Gabi Wilson
Physical Ed
2/28/15
Basketball
Basketball is a sport that was intentionally invented. It is one of the most popular sports played by millions of people around the world. A man named, James Naismith, created basketball in 1891, when he was assigned to teach a physical education class for the Young Man’s Christian Association (YMCA) in Springfield, Massachusetts. He needed to invent a desirable game everyone could play indoors. Naismith combined elements of outdoor games like soccer and lacrosse with the concept of a game he played as a child, Duck on a Rock. To win Duck on Rock, players threw stones to hit a target placed on top of a large rock.
His rules were very basic and he used two large peach baskets for hoops. His rules still remain but of all thirteen, nine of them have been slightly modified, new rules have been added, and the rest were disregarded. The class of 18 was divided into two teams of nine on each sides. Initially, it was played with a soccer ball on a court without specific measurements. Points were earned by landing the ball in the peach basket. Every time a point was scored, the game was stopped so that a janitor could bring out a ladder and get the ball from the basket. It wasn’t until 1893, iron hoops and nets replaced the peach baskets. Today, Two teams of five players try to score by shooting a ball through a hoop elevated 10 feet above the ground. The game is played on a rectangular floor called the

court, with a hoop on each end. The