The Early Life of Basketball🏀- Brianna Falco

Since I'm in basketball season now, I was inspired to learn more about how the game originated. Basketball usually circulates through my mind everyday. Often times, I find myself thinking about the next game I have coming up, or what practice will be like this afternoon, more importantly what afternoon snack I'll be having. The game of Basketball as we know it today was created by Dr. James Naismith in December of 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He wanted the young athletes to be conditioned during the winter months. The game consisted of peach baskets and a ball looking like a cross between a soccer ball and a football. Naismith divided his class of eighteen students into two teams of nine. He created an outline, 13 rules the players needed to follow. The objective of the game was to get this soccer-football into the fruit baskets nailed to the lower railing of the gym balcony. I found it very amusing because every time a point was scored the janitor needed a ladder to get the ball down to resume play. After a while, the bottom of the basket was removed to allow the ball the fall through the basket. The first public basketball game was held in Springfield, Massachusetts March 11, 1892.


 The soccer style ball with laces similar to a football.