Sarah Marks
Mrs. Patterson
English 3 Honors- Period 1
13 March 2014
The History of American Basketball
The game of basketball is a highly recognized and widely known sport. Basketball was first heard of in the winter of 1891 when a man by the name of James Naismith was told to instruct a physical education class at the Young Men’s Christian Association in Springfield, Massachusetts. Naismith was instructed to put together a game for young men to enjoy while they were at the YMCA. While trying to come up with a brilliant and fun game for these young men, Naismith reminisced back on his childhood in Canada. He remembered a game his friends and him had played all the time: “Duck on a Rock”, which involved trying to knock a large rock off a boulder by throwing smaller rocks at it. Naismith also remembered watching a game of rugby going on in the gymnasium. The game of Rugby involved tossing a ball into a box. After a very short time of trying to make up a game for these young men, Naismith came up with a brilliant idea. Little did he know the game that he came up with just so happened to be one of he most renowned sports in American history. Naismith’s idea pertained to nailing up raised boxes so that players could attempt to throw a ball in the basket. When there were no boxes too be found, he used peach baskets. Supposedly, Naismith came up with all the rules for this game in no more than “about an hour”, according to Alexander Wolff. Shortly after Naismith had invented the game of basketball, graduates of the YMCA traveled internationally which is the main reason as to why this sport is so widely known. The impact basketball has made on the lives of many Americans is incredible in the sense that it has given people the ability to ...
... middle of paper ...
...rt for all types of people: men, women, and children. Without basketball, the integration of college sports might have never been achieved. Without basketball, wheelchair basketball might have never been formed. Paraplegics might have never been given the opportunity to participate in one of the best sports in history. Basketball has given people with disabilities the hope of a normal life. It has given them the ability to engage in such a physical activity that would let them compete against people just like themselves. In contribution to the integration of college sports and the formation of the NWBA, basketball has acted as an outlet for those troubled children who grew up living a hard life. As you can see, throughout history, basketball has made a huge impact on our society today and it has helped many people grow into someone they never thought they could be.
77% of NBA basketball players are African-American, approximately 343 players, compared to the 0% or none we had in the earlier 1950’s, in just 60 years we went up 77%. (Travis Waldron 63 Years Ago Today
Status and prowess that inherently came from playing competitive sports and recreation also came out of convenience. As sports and recreation became integral in American everyday life, there was a problem in the north. It became too cold to play baseball and football outside, but it was wasn’t possible to play these sports inside as it just resulted in injuries to players and the facilities where they attempted to play them. Therefore, basketball was invented as a game where you couldn’t run with the ball and scoring was upright in hopes to decrease the amount of violence but also provide men with recreation in the winter. Soon, basketball just like cycling, football, prize fighting and baseball became a competitive sport and turned into a business where status and prowess become the significant. There were handbooks written to guide people to play and watch basketball and prove its status as a serious sport; “physical judgment is required and cultivated in handling the ball, receiving it from one of your own side, and eluding an opponents” (Naismith 5). Basketball, just like other sports required prowess, physical fitness and understanding of the game in order to defeat the
Since its creation in 1893, the sport of basketball has been one of the most popular sports in the United States. One wouldn’t have to search long to find a basketball court and a pickup game in most American cities. Many people around the world look up to the stars of the National Basketball Association as role models.
The Basketball Association of America was founded in 1946 by owners of the major ice hockey arenas in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada. On November 1, 1946, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers at Maple Leaf Gardens, in a game the NBA now regards as the first played in its history.[5] The first basket was made by Ossie Schectman of the Knickerbockers. Although there had been earlier attempts at professional basketball leagues, including the American Basketball League and the NBL, the BAA was the first league to attempt to play primarily in large arenas in major cities. During its early years, the quality of play in the BAA was not significantly better than in competing leagues or among leading independent clubs such as the
Basketball is a sport people love all over the world and has changed throughout history. College basketball in the 1930s gave younger athletes a new focus during the Great Depression. Professional basketball was an important distraction for people at the time as well.There were some top basketball teams that faced many issues with all the issues in the 1930s. Basketball was growing during the 1930s, serving as a distraction from the Great Depression at both the professional and collegiate level.
