Where and how was basketball invented?

2 ANSWERS

1. Guest9636
   

   In early December 1891, Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian-born physician and minister on the faculty of a college for YMCA professionals (today, Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts, sought a vigorous indoor game to keep young men occupied during the long New England winters.

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2. Guest8654
   

   Basketball started in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was invented by James Naismith.
   Naismith was a Canadian physical education instructor at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, in December of 1891. He was promted to come up with an activity from the director of the school, Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick, who wanted something to occupy a "class of incorragibles."
   
   Naismith may have had other motivations as well. Apparently, the class was tired of calisthenics. Naismith wanted to create a game of skill for the students instead of one that relied solely on strength. He needed a game that could be played indoors in a relatively small space. And he wanted to keep his football players in shape off-season.
   
   Luckily Naismith and his wife, who were Christians, subscribed to a Christian Missionary magazine from Central America. In it Naismith saw the feature article about the Aztec ball game called Ollamalitzli and the Mayan game of Ulama. He had also read up on articles by a New Zealander called Tom Ellison who wrote about ancient Maori ball sports that required alot of aerial handball skills. He took account of the hole that the round bouncy ball had to go through in the Central American games and the excitement of the traditional Maori game where a round flax ball was aerially passed with speed and dexterity. With his supportive wife he then devised a game suitable for a gym.
   
   Taking to the task at hand, Naismith rounded up two peach baskets (the janitor didn't have any boxes handy) and a soccer ball. Next, he developed 13 rules for the new game. He divided his class of 18 into 2 teams of 9 players each (the team today would be the equivalent of 3 guards, 3 centers, and 3 forwards) and set about to teach them the basics of his new game of basketball.
   The first public basketball game was in Springfield, MA, USA, on March 11, 1892.

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