Basketball History

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A Brief History of Basketball

Modern day basketball can trace it's origins to early December 1891 when Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian physical education teacher and a local instructor at Springfield, Massachusetts' YMCA Training School was desperately seeking an indoor game active and fit during cold, snowy New England winters. After trying several different games and finding them too dangerous or not quite suitable for gymnasiums, Naismith wrote down the essential rules of basketball, incorporating some of the rules of a popular children's game of the era, "Ducks on a Pond," and then nailed a peach basket on an upraised track, ten feet above the playing surface. Of course, since the peach baskets still had closed bottoms, retrieving a ball after a player scored a basket was terribly inefficient - unbelievably, the game had to be stopped for someone to retrieve the ball with a dowel. And although the first official game was played in January of 1892, at the YMCA gymnasium Naismith's handwritten diaries at the time indicate that he was extremely nervous about the new game he invented, fearing that his basketball wouldn't take.

Oddly, in that first official game of basketball, there were nine players on a side and the winning team won a close fought 1-0 battle with a 25-foot shot - on a court barely half the size of the modern day court! By 1897 teams of five had become standard. Around the same time, women's basketball was developed at nearby Smith College when Sandra Berenson, a physical education teacher at the college modified many of the rules for women to play. As it turned out, Berenson was fascinated by the values of teamwork, fair play and vigorous exercise that basketball promoted and began organizing some of the first women's basketball games by 1893. By 1899 Berenson's rules for women's basketball were published and by the turn of the century, she was the editor of A.G. Spaulding's legendary Women's Basketball Guide which spread her version of basketball across the country to countless physical education instructors across the country.

In fact, with the help of many YMCA instructors, basketball was promoted throughout the United States and Canada, paving the way for the game to be established as a varsity sport at many high schools. Sadly (and perhaps ironically), the YMCA began to discourage basketball by 1905, fearing that rowdy; belligerent crowds and rough play distracted from the organization's mission. But that didn't matter much as amateur clubs, colleges, high schools and even several short-lived professional basketball clubs and leagues not only filled in the void but also helped promote the game. Basketball was becoming so popular that the forebear to the NCAA, known as the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States and the Amateur Athletic Union fought for control of the game's rules and of its future.

A little known fact is that during those first decades, basketball was primarily played with soccer balls, which were difficult to dribble. Most games consisted of players passing the ball to each other in order to advance it up and down the court. It wasn't for some time until a ball was specifically designed and made for basketball and frequently basketballs were irregularly made, creating an odd scene for modern basketball fans. It wasn't until the late 1940s when college basketball was becoming insanely popular and viable enough to pave the way for the National Basketball Association's popularity that Tony Hinkle developed the orange basketball that fans are so familiar with. Of course, it should not be forgotten that Naismith was also influential in the promotion and creation of men's college basketball when he became the University of Kansas ' first basketball team. And believably, many of Naismith's first students and disciples became important in the history of college basketball including Amos Alonzo Stagg, Forrest "Phog" Allen, and Adolph Rupp.

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History of Basketball

The history of basketball is much easier to trace than other sports. It is clear that Dr. James Naismith is credited with creating basketball and much of basketball history. Dr. Naismith, born in 1861 in Ontario, Canada first came up with the concept of basketball during his youth school days in the area where he played a game that involved knocking a rock off an object by attempting to throw another rock at it. The game obviously evolved from there and began the history of basketball.

Mr. Naismith taught at the YMCA School in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891, where the sport of basketball was created. He was faced with a problem of finding a sport that could be played indoors during the harsh Massachusetts winters. He needed to come up with a game that could be played in and outdoors and one that adopted a sense of skill and not just brawn. He first developed the game by involving a soccer ball and two peach baskets, who would have ever thought basketball history, could come from a soccer ball.

In addition to creating basketball Dr. Naismith became a medical doctor focused on sports science and was a minister. Naismith watched his sport grow to become one of the world's most popular sports that saw its entrance in the Olympics in 1936 at Berlin and he fixed himself a spot in basketball history.

