Origin and Development of the Game:
Basketball was invented in the United States of America in Massachusetts, at what is now called Springfield College. When basketball was invented Springfield College was the International Y.M.C.A. Training School, and the game was first introduced to a class of trainee Y.M.C.A. leaders. At this time there was only apparatus work, and free standing exercise to entertain participants during the winter months.
Dr James Naismith was the first member of staff at this school to try and introduce different activities with little success. Dr Naismith tried Association Football, American Football, and Lacrosse, but there was little interest, and it was made harder in the confined space of the Springfield Y.M.C.A. gymnasium. However Dr Naismith didn't give up and produced a game by taking aspects from other games and putting them together to produce basketball.
The main features of the game invented by Naismith were as follows:
- a team game played indoors
- played with a ball but without an implement
- the ball was easy to handle, round, light and difficult to conceal
- no tackling was allowed
- players were not permitted to run with the ball
- skill required to score so a target was placed above head height
- a game to demand skill rather than strength
- a game everybody could play.
The first game of Basketball was played at the Y.M.C.A. gymnasium in Springfield in 1891. The goals for this game were peach baskets fixed to the balcony of the gymnasium. Changes were made to the baskets the following year, to be made from heavy woven wire and cylindrical in shape. However these were to change once again in 1893, to iron rim and cord baskets, which were either attached to the walls or balcony of the gym.
As basketball started off as a school sport there were 9 players on each side. When basketball was first introduced the dribble was not included, however a rule was made for this in 1898.
Soon the game began to attract crowds who had to sit in the balcony and with the baskets being fixed to the balcony, spectators would aid or obstruct a teams efforts to score, depending on who they supported. However this wasn't a problem for long as a screen was built and placed behind the basket to stop spectators from interfering. This screen is still in the game today, but is known as the backboard.
Over the years the original rules drawn up by Naismith have been changed, and built upon, mainly to describe a particular rule in greater detail and to ensure that each team has an equal opportunity on both attack and defense. But still today the rules change slightly in different parts of the world.
The United States and Canada have slightly different rules from those used throughout the rest of the world, and the professionals in the United States have another set of rules just for them. The women in America have now adopted the International rules but before this their rules had also varied. The rest of the world all adhere to a common set of rules for men and women, which are used at all the major World, Olympic and European championships. These rules were developed and produced by the Federation Internationale de Basketball (F.l.B.A.). Any changes to these rules have to be agreed at a World Congress of F.I.B.A. held every four years. |
