History_of_Basketball

History of Basketball Who is known world-wide as the inventor of basketball' His name is Dr. James Naismith, he was born in 1861 in Almonte, Ontario. Most people wonder were a young man would think of a game like basketball. The concept of basketball was born from his school days in the area where he played a simple child's game known as duck-on-a-rock outside his one-room schoolhouse. The game involved attempting to knock a "duck" off the top of a large rock by tossing another rock at it. After serving as McGill's Athletic Director, James Naismith moved on to the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA in 1891, where the sport of basketball was born. Naismith developed a set of 13 rules that gave origin to the game of basketball. The game involved elements of American football, soccer, and hockey, and the first ball used was a soccer ball. Teams had nine players, and the goals were wooden peach baskets affixed to the walls. By 1897-1898, teams of five became standard. The game rapidly spread nationwide and to Canada and other parts of the world, played by both women and men; it also became a popular informal outdoor game. U.S. servicemen in World War II (1939-1945) popularized the sport in many other countries. By the turn of the century, metal hoops with backboards were implemented, giving players more control of the ball. Nearly two decades later, on June 25, 1929, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted G.L. Pierce a patient for the ball known as the "basketball." U.S. colleges adopted the game between about 1893 and 1895. The first college games were in New York’s Madison Square Garden, around 1934. By the 1950s basketball had become a major college sport, thus paving the way for a growth of interest in professional basketball. Since the creation of basketball, several changes have been made to the game including the size and style of basketball courts. In 1891, Naismith used the gymnasium at the YMCA as a basketball court. That gym was smaller than the average basketball court, not allowing for much player movement. Currently, professional basketball courts are 94' x 50', giving players plenty of room for active play. Basketball courts have had style changes as well. Additions to the original basketball court include a circle center, the key, perimeter and the three-point line. Most of these changes were implemented by the NBA. Today, basketball has grown into a billion-dollar conglomerate, worldwide. In the United States, almost every college or university has a men’s or women’s basketball team. There are currently 30 teams in the NBA and 14 teams in the WNBA. With basketball gaining in popularity and revenue, some critics argue commercialization takes away from the original, true meaning of the sport James Naismith created over a hundred years ago.