The history of basketball began with teams of five and was the sports standard by 1897. The sport became popular to both men and women and began to spread throughout Canada and the US. The US servicemen took the sport overseas with them in WWII and the history of basketball became global.

U.S. colleges accepted the game and began to have it as a standard college sport. College basketball history took off around the late 1890's and the first college game began at the Madison Square Garden in New York.

Professional basketball history first began when the National Basketball League was created in the late 1800's around 1898. The league however did not last and was broken up after 5 years providing a rough start to basketball history. The break up just led to a number of random leagues forming themselves in the early 1900's and each was very loosely organized. Ironically enough the first super team was the Celtics but they were from New York City not Boston. The famous Harlem globetrotters were also founded around this time in 1927 and hold a place in basketball history as being the most entertaining of basketball teams.

It wasn't until 1949 that two professional basketball leagues the NBL and the BAA merged to create what we all know now as the National Basketball Association or the NBA. The Boston Celtics dominated the NBA from the late 1950s through the 1960s. By the 1960s, professional teams had formed throughout the United States and basketball was a mainstream powerhouse. Players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russel and Kareem Abdul-Jabar all became household names that drew millions to watch them play as they all found a spot in basketball history.

National Basketball Association fell off the charts and was surpassed by football in popularity through the 1970's then got a resurgence from the popular Larry Bird and Magic Johnson era. Michael Jordan carried the league through the eighties and nineties and the torch has been passed on to Shaquille O'neal, Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. The history of basketball has never been so fascinating and it is all thanks to Dr. James Naismith.

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History Of Basketball And Portable Basketball Backboards

The big game of basketball has been one of the most prevalent sports in the planet. Basketball sports merchandise such as basketball shoes, basket ball, portable basketball backboards and hoops and sportswear sell millions of wares each year. One of the richest athletes in the world are basketball players, like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Wilt Chamberlain, so are the basketball coaches too like Phil Jackson, Bob Knight and Pat Riley. Anywhere, you can see basketball playgrounds in every corner of the residential areas. And the youth and the old persons alike, handicapped or with two complete legs, ladies and guys, whatever built you qualify-everyone likes to play this popular sport.

There are three basic things needed for basketball. The hoop, the ball and the court. Not like any other sports, basketball is distinct for it can be played both indoors and in the open. The very first basketball game was only consisted of a circular ring attached on a wall and a ball, and the rules were basic. Every team players should try their best to make a point by shooting and throwing the ball in the ring by following a set of rules. There are certain scoring systems to adhere to and fouls and violation to be avoided.

On the other hand, these set of rules have been improved from the moment it was first played. Today, considered to be one of the most typical and enduring professional sports, specific set of regulations and rules are mandatory so to play this game. The ball for example has to be 29.5 inches for men, and weighing 22 ounces, and 28.5 for women weighing 20 ounces. The basketball backboard is generally ten feet tall, however it might have variation. The basketball loop should be 45.7 in diameters and the basketball court generally measures to 28 x 15 meters.

For non-competitive sports however, equipments can differ. Players can improvise with the backboard, some community basketball courts just have a need of a ring and a wide space to dribble with. Some community courts and playgrounds also have portable basketball backboards, which can also be put up on backyard houses. Even the game itself can also be modified. Today we have six by six basketball, instead of five members. There is also the horseball which can be played while mounting on a horse, and is a merge of rugby, polo and basketball. There is also the water basketball, wheelchair basketball and even unicycle basketball.

The women's basketball has begun in 1892 and seven years shortly has become an official game because of the hard work of Senda Berenson. It's also one of the sports that even the handicapped can do. True enough, basketball is believed to be both non-discriminatory and helpful to improve physical agility and endurance as well as to grind thinking skills. It is also one of the basic factors why parents want their children to grow up tall and well-built, since a person has to be at least 6 feet high with sharp shooting skills so to be a professional basketball player. That is why schools offer basketball courses to kids and youngsters so they can enhance their skill while shooting on those portable basketball backboards.

Basketball game is very popular team sports. Boys are taught to play this game even when they were still very young. Visit http://www.tophoops.com now to check these top of the line basketball backboards. You may also check out the best basketball backboard.