Basketball is a more strenuous sport, although football is a more physically demanding sport. Basketball involves 48 minutes of running, sprinting, and jumping. The goal is
… to outperform your opponents, who are some of the quickest and strongest people around. You will need to jump at your maximum height, sprint quickly on a fast break, and run constantly between defensive and offensive possessions to stop and ultimately defeat your opponent. In football, the quarters are ultimately longer (16 minutes versus 12 for the NBA), but there are often 20-30 second breaks between each possession. You have time to recoup after each play, unlike the NBA, where teams like the Phoenix Suns punish you by playing a high tempo game. Although each possession is more physically demanding in football than basketball, the overall game of basketball is much more demanding and strenuous. ( Full Answer )