A Brief History of Basketball

A much loved sport. 

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in America, almost on par with the NFL. However, basketball has one thing that the NFL doesn’t. While the NFL is something that only America has, basketball is a sport that has its claws in the whole world. 

It is a popular sport, for watching the games, betting on basketball, and even getting involved in fan activities such as fantasy basketball. 

No matter how much we love it, and how much it brightens up our lives, it is so rare that we actually know the origins of the sport and where it all began. Today we will take you on a journey to understand the history of basketball and how it got to where it is today. 

The origins of basketball. 

Basketball began in 1891, it was invented by James Naismith, as being a less injury-prone sport than football. He was a 31-year-old graduate student when he created the sport, keeping players indoors during the winter. 

The game became established quite quickly, and it grew very popular into the 20th century. It first became popular in America and then branched out to get more popularity in other corners of the world. 

As the game became established in colleges first, the professional game, what we now know as the NBL, soon followed. The NBA then became established in 1946, and grew into a multibillion-dollar enterprise before the end of the 20th century, and as a result the sport became an important part of American culture.

The invention of basketball. 

The game of basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, to condition athletes during the colder months. Naismith was a prior physical education instructor at YMCA International Training School, which is now Springfield College. 

At the request of his superior, he was tasked with creating an indoor sport that would help athletes to stay in shape during the cold weather. It originally consisted of peach baskets and a soccer-type ball. He made 13 rules for his game and divided his class of 18 students into two teams of nine players, and started teaching them the basics. 

The objective of his creation was to throw the basketball into the fruit baskets that were nailed to the lower railing of the gym’s balcony. Each time a point would be scored, the game had to be paused so that the janitor could get the ladder to retrieve the ball. After some time, they finally removed the bottoms of the fruit baskets, having to retrieve the ball after each score was far from practical.

The original rules. 

The game had 13 original rules created by Naismith. 

  1. The ball could be thrown in any direction with one hand or both hands. 
  2. The ball could also be battled in any direction by one hand or with both hands. 
  3. Players could not run with the ball, and they must throw it from the spot on which it is caught. Although there were loopholes around when a player is running at a good speed when they catch it. 
  4. The ball had to be held in the hands, arms or body could not be used to hold the ball. 
  5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping or striking opponents allowed. The first infringement of this rule counts as a foul, and the second disqualifies the player until the next goal, or if it is evident that there was no intent to cause harm. 
  6. A foul is striking the ball with the fist.
  7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls, then this is counted as a goal for opponents.
  8. A goal is made when the ball is thrown or battled from the ground and into the basket and stays there. If the ball rests on the edge, and if opponents move the basket, this also counts as a goal. 
  9. Should the ball go out of bounds, then it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person to touch it. The person who throws it in is allowed five seconds to do so, if they hold it any longer it goes to the opponent. 
  10. Umpires shall be the judge of men and will note fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made.
  11. The referee judges the ball and decides when the ball is in play, in-bounds and to which side it belongs. They also keep the time and divide when a goal has been made and keep account of these. 
  12. The time is fifteen-minute halves, with a five-minute rest between. 
  13. The side making the most goals in the time aforementioned will be the winner. In the case of a draw, the game may be continued until another goal is made. 

The formation of the FIBA. 

In the first decades of this sport, it was growing, but it didn’t really have any real international organization. It required several petitions by basketball supporters for it to be included as an Olympic demonstration in 1904. 

However, this all changed in 1932 when the FIBA came into being. The work of the FIBA on the international game helped it to become an Olympic sport in 1936, which was then won by the US National Team. 

The inventor- Naismith- lived long enough to get to see the sport he created become a recognized Olympic sport, 45 years after its invention.

How basketball took the world by storm. 

Basketball got introduced to the rest of the world thanks to the US Army and the YMCA. Then in 1893, the first ever international basketball match was organized, and members of the took the game to India, Persia, China, and Japan. 

By 1900, a majority of major colleges were fielding a team, and in 1905 formal collegiate rules were introduced for basketball, and in 1909, the NCAA took over the game for cool. The very first NCAA DI tournament was held in 1939. 

The sport rapidly grew within its inventors’ lifetime, and now, we don’t know what we would do without it.

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