The Beginning and Rise of Professional Basketball

Many people follow the sport of basketball without understanding of its interesting history. Basketball, like all other sports, includes a unique story of it's beginnings. James Naismith created this lively and active sport to supply adults and children with something to do inside during the cold winter season. James was working as a teacher in a Christian Association training school. While there, he was asked to create an indoor game that could provide both entertainment and physical education. He began his work in the wintertime of 1891 by comparing sports he played growing up. One game in particular had a major influence on what would later be named basketball. This game was called "Duck on the Rock" and it consisted of a person guarding his "duck" from others. Naismith also took ideas from earlier religious traditions created by the Mayans and Aztecs. These cultures used a rubber ball and a ring for just one of the inside games. The ring resided on a pole and the shots were made vertically. After much studying, he formulated the game of basketball.

Basketball originally had thirteen rules that were easy to understand and follow. The ball itself could be thrown multiple directions, batted, and was required to be held with the player's hands. Players could not run around using the ball. It needed to be thrown between players. Dirty tricks for example tripping, pushing, and holding were not allowed. Fouls were defined as violations from the above rules and by using your fist to hit the ball from a player's hand. Three fouls received in a row by a team awarded the opponents a point. Baskets would be produced by throwing the ball or by batting it from the player's hand. An out of bounds ball was thrown back to play and belonged to the first player to have contact with it. Umpires would call fouls and judge the overall play of the game. Referees determined if the ball was in play, out of bounds, kept track of time, and decided which team had possession of the ball. Naismith organized time keeping as two halves lasting fifteen minutes each. A short five minute break was given between halves. Whoever scored the majority of goals during this scheduled time period was the winner of the whole game. Basketball still uses most of these same basic rules today.

The very first game occured on December 29, 1891. A soccer ball and peach baskets were the basic materials for the game. Basketball began to grow in popularity around the world largely with the help of the United States Army and teachers. As Americans were fighting in Europe during the First World War, they picked up on the sport and began to play the game wherever they went. Physical education teachers also started using basketball in their courses and slowly the game became a common sport. The Nation's Basketball Association wasn't established until June of 1946. Many small championships and leagues were formed before this time, but most disbanded rapidly. Racial integration with the league began in 1942. Afterwards the activity became the game we now see today.

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