December 2, 2009

Basketball History: Dr.Naismith's New Sport


Basketball is one the greatest sports ever invented. Basketball was invented by James Naismith in December 1891. Dr.James Naismith was a physical education instructor at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1891 when the New England winter came, Dr. Naismith needed a way to keep his student athletes in shape during the long winters. Therefore Dr. Naismith invented basketball in which could could as an indoor sport during the winter time. The original name of Dr.Naismith's invention was originally labeled "Basket Ball".

When Dr. Naismith designed the first official basketball game, it was very different from how we see basketball played today. There was no 3 point line and every shot made was counted as one point. The basketball court dimensions were half the size of the NBA official basketball court size. The basketball goals were hung on balconies where spectators watched the game. The goals were peach baskets nailed into the wall approximately 10 feet high, but the baskets still retained their bottoms.So whenever a player shot the ball into the basket and made the basket, someone from the balcony had to remove the ball from the basket and give it to the players. When there were no balconies for the goals to be hung on, players would nail the peach baskets into the wall to play the game. Then when a goal was scored a person would get a ladder and remove the ball from the basket. The basketball court dimensions were half the size of the NBA official basketball court size. The first shot ever made was a shot taken from 25 ft away from the basket. The first game ended one to zero.
As basketball became widespread known, it also became very popular. Every YMCA in the United States and Canada began imposing basketball on its members. Basketball was so popular that by 1895 both countries loved the sport. Basketball was a huge hit, but after 10 years the sport was becoming very unpopular. The player's rough play and the uncontrollable spectator crowds caused alot of injuries and riots. Basketall games became a source of crime. This type of play was not what the YMCA was all about, so to get rid of this problem new rules were implemented. The referees of the games started to watch the players carefully to reduce the violence on the court. Thankfully, there were good times as basketball moved on through history.
After WW1 the Amatuer Athletic Union (AAU) organized better basketball than the YMCA. The AAU contributed to how organized basketball is played today. After WW2 in 1950 ,the NBA was formed having only eight teams. They were the Knicks, Celtics, Warriors, Lakers, Royals, Pistons, Hawks, and the Nationals. Modern day NBA teams were added to the NBA from 1954- present. Then in 1996 The WNBA for women was founded. It is composed of 12 teams, and is the most recent action created to accomodate women's professional basketball.
Basketball has progressed over the years very well. I personally believe as a blogger that everyone should play basketball because it helps keep people in shape, and if a person plays it they might admire the sport.Basketball is in the top 10 most favorite sports in world, but majority of its fans are Canada and the United States.
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