James Naismith and Basketball

There wouldn’t be the sport of basketball or the NBA, at least the way as we know it today, without the man who invented basketball to begin with; Dr. James Naismith. Born in Ontario, Canada, according to www.basketball.org Dr. Naismith Participated in many different kinds of sports including rugby, football, lacrosse, gymnastics and soccer. Dr. Naismith entered McGill University in 1983 to pursue an undergraduate degree in Physical Education. During his time at the YMCA international training school, he noticed his students needed something to do during the harsh winter of Massachusetts in 1891 and he set out to design a new game. Using a peach basket and a soccer ball, Dr. Naismith came up with a game where the goal of the game was to get the soccer ball into the peach basket through teamwork. Soon after he designed the game, the game of basketball spread throughout the nation and Dr. Naismith also eventually became the head basketball coach of the University of Kansas basketball team. There were thirteen original rules of the game of basketball, which is very different from the game of basketball that is played today although some of the original rules of the game still are relevant to today’s game of basketball. These were the thirteen original rules of the game of basketball: 1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.

2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the fist).

3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running at a good speed if he tries to stop.

4. The ball must be held in or between the hands; the arms or body must not be used for holding it.

5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed; the first infringement of this rule by any player shall count as a foul, the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made, or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game, no substitute allowed.

6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of Rules 3,4, and such as described in Rule 5.

7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls, it shall count a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the mean time making a foul).

8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.

9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it. In case of a dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds; if he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on that side.

10. The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.

11. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made, and keep account of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.

12. The time shall be two 15-minute halves, with five minutes' rest between.

13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In case of a draw, the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until another goal is made.

These thirteen original rules of basketball were gotten from www.usab.com/dr-james-naismith-original-13-rules-of-basketball

As is able to be told a lot of these rules still either apply to the game today in some ways or have been changed completely, for example the game of basketball is now two 24-minute halves with fifteen minutes rest in between. Another one of the rules that are clearly different is that players can move with the ball, dribble it, and take the shots themselves. The thirteen original rules of basketball set the foundation for the game of basketball that is known and loved today around the world. Thank you for reading this newsletter, join me in the next newsletter as I dive into early leagues of basketball that are not talked about often or that you may not know ever existed. If you want to support my writing or my content, you can support me at https://ko-fi.com/nebulapenguin, thank you.