Looking Back at the Beginnings of Basketball
Even if you are not a fan, you surely have heard about basketball because this is one of the most popular sports in the world. There are many personalities who emerged from this field and eventually became famous media figures. There are some players who were casted on film and TV productions. Many players were also given good spots at commercials and as endorsers to many popular products. There is really no escaping the bug that this widely viewed sports has created all over the globe.
The Basics of the Sport
This sport is played with two teams. Each team has five players who try to get points by shooting the ball at the top of the hoop. The latter, in order to comply with the standard rules, must have a rim that measures 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high. By shooting the ball, a team can get two points if the player made the shot inside the half circle and three points if the player is at the back circle. The team with the most number of points by the end of the game would win. If the points of the two teams will be the same when the buzzer signals the end of the game, an extension or overtime is going to be called to see who would win.
The sport has also adopted many changes through time. These helped the game to become more exciting and appealing to more people. There are various techniques that have been implemented on passing, shooting and dribbling. Most competitive leagues mostly play the game indoors, but there are huge numbers of outdoor courts and playing venues that have been adopted by many city and rural areas all over the world.
Looking Back
The invention of the game or its foundation is attributed to Dr. James Naismith. He was an instructor at the International Young Men’s Christian Association Training School, which is now known as the Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. It was in December 1981 when Dr. Naismith wrote the basic rules of the kind of game, which he intended to help his students keep fit and occupied even during rainy and winter seasons. He nailed a peach basket on an elevated track of 3.05 meters. The basket retained its bottom, so the balls need to be manually retrieved after a point is scored. Eventually, the bottom of the basket was removed, making the game more fun and efficient.
In 1906, the peach baskets were replaced by metal hoops with backboards. The innovations keep on happening with the equipment until it has become the kind of game that you are currently used to.
Dr. Naismith was nervous about the game that he invented, as he stated on his diaries that were discovered by his granddaughter in 2006. He utilized some rules from a kids game known as Duck on a Rock on the sport that he named as Basket Ball. It was on January 20, 1892 when the first official game of basketball was played at the YMCA gym. Through time, the sport keeps on increasing the numbers of people who are interested to participate or simply watch the action while rooting for their favorite teams.
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