Although not always realized, mathematics play a very important role in sports. They determine a lot of measurements that are extremely important, especially on a professional level. Whether discussing a player’s statistics, a coaches’ formula for drafting certain players, or even a judges score for a particular athlete, mathematics is involved. Even concepts as the likelihood of a particular athlete or team winning and probability. Take for example basketball, when shooting a basketball, you want the ball to hit the basket at as close to a right angle as possible. Most players attempt to shoot the ball at a 45-degree angle. To find the velocity a player would need to throw the ball in order to make the basket you would want to find the range of the ball when it is thrown at a 45-degree angle. Another example is baseball; the pitcher wants to throw the ball so that he will strike out the batter. If his throw is too high or low, then the batter still has at least three more opportunities to hit the ball. When the batter hits the ball, he wants to hit the ball so that it will be as far away from any of the other players as possible. The baseball players must watch the speed and height of the ball to make sure that they will throw or hit it properly.