Basketball players were not paid all as well and did not play as hard and they looked up to legends. “Smith is Abe Lincoln in a sports world” (Reilly 2). Both Abe and Smith include blacks in their activities. “In today’s scandal-dripping land of college basketball, couldn’t we all use a little of Dean Smith” (Reilly 2). So many people only went to basketball games were that they only wanted to she the famous people that play and to get their
Basketball is defined as a game where two teams of five play each on a rectangular court, usually indoors (Basketball/Sport). Basketball was invented by James Naismith on December 1, 1891 (Basketball/Sport). The object of basketball is to shoot the basketball through the opposing team’s basket and to out-score them by end of the regulation time limit. If the score is tied at this time, the game will go into overtime until one team wins. While reading about basketball, I found it interesting that when the sport was invented they would nail baskets to balconies with no backboards. This made it easy for spectators (in the balcony) to help their team by either swatting the
Basketball is a popular sport that millions of people play around the world but does everyone know how basketball started and how it evolved throughout history? “Many people do not know that basketball was around since the early 1890s. In 1891, James Naismith, a Canadian-American sports teacher invented this simple sport”(Livestrong.com). Certainly the rules and the style of play wasn’t similar as today’s game. When it was first played in the early ages, there were more carrying the ball and tackling other players in order to get the ball.
Nicholas Allen English 107-001 March 30,2016 The Final Shot Time is ticking down Seconds left in the game You move the ball up court But there are defenders in the way So you pass the basketball to a teammate
Basketball was created as a sport in 1891 by James Naismith, and it quickly became popular among both men and women. It initially started with the same rules for each gender, but according to Patricia Cain in her article, “Women, Race, and Sports: Life Before Title IX,” the rules quickly changed for women. Cain (2001) states that, “Almost immediately, however, some educators began changing the rules of basket...
I was watching Minnesota’s NBA team when it hit me. I was trying to figure what I should do for a topic on my I-Search paper. Kevin Love was shooting a triple and I knew that I had found my topic; the history of the NBA. I knew that the NBA had an interesting history and that it was one of America’s most popular professional sports leagues. I was aware that there would be endless resources on the topic, so I decided to pursue the history of the National Basketball Association. I was thrilled that my topic choice came so effortlessly and I planned to make my paper go in a similar fashion. By the end of my research, I was hoping to be an NBA Historian.
Since the inception of basketball in 1891, the game has become a contributing factor in shaping American culture. The birth of the NBA only served to cement basketball as one of the major sports in the United States. The NBA’s efforts to reach fans all around the world have been facilitated by emerging technologies and partnerships with foreign media providers. Due to it’s rich history with the game of basketball, China has become the NBA’s second largest market. A contributing factor to the NBA’s success in China has been China’s long standing collectivist culture. The NBA and basketball have been able to evolve with China’s emerging individualism in its younger generations. The continued success of the NBA in China will continue to grow with
Since I was a kid it was always my dream to play in an arena filled with tens of thousands of people. NBA arenas can hold anywhere from 17,000 to 22,000 screaming fans and to me nothing can compare to that. I have been inside an arena and the excitement and pressure you can feel is unreal. Millions of others share and have shared this dream with me. I feel that professional basketball has pushed kids to be better in school and be better people because to be able to play you have to be eligible. High school sports and the NCAA have done a great job on ensuring that athletes are well educated before they leave to go pro. If you don’t go to college it is very tough to go pro unless you are a for sure first round pick. These select few could end up playing overseas for a year and make some money instead of having to go to college
In conclusion, it can be stated that basketball is a sport that has a positive influence on individuals from a tender age right through their adulthood. The sport has improved the overall behavior and performance of young adults, teaches them teamwork and persistence. Basketball also brings unity in communities and races alike, and has a constructive influence on the economy as a whole.
Although many sports are not considered American-made, basketball is one of the few that began in America. In fact it is the only major sport that can be considered American-made (Encyclopedia.com, Basketball). The inventor of basketball was Dr. James Naismith, who created the sport in 1891(History.com Staff, NBA is Born). This was all the way back when there were only forty-four states(nbahoopsonline.com, NBA History). He made the sport in Springfield, Massachusetts(History.com Staff, NBA is Born). Naismith invented this sport because he was P.E. teacher seeking a sport with limited physical contact, but it contained running, jumping, shooting, and hand-eye coordination(Encyclopedia.com, Basketball). The game first used peach baskets and a soccer like ball(History.com Staff,