Evolution Of Basketball And Football In The World Of Sports

Have you ever thought to yourself, how did the game of basketball become such a worldwide sport? How the game has evolved into what it is now? There’s a lot of questions that pop into the human head when the topic of basketball is introduced. This draft will discuss the history behind basketball, the evolution behind it and the current state the game is in now.

According to biography.com, the game of basketball was created by Dr. James Naismith in 1891, in Springfield, Massachusetts (biography.com). Dr. Naismith invented the game because he needed a game that his students could play indoors for the winter since it was too cold to play football or baseball outside. The game consisted of two nailed peach baskets,10ft 3 meters above the gym floor. The ball would then be thrown into the air, and as both teams would then jump for it, the game would begin. Not long after, games began popping up almost everywhere; church basements, dance halls, even bars. Also, teams could have up to 3 to 40 players, depending on how many people wanted to play.

Referees often had a difficult time seeing fouls to call penalties. Most of the early games were played with soccer balls, or even a football, since the early rules did not require players to bounce the ball. Later, the rules were changed, which required players to bounce the ball. According to jr.nba.com, Many complained that the ball was too slippery for dribbling (jr.nba.com). In 1894, the official basketball was created. The ball was wider than the soccer ball and slightly larger than today’s basketball. The early balls consisted of leather panels stitched together vs todays balls which are made of rubber, which allows the ball to bounce. The first baskets had bottoms so when the ball was shot and made it in, it would stay in the basket; therefore, the referees then had to climb up and retrieve the ball. Later on, holes were poked at the bottoms of the baskets so the refs would poke them out. Not long after, the bottom of the baskets were taken completely off and replaced with nets. The new game of basketball began getting noticed throughout the colleges. Students went to the Y(YMCA) everyday around lunchtime to see the action on the court. According to Luther, Gulick. on January 15, 1892, a newspaper was published by the Y explaining the rules of the game (Gulick 1.) In seeming overnight, more than 200 Ys began holding games, and players and fans alike took the game overseas. According to nbahoopsonline.com, On November 1,1941 the first NBA game at the time was called the BBA (Bahrain Basketball Association), which took place in Toronto, Canada. The game was between the Toronto Huskies and the New York Knicks at Maple Leaf Gardens and drew over 7,000 fans. The Knicks came out on top with a winning score of 68-66 (nbahoopsonline.com). Although all NBA teams reside in North America, the NBA is the most elite basketball league on the planet. 

According to Larry W Donald, when an NBA game starts, it begins with 5 players on both sides. In order to put points on the scoreboard, players must work together in order to win (Larry W Donald). The NBA consists of 30 teams,15 teams belong to the western conference and the other 15 belong to the eastern conference. Each team’s goal is to reach the NBA finals and win it all. Every team will play 41 games at home and 41 on the road. Around midseason is when All-star weekend takes place. The All-Star Weekend is a festival that starts every February during the middle of the NBA regular season that consists of a variety of basketball events. First is the celebrity All-Star game, this game includes the world’s most known celebrities Youtubers, actresses, singers and etc. In this event the celebrities are split into two teams and play a regular pick up match. The second event is the skills challenge this event brings together the most skilled players from around the league to put their skills to the test. There are three rounds and the last player standing is crowned the skills champion. The third event is the rising star game, this game has all of the rookies and second year players play against each other all players are put on two teams: one consisting of all USA players the other one consisting of players from out of the country representing as world. The second event is the dunk contest; this event includes the league's top high flyers; six players are chosen to participate in the dunk contest there are three rounds and the player with the highest score wins. The third event is the three-point contest, six of the best shooters from around the league are chosen to participate in a two round shooting expedition. The last event is the All Star game which consists of all of the best players from around the league. Players are chosen to the draft by fan votes the top two most voted for players are chosen as the captains. These two players pick from the 12 players from the draft one by one until there is no one remaining. The two teams then duke it out as the world watches the most sought after event of the All-star weekend.

Around April is when the playoffs began eight teams from each conference make the playoffs. The games have a seven game series that takes place, the first one to reach four victories advances to the next round. By June, only two teams are remaining one from each conference. The two conferences then play in the NBA Finals for the Larry O’Brien Trophy and bragging rights.

The game of basketball is a sport that is action packed and has been around for 73 years counting has millions of fans and is a sport that has love and support from people around the world, and continues to thrive as one of the most actively watched sports worldwide.