- What is the history of basketball?
- Basketball creator
- Origin of basketball
- Basketball world growth
- Most recognized countries in basketball
We explain the history of basketball, who was its creator and how it grew worldwide. Also, the countries with the highest victories.
What is the history of basketball?
The basketball (of English basket which means "basket" and ball means “ball”) or basketball in its Spanish translation, it was created in 1891 by James Naismith, a Canadian and professor of physical education from Springfield College in Massachusetts (then known as the International YMCA Training School).
The discipline became popular and at the beginning of the 20th century it spread throughout the universities and colleges of the United States. Today, it is one of the most widely practiced sports and is played in leagues and championships around the world.
Basketball is a sport team in which two groups of five players each face each other. The objective of play It consists of scoring points by pocketing the ball into a hoop that is located about three meters high. The score for each time the ball passes through the ring is two or three points, depending on the position from which the shot was made.
The contact with the ball is with the hands, but the players cannot move while holding it, but must run while hitting the ball against the player. I usually until making a pass to one of his teammates or even trying to hole it in the hoop.
Basketball creator
The creator of basketball was James Naismith who, after graduating from theology from Presbyterian College in Montreal, he signed up to study physical education at Springfield College with Luther Halsey Gulik (recognized as the "father of physical education").
During a course of psychology of the game, Gulik raised the need to create a new discipline able to perform in a environment closed to practice it during the winter season (when they could not play football). In response, Naismith set about devising a new sport that was easy to absorb, but complex enough to arouse interest.
He was inspired by various disciplines of the time, such as American rugby (for passing), English rugby (for jumping) and "duck on a rock", a game from his childhood in which the goal was played. when throwing the ball and putting it in a basket located at a considerable height.
Naismith drew up the thirteen basic rules that described how to play, how to move the ball, how to score and what was considered a foul. He brought the students together to form the teams to which three centers, three forwards and three guards were designated for each group.
They placed two baskets of peaches about ten feet high, located on each balcony at the ends of the gym room. Each basket was supervised by a man who returned the ball to the field of play, after the equipment do a bit. A few years later, they cut the bottom of the baskets so that the ball would come loose and go back into play.
The news of the new sport was widely accepted and spread rapidly. Within a few weeks, it was incorporated into the calendar of the International YMCA Training School across the country, in universities and high schools.
Starting in 1905, basketball was officially recognized as a permanent winter sport. Its rules, while modified over the years, generally did not change drastically from the original list made by Naismith.
Origin of basketball
The Springfield Collage, the institution where basketball originated has changed its name more than once, creating some confusion. It emerged as the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) that encompassed three sections: the school of training, the international school and the international college.
However, during those years the name Springfield Collage was used informally, until in 1954 it was institution it was officially adopted. Beyond the name, since its founding in 1885, it has always been a private and independent institution.
On December 21, 1891, James Naismith published the rules for the new game of basketball and asked his class to play a game on one of the courts at Springfield College, with a soccer ball and two peach baskets.
Someone suggested calling the new discipline "Naismith game", but after witnessing the game they saw the ball and baskets stand out, so they chose to call it "basketball." The YMCA played a very important role in spreading the word about this sport in the United States and Canada.
In the rest of the world it did not take much longer to become known. In 1983 the first basketball game was organized in Montmartre, Paris, and then basketball matches were organized in China, India and Japan.
The first professional league of the discipline was formed in 1898 with six teams that made up the "National Basketball League." However, it was dissolved in 1904.
Then other highly recognized leagues emerged: the Eastern Basket Ball League (in 1909), the Metropolitan Basketball League (in 1925), the American Basketball League and the National Basket League (in 1937). The latter contributed to the creation of the NBA (National Basketball Association), the current league of the United States based in Canada (in 1949).
Basketball world growth
Despite the rapid expansion of the sport in different countries, during the first decades basketball did not have a International Organization to regulate it. Thanks to various requests, in 1904 the discipline was included as an Olympic demonstration sport.
It was only in 1932 that the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) was founded. This body based in Miles (Switzerland), was dedicated to regulating the rules of sport worldwide and to periodically celebrate different events and championships.
Through the contribution of FIBA, men's basketball became one of the Olympic sports. He had his first appearance in the olympics from Berlin in 1936. In 1976 women's basketball was incorporated as part of the Olympics, which took place in Montreal.
Most recognized countries in basketball
The country with the greatest victories in all of basketball history is the United States, both in the men's and women's versions. This country only once was not on the podium and it was at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.