james naismith

Nicholas Farrell
Year 11 Modern History
Miss Campbell
James Naismith
The invention of Basketball was a complete change to sport and how sports can be played. James Naismith was a Canadian man who moved down to the United States seeking a job. James came across a job at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was given 14 days to create an indoor game that would provide an "athletic distraction". Naismith’s game of Basketball is now played by over 300 million people today. The most popular place of basketball is in the U.S.A.
Naismith earned a BA in Physical Education in 1888 and a Diploma at the Presbyterian College in Montreal, 1890. From 1891 on, Naismith taught physical education and became the first McGill director of athletics. He then left Montreal to become a physical education teacher at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. At Springfield YMCA, Naismith struggled with a rowdy class which was confined to indoor games throughout the harsh New England winter. As James needed to teach a physical sport, it was hard as there weren’t many sports that could be played inside. Gulick, head of YMCA, demanded that it would not take up much room, could help its track athletes to keep in shape and explicitly emphasised to "make it fair for all players and not too rough." With these specifications that were given, Naismith had created the game, Basketball.
In his attempt to think up a new game, Naismith was guided by three main thoughts. He analysed the most popular games of those times, Naismith noticed the hazards of a ball and concluded that the big soft soccer ball was safest. He saw that most physical contact occurred while running with the ball, dribbling or hitting it, so he decided that passing was the only legal option. Naismith further reduced body contact by making the goal unguardable, placing it high above the player's heads. To score goals, he forced the players to throw a soft lobbing shot that had proven effective in his old favourite game duck on a rock. Naismith christened this new game "Basket Ball" and put his thoughts together in 13 basic rules.
The first game of basketball was played in 1891. In a handwritten report, Naismith described the circumstances of the inaugural match. Compared to modern basketball, the players played nine versus nine, handled a soccer ball, not a basketball, and instead of shooting at two hoops, the goals were a pair of peach baskets. When Mr Stubbins brought up the peach baskets to the gym he secured them on the inside of the railing of the gallery. This was about 10 feet from the floor, one at each end of the gymnasium. He then put the 13 rules on the bulletin board just behind the instructor's platform, got a soccer ball and waited for the class. The class did not show much enthusiasm but followed his lead, he then explained what they had to do to make goals, tossed the ball up between the two centres and tried to keep them somewhat near the rules.

Compared to modern basketball the original rules did not include what is known today as the dribble. The ball could only be moved up the court by passing. Early players tossed the ball over their heads as they ran up court. Following each "goal" a jump ball was taken in the middle of the court. Both practices are gone in the rules of modern basketball. From Springfield, Naismith went to Denver where he acquired a medical degree and in 1898 he joined the University of Kansas faculty at Lawrence, Kansas after coaching at Baker University. The University of Kansas men's basketball program officially began in 1898. Following Naismith's arrival, just six years after Naismith penned the sport's first official rules. Naismith was not initially hired to coach basketball, but rather as a chapel director and physical education instructor. In these early days, the majority of the basketball games were played against nearby YMCA teams. With YMCA's across the nation having played an integral part in the birth of basketball. Other common opponents were Haskell Indian Nations University and William Jewell College. Under Naismith, the team played only one current Big 12 school. Naismith was ironically the only coach in the program's history to have a losing record (55–60).
In 1935, the National Association of Basketball Coaches collected money so that the 74-year old Naismith could witness the introduction of basketball into the official Olympic sports program of the 1936 Summer Olympic Games. Naismith handed out the medals to three North American teams, United States, for the Gold Medal, Canada, for the Silver Medal, and Mexico, for their Bronze medal win. During the Olympics, he was named the Honorary President of the International Basketball Federation. When Naismith returned he commented that seeing the game played by many nations was the greatest compensation he could have received for his invention. In 1937, Naismith played a role in the formation of the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball, which later became the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). In his later years, Naismith became Professor Emeritus in Kansas and retired in 1937 at the age of 76.
The university also named the court in Allen Fieldhouse, James Naismith Court in his honour. Naismith Hall, a college residential dormitory, is located on the north eastern edge of 19th Street and Naismith Drive.
Basketball has a large impact on our society. In the NBA, the teams bring out nationalism within their city. The infamous Celtics-Lakers rivalry always produces tension within the two cities. Basketball, when playing at a young age, allows kids to make more friends and learn about teamwork, a skill many are missing even as adults. Basketball is such a popular sport in the United States, especially in urban areas where space is limited and playing fields are few and far between.
Basketball changed how the black people were able to interact with the sport. The basketball court also reflected some of the major cultural shifts in America, such as from segregation to integration. Black people weren't permitted to participate in National Basketball Association games until 1950, when Earl Lloyd played for the Washington Capitals. Black players had a style of play that, emphasized "speed, agility, superior jumping ability and creative ball handling," which today are the hallmarks of the game that millions of Americans love. Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor were two of the earliest players to show the dominance that Michael Jordan would later be known for.
Basketball also made a lot of changes in Product placement of America. Commercial success on the part of Nike, a struggling shoe company in 1984, can partially also be attributed to Michael Jordan. The Air Jordan sneaker and Jordan's endorsement paved the way for two American trends: huge endorsement fees for star players and the coveting of equipment endorsed by these star players, often priced much higher than similar-quality competitor brands. The role basketball and its modern prince, M.J., played in the commercialisation of sports and sports stars in America should not be underestimated.
Basketball is so loved in America because anybody can play it. It doesn’t matter whether you’re Black, White, Asian or any other culture. People enjoy watching it and playing it because you can interact more with either the people you play against or even the people on the television screen. Basketball is full of action and excitement, schools also have dozens of basketball hoops and basketballs on their playground. That is the main sport kids grow up with and they want to continue playing it. In poorer places the only sport that they really excel in is basketball because all you need is a net and a ball, it’s also very cheap compared to hockey or NFL which can cost hundreds of dollars.
James Naismith really created the greatest sport in the eyes of Americans and that no matter who you are, you’re always welcomed to play basketball as there are so many courts around local communities where you can play for free.