Informative Speech

Basketball: A high intensity sport in which one team tries to out-score another by shooting a ball through a hoop. Basketball is a sport that requires many skills such as hand eye coordination, speed and agility. The sport has been around for many years. It caught my eye when I was young and I played as a kid for eight years. Since I wasn’t able to make the team in high school, I continued to show my love for the sport by watching the NBA on a regular basis, more specifically watching the Chicago Bulls. Watching and the playing the sport for so long got me wondering about the history of the sport and how it originated. Therefore, today I will be talking about the history of basketball, the rules of basketball, and the positions played in basketball.
I will begin by talking about the origins of basketball and how it was created. The game when it first started was a lot more different than the basketball that we know of today. Instead of the typical 5 on 5 set up, it was actually 9 on 9. In addition, the game was played with a soccer style ball and two peach baskets instead if nets. According to Wikipedia, the game of basketball was created by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 to condition young athletes during the winter. He had a class of 18 athletes and divided them into 2 teams of 9 players and sought to teach them the basics of his new game. The goal of the game was to throw the soccer style ball, into the fruit baskets nailed to the lower railing of the gym balcony. Every time a point was scored, the game was halted so the janitor could bring out a ladder and retrieve the ball. It would not be till later in the future that the bottoms of the fruit baskets were removed to allow the ball to pass through and the game to be continuous. It wasn’t until December 21, 1891 that James Naismith published rules for the game using five basic ideas and thirteen rules. In addition, on this day the game basketball would get its official name as basketball. Originally it was going to be called “Naismith Game” but one of the 18 players of the game proposed a different name saying, “ We have a ball and a basket, why not call it basketball”. Basketball would later become more popular during the late 1890’s when the first professional league was founded. The league would be abandoned in 1904 and it wouldn’t be till 1949 that the NBA would be founded. The game would later evolve into what we know of the NBA today.
Now that I’ve discussed the history of the NBA, I am now going to talk about the rules of Basketball. On the court there are lines that have certain values. There are boundaries that limit the court and boundaries that give certain shots taken different point values. According to Fiba.com, on a competition level, a team is made up of 5 players playing on a court and 5 players on the bench that can be used for substitutions. A player scores when they shoot the ball and the ball goes through the basket. Depending on their position on the court, the player can score 3,2, or 1 point. If a player shoots beyond the three point arc, then the team gains three points. If a player shoots inside of the 3 point arc, then the team gains two points. A player commits a violation when they break the rules of basketball. For example, a player cannot take more than 2 steps without bouncing the ball on the floor. If the player does, they commit the traveling violation. Another violation that a player may commit is if they dribble the ball, pick it up, and dribble again. This violation is known as a double dribble. Basketball is known as a non-contact sport and therefore there are things called fouls in game. A foul is an illegal action that is committed by a player from one team against a player from the opposing team. If contact occurs beyond what is reasonable or if a player obtains an unfair advantage from the contact, then a foul is committed. In addition, there are boundaries that limit the court and boundaries that give certain shots taken different point values. If a player steps out of the boundary that limits the field of play, or the out of bounds line, then the ball is given to the opposing team.
After discussing the history of basketball and the rules of the game, I will now talk about the 5 positions that are played on a team during a competition level game. The first position we will discuss is the point guard position. Usually the point guard is the known as the “general” of the team. The point guard position is normally the ball handler and the shot caller of the team. In addition, the point guard is generally the shortest player on the team as well as court. The second position is the shooting guard position. As the name implies, the shooting guard is the player that is going to be taking most of the team’s shots and is generally the most accurate scorer from farther distances. The third position is the small forward. The small forward is typically the player that attacks the basket from the outside of the perimeter and is often the secondary shooter. The fourth player is the power forward. The power forward is relatively big in height and therefore scores through the use of lay ups or taking shots closer to the basket. The final position is known as the center. The center is the biggest player on the team and therefore focuses on scoring through the use of layups or shots close to the basket. These positions make up the 5 players on the court for a team.
All in all I have discussed the history of basketball, the general ground rules of basketball, and the positions that are played on a team. I discussed James Naismith, the creator of basketball, and how the game developed. I went over the basic rules of the game and discussed how scoring works, violations happen, and how fouls are committed. I also discussed the positions played on a team and what each role does. I am glad that I got to share my passion of the game with all of you and I hope that you all learned at least one thing about the game of basketball.

Works Cited
Encylopedia, Wikipedia Free. "History of Basketball." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Mar. 2014. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.
Com, Fiba . "Fcom - Basketball Basics - Basic Rules." FIBA.COM. Fiba, 11 Nov. 2014. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.

Cited: Encylopedia, Wikipedia Free. "History of Basketball." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Mar. 2014. Web. 02 Nov. 2014. Com, Fiba . "Fcom - Basketball Basics - Basic Rules." FIBA.COM. Fiba, 11 Nov. 2014. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.