subject: The Beginning and Growth of American Basketball [print this page] The Beginning and Growth of American Basketball
Lots of people watch the sport of basketball without understanding of its interesting history. Basketball, as with other sports, includes a unique story of it's beginnings. James Naismith developed this lively and active sport to supply children and adults with something to play inside throughout the cold winter season. James was a teacher in a Christian Association training school. While there, he was asked to produce an indoor game that may provide both entertainment and sport. He began his job in the wintertime of 1891 by comparing sports he played as a child. One particular game became a major influence on what would later be called basketball. His childhood game was called "Duck on the Rock" also it consisted of a person guarding his "duck" from others. Naismith also used ideas from previous religious traditions created by the Mayans and Aztecs. These cultures used a rubber ball along with a ring for one of the inside games. The ring was on the pole and the shots were taken vertically. After much studying, he developed the new game of basketball. Basketball originally had thirteen rules that were clear to see and follow. The ball itself might be thrown multiple directions, batted, and had to be held using the player's hands. Players couldn't run around with the ball. It needed to be thrown from player to player. Dirty tricks for example tripping, pushing, and holding were not allowed. Fouls were defined as violations of the above rules by using a fist to strike the ball out of a player's hand. Three fouls received in a row by a team awarded the opponents one point. Baskets would be made by throwing the ball or by batting it out of the player's hand. An out of bounds ball would be thrown back into play and belonged to the first player to make contact with it. Umpires would observe fouls and judge the overall play of the game. Referees decided if the ball was in play, not in bounds, kept track of time, and determined which team had control of the ball. Naismith laid out time keeping in the form of two halves lasting fifteen minutes each. A short five minute break was allowed between halves. Whoever scored the majority of goals within the time periods was the winner of the game. Basketball still follows many of these same basic rules today.
The first game took place on December 29, 1891. A soccer ball and peach baskets were used for that game. Basketball spread in popularity around the world largely by using the US Army and schools. While Americans were fighting in Europe during the First World War, they picked up on the sport and began to play it wherever they went. Sports and physical eduction teachers also started using basketball in their class courses and slowly the game became a common sport. The National Basketball Association was not founded until June of 1946. Many small championships and leagues were developed before about this time, but many disbanded rapidly. Racial integration within the league began in 1942. Afterwards the activity became what we now see today.
In doing my research for this article, I found Leo Wells sport discussions on basketball to be an excellent source of information. Basketball is really a fun and an entertaining sport that took many years to shape into its current form.
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