunting challenges. We played once back in September in Copenhagen, a game the Americans narrowly won, but the deteriorating outdoor weather conditions meant that a rematch had to wait till Hong Kong.

So here we are: Basketball courts round the corner of our dorm, a new ball, and plenty of people who are keen to get the exercise in the 20 degree sunshine. Subsequently, my positive winning statistic is getting destroyed. The Americans just have a better understanding of the game, a better handling of the ball, and a better positioning on the court. Even though we have twice the height, strength and stamina, we are still found wanting. I feel myself improving dramatically, but it is discomforting to know that they, because of their culture and upbringing, have a enormous head start. Already looking forward to the first intra-GLOBE football match of the season!