A glance at the history of basketball

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the US. It has existed for a little more than a century. The original game invented in 1891 had very different rules from contemporary basketball. The sport has grown from a recreational YMCA game to an international competitive sport for players of all ages. The history of basketball undoubtedly starts with Dr. James Naismith who was a Canadian teacher born in Ontario on the 16th of November 1861. He was orphaned early in his childhood. His uncle led him to study philosophy and trained him to become a priest.

He graduated as a physician at McGill University in Montreal and was primarily interested in sports physiology. He later became a teacher of the International Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) training school in Springfield, Massachusetts. Massachusetts had very cold winters and people wanted a game that could be played inside. In 1891, Naismith created this new indoor game in 14 days!

Fans will say that the games are fun to watch, featuring a continuous action. Some of the world’s best athletes play intensely in front of a very close audience. Basketball as played today is a great TV sport with a limited number of players and unbelievable physical near-impossibilities that happen very often. The sport is also tailor-made for social media as the league knows how to smartly market the games and the stars. Personal and team rivalries are also a big part of it tremendous success in North America.

Besides, basketball is highly relatable as every American high school has basketball teams and almost every student has played pickup or at least shot hoops! Like soccer and sport in general, basketball crosses racial, ethnic, religious and even socio-economic boundaries. Lower risk of (serious) injury is also a key.