BASKETBALL

Basketball in one sport that can be called truly American. The man who invented it, Dr. James A. Naismith, was born in Canada. But he developed the games in the United States, and it is there that basketball has become a popular winter indoor sport.
Two teams, of five players each, play the game on a court. At each end of the court is a basket attached to a backboard. The bright orange metal rim of the basket is 46 centimeters (18 inches) in diameter and is placed 3 meters (10 feet) above the floor. From it hangs a white cord net. The objective of each team in a game is to scaore points by throwing the ball into one of the baskets.
The basketball is a rubber bladder inflated with air and covered with an orange or natural tan leather or composition cever. It is round, about 75 centimeters (30 inches) in circumference, and weight between 565 and 625 grams (about 20 to 22 ounces).
In 1891, when he invented basketball, Dr. Naismith was an instructor at the international Training School og the Young Mens’s Cristian Association (YMCA) in Springfield, Massachusetts. It wa winter, and he noticed a lack of interest in formal gymnasium exercises among some of his students. What they needed, he thought, was a fastaction game that could be played indoor when the football season ended. He decided that some kind of game in which players wouls have to throw a ball into baskets would be interesting. So he attached a couple of old peach baskets to the ends of the gym balcony.
In the early day soccer ball was used. Every time a gola was made, someone had to climb a ladder to get the ball out of the basket. A a while wire mesh basket were used. In 1906 the metal hoop similar to that of today was used for the firs time. At first when a basket was missed, the ball would go into the crowd. This caused much delay. Than backboard were put up so the ball would bounce back into the playing court.

When the game was first played, nine people formed a team. Later it was changed changed to to permit nine, seven or five to play. Tosay five players make up a team. Then, as now, running with the ball, pushing, and tripping were not allowed. The early scoring rulus allowed 3 points for each basket. The center jump was used to start play after every goal. And when a ball went out of bounds, the first player to get it would put it back into play.

Basketball has come a long way since Dr. Naismith hung those two peach basket in the Springfield YMCA gymnasium.

Today it is a major winter sport in school colleges, YMCA’s, and club troughtout the United Stated anda Canada. It is played outdoors and indoors by boys and girl, men and women. Thoussand of people crowd into gyms and sport arenas to watch tournaments and championship games. On a makeshift court in the back yard or the polished hardwood floor of an arena, basketball is a great game whether you play it or merely watch.
Several Canadian were among Dr. Naismith’s pupils, and through them basket was introduced in Canada. Other YMCA leaders and America armed force abroad helped to spead the popularity of the game in Latin America, Europe, The Philipines, China, and Japan.
In 1961, on the 100th anniversary of the birth of the inventor of basketball, the cornerstone was laid for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.