History of Basketball

Basketball is a game enjoyed by millions of people worldwide, either playing or watching. The game is played almost everywhere in the world, either as a time passing sport of professional sport, which is a livelihood to many people. Basketball is an easy game to learn and is not as demanding as some of the sports that are played around the world. The concepts of the game may have been developed as early as 500 years ago, which may have been played by the Olmec people of ancient Mexico. The Mayans and the Aztec may have well played a game that was almost a similar as basketball. However, the major difference was that they used the skulls of their opponents rather than a ball. In 1892, the first game of basketball was played in Massachusetts. The concept of the game was developed by Canadian sports instructor, James Naismith, who was born in 1861. Naismith is regarded to be the one who formulated and documented the first rules of basketball, which he wrote in his basketball rule book. The rules have however undergone major changes from the ones that are used today. The Original rules included instructions on how the ball was to be handled, the conduct of the players, substitutions, shot clocks, time limit and so on. They were the foundation of the rules that are used in basketball today. James Smith went ahead to establish the University of Kansas basketball program, which was among the first institutions to recognize, embrace and play the sport. The first game of basketball ever to be played was on May 30, 1891, in Springfield College. The game was played by young male students at the Springfield YMCA who took it up an option to the calisthenics and children’s games that were being played at schools during those times. The game was played without much adherence to the rules, but with time, they came to practice more and follow the rules as they were supposed to. The game helped the graduates of the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) schools to travel widely, mainly because Naismith distributed the rules in a free manner. Secondly, the game was quite simple and it could be played indoors during the harshly cold winter weather. Naismith went on to become the first great college basketball coach and went on to win over 700 games as coach and as player. The first competitive basketball games were all local. The main cities that had their own leagues included Philadelphia, Boston and New York. As the game evolved, the players would meet for inter-league games. In 1896, the first known professional basketball game was played between Trenton New Jersey between Brooklyn YMCA and Trenton YMCA. The game ended in Trenton’s favor, as they won 15-1. The first professional league of basketball was formed in 1898, where the players earned as little as 2.5 USD. The game kept on developing, and more teams were formed and more players taken in. In the year 1901, the game of basketball experienced a historic turn of events, as colleges chipped in and began sponsoring teams. Among the first colleges to participate were Minnesota, Chicago, Utah, Dartmouth and Navy. There were fewer games played in the early years, with teams playing from a total of 10 to 15 games a season. Yale was the team that won the first national college championship, followed by the University of Minnesota. The latter was the first team to win a championship undefeated, among the challenges that were faced in the early games were horrific injuries, fouls and shortage of game officials (referees). The early professional teams were formed years later. The original New York Celtics team was formed in 1814, but it was dissolved during World War I. The team was started by brothers Tom and Jim Furey. Among the problems that were faced during the first years was contracting, as players would switch to teams that paid them better. The Celtics beat the Trenton team in 1921 when they joined the eastern league. The other big team that was formed in the early years of the league was South Philadelphia Hebrew Association, formed in 1918 by Eddie Gottlieb. It went on to become one of the most successful teams, attracting the most fees from people who wanted to watch their game. Another team that enjoyed early success was the Buffalo Germans, who by the time they were disbanded, had won more games than any other team. In the 1920s, basketball saw one of its worst eras. It was only watched when there was a hockey game, and the low attendance forced most of the teams in the league to be disbanded as they could not afford to pay the players. Even the most successful teams, such as the Germans and the Celtics, were not spared the brunt of the depression. However, with the formation of the American Basketball League (ABL) the game of basketball once again rose. Today, basketball is one of the most widely played and watched game. There are multimillion teams, with the art of the state stadiums, paying lot of money to their players. Among the basketball legends of the modern times are Michael Jordan and Lebron James. Basketball continues to evolve as a sport and as hobby. The National Basketball League of the United States of America remains to be the biggest basketball league in the world. Basketball is also played in many other countries, and also at the Olympics.