Basketball was invented in YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association), Massachusetts towards the end of the nineteenth century out of sheer necessity. Dr. James Naismith realized that during the long rigorous winter season it was difficult for his students to remain in shape. He wanted an indoor sport that required the bustle of outdoor sports and yet it could be played in the school gym. After experimenting with numerous games and options, one day in December 1891, the doctor hung up a peach basket on a wall of the school’s gym and gave birth to the game of basketball.
Soon enough, the players realised the difficulty of retrieving the ball from the peach basket after a point had been scored so they drilled a hole at the base of the basket and used a rod to poke the ball. This system was used for a few years till a hoop was used in 1906. Initially, a soccer ball was used to play the game which had really simple rules. When the ball entered the peach basket, the team won a point. At the end of the game, the team with maximum points won. The inventor adopted many of the rules from a children’s game that was quite popular back then called “Duck on a Rock”. The court was also smaller and was half the size of the present court.
Just a year after it was invented, Senda Berenson, a teacher at Smith College changed some of the rules and started basketball for women. Later, as the popularity of the game grew it became a recognised college game and about half a decade later, Tony Hinkle realised the soccer ball often lost visibility for spectators and players. So he introduced the orange coloured ball which is used till today. With a soccer ball, dribbling was not allowed, however, with improved technology the shape of the ball also changed and once the ball could support it, dribbling became the key to the game.
Americans have also been credited with inventing other types of ball games like lacrosse, volleyball, netball, dodge ball and so on but amongst them, basketball has been the most popular and its appeal has reached across all socio-economic boundaries and has shattered geographical borders. Today, basketball players have become international A-league celebrities and household names across the planet for example, NBA (National Basketball Association) has featured players like George Mikan, Bob Cousy, Dirk Nowitzki and of course the superstar Michael Jordan.
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