Basketball: How it all got started

It would seem that Basketball has been with us forever. Yet it was only in 1881 that Dr. James Naismith created the game that now is one of the most popular games in the United States. What you may not also realise is that Naismith was actually born in Canada, and some wonder if the sport would be so popular in the US had he not been living in Massachusetts at the time he invented it.

Prior to shifting to Massachusetts Dr Naismith worked as the athletics director at the University of McGill in Montreal for several years. In Massachusetts he worked with the YMCA Training School. Here Dr Naismith was looking for a game that the students would be able to play indoors. For during the winter months it was difficult to play outdoors. The first game of basketball was played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets. They used a broom stick to push the ball back out of the basket. It was later that holes were cut in the bottom of the basket to look like the hoop and net that we see today.

The game was introduced widely through the YMCA, not only the United States but throughout the world. Millions of people world wide play basketball as a hobby or even professionally. However, no nation has seen as much popularity for basketball as North America.

The game of Basketball continued to gain popularity and it was showcased in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. And today the National Basketball League is one of the most popular sports events. Prior to the formation of NBA the controlling body for the game of basketball in America was the Basketball Association of America. Today the NBA players boast some of the highest salaries in the professional sports.

The first paid basketball players can be traced back to 1896 on November 7. This was the date of a game between the Trenton Basketball Team and the Brooklyn YMCA. Basketball eventually broke away from the YMCA and moved into the National Basketball League.

Today great basket ball players like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal and many more have made headlines not only in basketball, but in movies, tabloids, and even music. They even are role models for many kids as the game of basket ball is really very popular.

The NBA Finals are one of the most popular televised sports events in the United States. Everyone loves to cheer on their favorite teams and players. Michael Jordan, or Air Jordan as he was known, brought about much of the popularity in NBA merchandise. Everyone wanted Air Jordan jerseys, shirts, hats, shorts, and of course the ever popular shoes.

Today basket ball is one of the most popular games in the US and the NBA is a multi-million dollar association that earns revenue from ticket sales, televised games, and of course the equally popular merchandise. It is perhaps the favorite pass time and extra curricular activity with many children. Dr James Naismith must never have thought that his simple game with a ball and two peach baskets would become such a mega success.

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Carlos Lintons is the chief writer for, and editor of FSU Basketball, it's one of the webs most up to date Basketball sites, why not sign up for the free Basketball newsletter. For more quality articles on Basketball why not visit: www.fsubasketball.com/articles
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